<p>Don’t panic. Your son should have the SAT under his belt by now – if not, he surely should take it as soon as possible (probably October). </p>
<p>You are on a forum where parents and students are targeting the most elite opportunities – kind of like being interested in archery and finding a forum full of Olympic level archers. They aren’t just talking about flinging some arrows for fun – they are debating the pros and cons of titanium tipped arrow heads and carbonite shafts to make a quarter sized target grouping into a dime sized grouping. Very, very specific stuff – much only applicable to a few. </p>
<p>You can learn a ton here – but you really don’t have to do all the things mentioned on this forum to have your son have a successful college hunt and successful college career. </p>
<p>“How to pay for college without going broke” by Khany is a very helpful book. Please know that many college fin aid officers play their cards very close to the chest. You will not know until April of his senior year what YOUR sticker price is for any school. Until April, you will only get broad guidelines from the colleges. </p>
<p>For that reason it is extremely important to 1) Fill out the FAFSA as early as possible after Jan 1, 2011 (estimate using last year’s tax forms. File updates later. The submission date is your place in line and you want to be at the front of the line. Don’t wait until April 14 when you have the 2010 taxes done. Estimate and file early!). </p>
<p>and 2) have your son apply to an array of colleges. Include at least one private college known for strong aid (sometimes this can be the best deal, no matter what the posted sticker price is on the college website). </p>
<p>Please warn your son not to “fall in love” with just one school. That tends to be the most expensive way to go. Ask him to go into the process ready to fall in “like” with lots of places – and to save the “love” for April when he sees how much the different schools are prepared to “love” him back. Good luck!</p>