<p>*I am a dad of HS Soph boys. Both boys were honor roll as freshman and crashed first half of their Soph year (both about 2.1-2.2 gpa). I am concerned about there grades for college entrance and any financial assistance which has started me thinking about planning for college now. I know I need to get them both back on track - and wanted some advice on how to approach and direct them without pushing them away.</p>
<p>I also was looking for advice on how/when to start looking into finincial aid and suggestions where to start looking. Any help would be greatly appreciated. *</p>
<p>1) Get an idea of your EFC for each child. With twins you do the EFC **twice **and then each one has his own EFC (Some mistakenly do it once, and think that’s their EFC divided by two). The numbers will be the same unless one twin has assets and the other one doesn’t. <a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml[/url]”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml</a></p>
<p>2) For most upper middle-class people, FA is mostly loans. That can be surprising to many people. Most schools do not have the endowments to give away free money. Federal grants are for low-income families. </p>
<p>3) What is your home state?</p>
<p>4) I would explain to my kids that college is very expensive, and that for them to get into the kinds of schools that give the best financial aid or scholarships, they will have to have strong stats. </p>
<p>5) Having mediocre grades leaves kids with the fewest options. The schools that will accept them are usually the ones who give the LEAST aid. </p>
<p>6) Financial aid is based on your EFC (expected family income). Scholarships are based on GPA and SAT/ACT scores (some will ask for a FAFSA, too.).</p>