Advice on comparing financial aid packages, a college deferment, plus filling out the FAFSA.
With applications complete and admissions responses floating in, there’s much to do for high school seniors and their parents over the next few months. Read on to learn what should be on your family’s to-do list.
Acceptances, rejections and waitlists Check out my posts on actions to take if your student has received some acceptances, as well as the next steps if your child is getting mostly rejections. You’ll also find helpful advice on giving your senior the best chance of getting off a wait list.
Understanding what it means to be deferred The Star-Ledger’s Peggy McGlone explains what it means to be deferred and what actions students can take in response to this letter.
FAFSA time You’ve heard the complaints and the scary stories about the confusing form, but preparing before you start makes all the difference.
For the uninitiated, FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and almost all colleges require it to qualify for financial aid. Get acquainted with the official site here.
But read financial aid advisor Jodi Okun’s helpful post about what to do before you start your FAFSA.
Then check out these five important tips for applying for financial aid in this post by Jane Kulow on her Dr. StrangeCollege blog.
Wondering if you really have everything before you start? Check out the government’s FAFSA checklist.
Evaluating a financial aid package Read my post on comparing financial aid packages where you’ll also learn some of the terms you need to know to understand what’s being offered.
In search of scholarships Lindsay Shoemake provides a list of the 10 bests sites to look for college scholarships in her article on Her Campus.
Making the most of the last few months of high school Allison Hammond shares advice from high school grads on taking the first steps into adulthood during the last half of senior year in her article for USA Today. Senioritis isn’t one of them.
Some colleges focusing on affordability The spiraling cost of college may finally be turning downward. Tamar Lewin of the New York Times writes about colleges that are lowering their tuition. Yes, you read that right.
Have you read some helpful articles or posts on these topics? Please share them in the comments sections below.
Parents' Guide to the College Puzzle 
If revisiting is possible, or even exploring your options and potential options on line it is a good idea to think again. The fall is a whirlwind and seniors are growing and changing. Some of their choices might begin to look different with another look.
Good advice. Visiting a campus before accepting the offer to attend is very important.