<p>All over this country there are kids just like you whose guidance counselors have told them that their GPA, ECs, and ACT/SAT scores are the things to worry about when planning for college. The hard cold fact is that the single most important factor is the family EFC. If you don’t know that (and most parents don’t know it either until the last minute) you can’t get honest with your family about where the money is going to come from.</p>
<p>I can forgive the parents’ ignorance about the money issue, because back in their day college was much easier to pay for, and peer institutions would actually meet with each other and compare aid packages so that students received equivalent offers. I also know that it is extremely important that the guidance counselors tell all of you to work hard and aim high. What is missing from this, however, is the person who will remind you that in the end it is going to be all about the money. Since the guidance counselors hear all of the “I got into X but just found out I can’t pay for it” complaints from their students, it seems to me that they need to step up to the plate and get everyone else to pay attention to this issue sooner. I recognize that they have a lot of responsibilities and I hate to hang another one on them, but if not them, who? If not now, when?</p>