@martinezcs you lost me at EFCđ I told my hub, I pretty much did everything college related, FAFSA would be his sole job. It worked!
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The FAFSA calculates the EFC. The EFC is the expected family contribution. Itâs how much they say the parents should be able to contribute to the cost of college for the year. It is how the federal need based grants and loans are determined and how some scholarships determine financial need. If a scholarship asks for the EFC it is an indicator they are taking this information into account.
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Texas made completing FAFSA a graduation requirement (you can opt-out of FAFSA but have to fill out a form).
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Yes but it isnât required for the following years but it is still encouraged to do it each year because some scholarships require a fafsa. Not doing a fafsa can limit scholarship opportunities even if high income and especially if low to mid income.
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Question about NSC and class registration⊠son has been accepted and we have put down housing deposit but he hasnât fully decided on TAMU (this Aggie is keeping my fingers crossed.) Is it important to register for as early an NSC as possible to get the most desirable classes/profs/schedule? I didnât know if there is a benefit to attend an early NSC?
@KEHTX1 registering for NSC is essentially committing to TAMU. You can always cancel before it starts (wonât get any of the $ back), but it really is making the decision to attend A&M.
My Aggie purposely chose mid July NSC, based on our summer plans. Many will insist you HAVE to register early, but class sections are added for every NSC, to be fair. The first NSC always has hiccups-computers freeze, lots of glitches.
Itâs still early, if your student is waiting to hear from other schools, not ready to commit anywhere, Iâd personally wait to sign up for NSC.
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In addition to what 52ag82 said, no reason to sign up for a early NSC that might interfere with HS graduation. For both my aggies, an NSC date a week or two after graduation was perfect. It was nice to get it out of the way, and move on to other things - what to bring, laptop, etc - plus one of my aggies kept making changes to his schedule during the summer. Not all depts allow this.
Also, there is prework required for engineering chemistry (to get everyone on the same page) which my engineer was emailed about in august and could finish before Howdy week. Someone registering last minute would have to do that work right before school. Dont know if other classes require prework but chem 107 does, at least the last three years.
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My daughter wasnât sure which school she was going to choose until spring. She didnât accept by registering for NSC until sometime in March or April. She picked dates that worked with her schedule. I think it was mid June. The first couple NSC sessions offered were while her school was still in session so she picked an NSC for couple weeks after graduation. We did opt to stay in the dorm and Iâm glad we did. My daughter and I stayed in a dorm room together. Walked everywhere. Ate on campus in the dining hall and off campus at northgate.
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We are waiting to sign up for NSC as well. Twin 1 has all 5 of his applications and acceptances back, but he hasnât decided where he wants to go yet. Twin 2 still has four EA apps heâs submitting by Nov 1, so he wonât be making a decision until after December either.
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@KEHTX1 my Aggie received all of her acceptances quite early in September. She didnât decide/formally accept A&M until mid February. She took care of housing deposits everywhere, but when she finally decided to attend A&M, thatâs when she signed up for NSC/formally committed to TAMU.
I would definitely hold off, because as several have stated, Prom and graduation + grad parties, can easily be during the first NSC. And like I said, we chose mid July NSC, my Aggie got every class she wanted, registered in 10 minutes.
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Thank you all for assurances that even if he doesnât make his decision for a few months, he will still get good classes and schedule!!!
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And letâs say she doesnât get the best schedule or profsâŠ. Itâs one semester. So definitely not a big deal.
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Just to also add because I donât see this mentioned, each Aggie will need to schedule and take a Math Placement Exam. Iâve heard they donât need to take it prior to their NSC, but it surely made registering for classes easier at NSC. Our Aggie scheduled his NSC for late June, so he could focus on APs and finals, then study for the Engineering MPE and have his results before NSC.
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Good to know! Here is a quote fon TAMUâs website:
All incoming freshmen admitted to the Texas A&M University College of Engineering â regardless of AP credit, dual credit or any other credit you may have â must take the Math Placement Exam 4 (MPE4) in an online, proctored setting via Zoom prior to their New Student Conference.
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And now that Iâve had some coffee, I remembered there is or are practice exams, paper and/or online. I donât remember which majors require which exam - not all take the MPE4. And the Engineering exam is NOT calculus.
@rowell2024 MPE is required for all majors, and must be taken prior to NSC.
I donât think MPE dates even open up until April, so there is PLENTY of time.
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Right - I just donât remember which majors take which one. I was just kinda making the point for students to not schedule their NSCs too early without taking into account the need to study for and take the MPE.
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Yes and âstudyâ is really just take a practice test to get comfortable with the format and what to expect/review before taking. It is a placement exam so it is designed to assess what level math is appropriate for them. They shouldnât have to spend a ton of time studying. My daughter took it before nsc but yes they can take it or retake it after. Students also have to take the TSI if they arenât exempt. Many are exempt based on ACT/SAT scores or have already taken the TSI through a dual credit program. However with the increase in test optional applications I was surprised how many werenât exempt and were scrambling to take it.
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@martinezcs YES! Itâs a test meant for math placement. No one should be cramming for it, retaking it multiple times. One practice test should be fine. Wonât be helping the student at all, if they attempt to jump to a higher level math class and they arenât prepared.
Itâs slightly different for Engineering majors, as they take a different MPE and it can (ultimately) determine when they take ETAM, but again, student needs to be placed in the appropriate level.
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if your major is Business Administration (mays) what are the preference of Housing / hall selections? I know first year classes are all over the places, but was wondering if Mays students prefer particular halls - perhaps looking into proximity to classes, and having classmates living closer to each other?
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