<p>If I am dependent on my parents, should only my parents make a pin or should both me and my parents make a pin?</p>
<p>2 PINs. You need a PIN and one parent needs a PIN.</p>
<p>One of your parents needs a PIN and you (the student) also need your own PIN. You can apply for those now. The PIN is used to "sign" the fafsa electronically. One parent and the student both need to "sign" this document..thus two PINs.</p>
<p>Just for ease of use, we all have the same PIN. I mean my son, my daughter, and I (the parent) just selected the same actual numbers for the PINs. They are technically our individual PIN, but there's nothing that requires every PIN be distinct from any other PIN in the universe. You have to apply for them separately of course under each individual's name and SSN, but for us with the multitude of passwords, PINs, login names, etc. in our lives, it was easier to just select the same PIN numbers for both the kids and myself.</p>
<p>rent o...you got to select your PIN? Wow...when we got ours...we didn't get a choice. It was just sent to us.</p>
<p>Thumper - I was thinking the same though it has been a while. I know ours (parent) was snail mailed to us (don't know why) and I still have it in my daughter's college folder. I think my daughter's was assigned. My son had one assigned then had all sorts of problems where when he tried to use it the system would say he did not have a PIN and when we would try and apply for another one it would say he could not because he already had one. A very frustrating few days.</p>
<p>Lesson - Apply for your PIN well in advance.</p>
<p>We received two in the mail (DS's and the parent) and one via email. No choice of PIN number at all. If we had a choice we would NOT have the "random" numbers assigned to us.</p>
<p>If that has changed...it's a change for the better.</p>
<p>Unlike the old days most of us remember, PINs are now sent instantly via email. No more waiting ... no more being unpleasantly surprised when the kid doesn't tell you until the last minute that the financial aid priority date is tomorrow & the PIN doesn't come for a week or two!</p>
<p>Kelsmom...do folks get to choose their PINs now? When we got DD's via email...we got no choice...it was just sent.</p>
<p>Ours was snail mailed to us just 2 years ago next January. I never understood why - my daughter's was emailed but the parent one came by snail mail.</p>
<p>Yes, it has just been within the last 2 years, or less, that now one can choose one's own pin, rather than its being assigned. And as I remember (I will again be an expert on this by February!) one can still have it sent snailmail, though now email is preferred. It used to be only snailmail, so this is definitely an improvement as k-mom details! PINs still get whacked out here and there though--of course only when it is near deadline.</p>
<p>radimim you are so right - my son's was one that was whacked out and we were applying late as he suddenly decided to go back to school (we had not applied for aid the 1st time round - amazing the difference a few years make). We needed to know if he would get aid so he could give notice so it was the most frustrating experience. I actually ended up in tears of frustration after 4 hours on the phone trying unsuccessfully to get it sorted out. The FAFSA people were very kind but it seemed like something outside the norm had happened so everything they told me to do we had already tried and it did not work. Then suddenly after several days it was a if he had never applied for a PIN and we redid it and it worked.</p>
<p>I've done a fair number of these as a volunteer (will be paid though this year ;) and I have seen that happen every so often. I too have been in tears ("It just doesn't have to be this HARD!") so I hear you. I'm very glad it worked--it can be a total bottleneck in the process.</p>
<p>I'm trying to make this post contain a smiley but clearly I have not figure that out yet!</p>
<p>Colon followed by right parenthesis. It's the only one I can figure out how to do! :)</p>
<p>here you go
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies</a></p>
<p>Thanks - I put that on my favorites - now I can grin foolishly! :D</p>
<p>Thanks k-mom! Hey, you may have ideas on my other post--need suggestions for refugee student. I bet she can make smilies! (Just to keep on topic) :cool: This is fun! "Simple minds have simple pleasures..."</p>