<p>Since National Merit Finalists are notified in Feb/March, isn't that kind of late to apply to colleges that might give a full ride?</p>
<p>Same for FAFSA....it seems like by the time you 'really' know what your financial aid is at a school, it's too late to know if you can afford it.</p>
<p>well, for question 1, NMSFs are notified back in september and they can be almost certain they will be finalists (except for those unlucky 1,000), so they would have plenty of time back in the fall to apply to appropriate schools</p>
<p>As for FAFSA, you run your numbers through a several of the on-line calculators, and pick the highest result as your low estimate for your EFC. I did this back when happykid was in 10th grade. It nearly gave me a heart attack. Since then we have made an effort to reform our family budget, and we’ve told happykid how much money we can pay. Next fall when she’s applying to colleges, she will already know which schools are realistic without aid, and which aren’t.</p>