Hi. I’m 17 years old and have finished applying to colleges/and received acceptance letters already. Although, my mother has very recently passed away, and was in the process of finishing the fafsa/financial aid. I don’t really know if I should notify the schools of my situation since some of the deadlines are tomorrow feb 1st. Filled with grief and confusion at this point. Please help
Call the schools. I’m sure they will work with you. I am so sorry for your loss. Is there, perhaps, another relative or adult who can help you with this?
Of course you notify the schools. Do it as soon as you can - or ask a relative to assist you by notifying the schools on your behalf. The schools will understand. Ask for additional time to file the forms. Is there another adult at home (a parent, a grandparent, an older sibling) who can help you file these forms later?
I’m sorry. This must be a difficult time and this isn’t what you want to be thinking about. Let someone else think about it for you for at least a little while.
I am so sorry for your loss. Are you in CA? I think @mom2collegekids is familiar with CA schools, so she may be able to give you some suggestions. Certainly your guidance counselor should be able to help you request extensions and assist you with other paperwork too.
Future, you have gotten good advice. Want to remind you that your school counselors should be helping you work on this. The college deadlines are deadlines, sure, but there are real human beings on the other end of the email. The admissions staff have accepted you into their school, so they would like you to attend. Their job is not just to accept students, but also help accepted students overcome any barriers to making it to campus for school next fall.
When well-meaning adults ask “Is there anything I can do?” you might be able to ask one of them (preferably a parent of recent or current college students) if they would spare an hour or two to assist you with FAFSA. Contact your schools, by all means, though.