@twoforone99, some schools require FAFSA for merit. If you already filed FAFSA you can just add all the public schools to it so loans can be taken.
@twoforone99 AO from our state school had said that many families make the mistake of thinking that since they donāt qualify for aid, they donāt fill out the financial aid form. She encouraged everyone to file the form for two reasons. First, you donāt qualify for lower rate parental loans if you want to take them (not sure if that is the same thing you are referring to as I have not begun looking at any of that documentation yet. Iām sitll in video watching āhow toā¦ā mode). The second reason she said she encourages families to file the paperwork is because over 4 years, circumstances could change (loss of income, major medical situation) and if the forms have been filed at the start, the process will be faster if they get a phone call that a student will unexpectedly need financial assistance.
I think it really depends on the institutionā¦we will be full pay and am not filling out fafsa. I called the ED school and asked if choosing not to do so would jeopardize the possibility of future aid if family circumstances changeā¦I was assured (by this school at least) that my son would not be denied the option to apply.
Also, merit aid circumstances are all different. Full tuition merit scholarship at Tulane was awarded to S14, again no fafsa was filled outā¦
@twoforone99 My understanding is you will need the FAFSA on file at the publics to be able to take the loans, they wonāt be offered unless that is filed. We filed at all schools so we would have the option if we wanted it. That said, as long as you do it by their aid deadline and itās loan qual only, I wouldnāt think you need to worry about it now. I just found it easier to do all at once.
It you file a FAFSA the schools will send you a FA package, if you donāt qualify for anything other than loans it will only include loans. You can accept the loans or just disregard the FA package.
Congratulations!!! to @Dave_N @klinska @jpc763 <:-P
D and I visited UMD yesterday. We were only able to sign up for the engineering session so we walked a little bit around the campus ourselves. D liked the campus but not so much about the area. There isnāt really anything outside of the campus. The engineering session was good. 2 seniors handled the whole session end to end. D is comfortable with large state schools now after really seeing one. In case anyone need this information, we were able to get free parking pass at the visitor center.
Just got a report back from DS that he loved Haverford and Philadelphia. He said he canāt decide which school to apply EDI to, as he would be happy at both (Pitzer is the other in the running). He said heās going to flip a coin. I think thatās a great way to choose, because hopefully as heās flipping the coin, the one he really wants will pop into his mind. Anyone elseās child pick their ED school with a coin toss?
Any thoughts on the Moonrise Hotel on the Delmar Loop? Looks cool and funky and I can get a great rate for the night I need.
@Dolemite the Delmar Loop is a fun location. Iāve never stayed at the Moonrise Hotel but Iāve heard itās nice. I think it would be a good choice.
@jpc763 congrats! It pays to keep checking the portals!
@Dolemite - we just stayed there a couple of weeks ago. It was great! You can walk to campus in ~10 minutes - or take an Uber if DD is wearing interview shoes that give her blistersā¦ 
(We didnāt even rent a car for our trip there.)
In UVAās portal, under admission section, we are very sure it had āto-do is mid year reportā something like that last week. Because D emailed them to inquire about it (mid-year is not required for EA). It is now a green checkmark next to the link says check decision. However when click on the link, it shows another page saying decision is not available please come back jan 31. Does it mean that the decision has already been made but just wonāt be made visible till end of Jan? Or the green checkmark simply means her app materials are considered complete (the mid-year report disappeared from here)? But in any event, it seems like activities are happening 
Wow, Iām 250 or so posts behindā¦ Iāll be back after I get through it all!!! 
@whataboutcollege D17 didnāt apply but D16 did and I remember last year when it changed to say something about the decision and to come back the end of Jan. FYI, decisions will be released earlier than that, usually a Friday. Last year it was Jan 21st (Thursday due to an upcoming storm).
@greeny8 Oh yeah we remembered that storm. D registered for the Jan SAT ( last old sat) and it had to be rescheduled due to that storm. She wasnāt happy that she had to practice her sat skills for one more month.
Ok, I just caught up on about 300 posts so sorry if this is a bit old (new to me)
@hadmeathello wow, canada? and I canāt believe that your Dās teacher passed around her āresumeā Also, someone mentioned you have a new avatar, am I just not seeing it? It looks like the CC one to me now.
@RightCoaster Congrats to your S! A family friendās kid went recently and loved it. I know itās not his top choice, but nice to have one he thinks heād like in the bag! Love the common portal idea! Also, congrats to @klinska <:-P
PORTALS - I check every couple of days, why I have no idea as decisions are not expected until mid-late Dec! Also, one school: no portal, no nothing, is that unusual???
@snoozn (generally speaking - not election related) My Dās school has two known transgender kids and several openly gay kids - no issues - not taboo in this generation. There is a ton of education now from K-12 on bullying. There certainly have been instances of it, but I canāt say itās over common things like ethnicity, orientation, just seems some kids are just mean and pray on otherās weaknesses - whatever they may be. Sad really.
@Dolemite Isnāt BUās deadline 1/1? Not 12/1?
@jpc763 Hey congrats! How did you do at golf??
@Fishnlines29 The deadline for BU is 12/1 for merit aid consideration.
Thanks for the St Louie info. Made the reservation @ The Moonrise.
@Fishnlines29 BU scholarship deadline is 12/1.
@Dolemite For ED or RD?
EDIT: never mind i see it on their siteā¦ ok, makes sense!
@fishnlines29 S17 has one of those too ā no portal, no nothing. Itās a little disconcerting because you canāt tell if they received the school materials or SAT/ACT scores other than relying on āwe will email you if your application is incompleteā. S17 and I check the email account multiple times a day to make sure an email hasnāt arrived. By now, I think it would (submitted 10/28) but we keep checking.