Hi, everyone! I’m a junior currently compiling the list of schools I’ll apply to. I think I have a fairly good idea of what I want (thank you internet!) but I’d love tips from parents. I feel like most of what I learn about schools and applications comes from my friends or from online articles. I don’t have parents that are involved in this process, and the school I currently attend doesn’t provide college counseling. I know the college search and application process can be quite different for a parent and a student, so any information that could potentially be of assistance would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!
CC can be a great resource for information and support as you navigate the process.
In selecting schools, understand what Reaches/Matches/Safeties are and the notion of “fit.”
First and foremost, you will want to think about “fit” and this is different for different people. Fit can (and should) include such criteria as: 1) what programs exist for your major and your general areas of interest; 2) size and location: large vs. small schools, urban vs. rural environments, weather; 3) culture: sports-centered or not sports-centered, is there is a strong Greek presence and how much does that matter to you?, is it known to be a party school and is that something you want or don’t want?; 4) financials: will you need financial and/or merit aid and, if so, how generous will the school be?
It’s great to aim high, but don’t fill your list entirely with reachy-reach lottery schools or schools that you won’t be able to afford.
You will want to have one or two safeties (schools that you know you will get into, that you can afford, and that you would be happy to attend if none of your other schools panned out).
Trust that people will be helpful, but know that everyone has their own opinions and biases and you will need to make your own decisions based on your unique circumstances.
Never post your essays publicly and only share them with people that have a long history of posting.
Step 1: Find out what your parents are willing to pay and find out whether or not you qualify for need-based aid, and if so, how much. There are calculators on every college website that will determine your expected family contribution. Once you have a budget in mind, then identify schools that you will be able to afford and where your GPA and test scores make it likely that you will be admitted. If your family financial situation is complex (divorce, parents own a business or rental real estate, etc.) you may want to emphasize schools that offer merit-based scholarships where the family’s finances are not taken into account.
You don’t want to do a lot of research on schools that ultimately won’t be affordable. It would be a waste of your time and hard on your emotions.
From there, you would then narrow your list according to geographical range, type of school (public/private), size, location, choice of major, etc., not necessarily in that order.
The Supermatch tool to the left side of this page is a reasonable place to start. You might also want to consult a Princeton or Fiske Guide to Colleges - usually available at the public library or your school library.
You say that your school doesn’t provide college counseling. Do they at least do things like send transcripts and write counselor reports to colleges? Does your school use Naviance?
@LoveTheBard Thank you!!! I have some idea of where I want to apply. Most of the schools I’m applying to (with the exception of 2 “reach” schools) fit with my scores, but I’m concerned my transcript is lacking. My extracurriculars are stellar, and I have an inane amount of CC hours, so hopefully that will carry me. Safeties are probably my biggest concern. My safeties right now are FSU and UCF, two of my state colleges, the former being very easy to get into and the latter being automatic entry for me. Problem is, I can’t see myself being happy at either. I can’t see myself at any of my state schools, but I need a significant scholarship to attend college, so out-of-state safeties seem like a bad move. Do you have any ideas about this?
@mamaedefamilia My parents aren’t willing to tell me anything about their financial situation. My mom agreed to let me go where I want and do what she needs for me to go, so long as I handle everything myself and she doesn’t have to pay. I have a college fund, a job, and I’ve been searching for merit scholarships/unaffiliated scholarships. When the time comes, I’ll try to apply for FAFSA/CSS, but right now I’m going off reputation and statistics.
@Otterma I honestly don’t know what Naviance is… They’ll absolutely send transcripts; they just don’t help with selection or applications.
Do you at least know the amount of money in the college fund?
And, will your mom file financial aid forms (FAFSA and CSS) when the time comes? If your mom will not file any financial forms for you, you cannot get student loans or need-based aid.
If they are middle or lower income, can you at least get them to run the net price calculator on each college you propose? They can just tell you if a given school is under or over the net price limit you are willing to take federal loans (up to $5,500) and contribute work earnings (probably no more than a few thousand dollars) to cover.
If not, then you can only really seek full-ride or almost-full-ride merit scholarships.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ (potential safeties if you qualify by stats)
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ (potential reaches)
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ (if National Merit)
(check for those that are full-ride or full-tuition-plus-housing or some such, since full-tuition is probably not enough; also, check school web sites since some scholarships have changed since those lists were made)
@AroundHere Yes, I have full control over my college fund, and 1/2 my income goes straight to it. My mom has agreed to give me necessary information (which means filing financial forms) once I begin FASFA/CSS.
There are two types of financial aid:
Need-based aid, which is based on your family’s income and assets. If you have no idea what these amounts are, you cannot predict if you will qualify for this type of aid.
Merit aid, which is based on your grades, test scores, talents, etc.
The best way to see if you would qualify for need-based aid is to run the net price calculators on each college you are interested in. However, if mom is uncomfortable sharing any financial info, that may be tough. The next best thing would be for you to see if you can get her her to run the FAFSA4Caster at
https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1
This would at least give you your federal EFC, which would tell you your minimum price at a school giving only need-based aid. It would also tell you if you qualify for any Pell grants.
I notice that you keep referring to “mom” - is dad in the picture at all?
The only way that’s going to happen is if you get excellent merit aid (or are low income and get excellent financial aid at a school that meets need), or you attend a Community College. The parents are the first in line to pay for college. Filing for FAFSA gets you the opportunity for a $5500 loan as a freshman, and potentially <$6K for a Pell Grant if you are low income. How much is in your college fund?
@“Erin’s Dad” Without disclosing too much, between money saved and a scholarship I can afford around 10k/year, not including loans or merit aid.
$10K/year will essentially pay room and board for a school. That means you need to get a full tuition scholarship. Look at the yolasite info in post #8.
You may be able to cover up to about $10,000/year in “self help” (from a combination of student loans, work-study, and summer jobs). Note the federal student loan limits, which are listed here:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized
If you can draw up to an additional $10K/year from a college savings account, then you should be able to cover the full costs to attend Florida State or the University of Central Florida, without needing any additional funds from your parents. So it sounds like they would be suitable admission and financial safety choices.
Even after a full tuition merit scholarship, when you add travel costs etc., your net costs to attend an OOS college would not necessarily be far below your net costs to attend an in-state public school (such as UCF at ~$16K+). Depending on what you want, the University of Alabama may be one of the most attractive of the “automatic merit” schools. If your stats meet the minimum requirements, and if you’d prefer Alabama to an in-state public school, then that might be a good safety (or low match).
As for getting need-based aid, that presumably would require your parents’ cooperation including disclosure of their income and assets (unless they are willing to run net price calculators themselves for multiple colleges.) If your family income is not very low, colleges are likely to expect some family contribution in addition to what you draw from college savings and “self help”. They won’t lower the “Expected Family Contribution” just because your parents are unwilling to pay.