Spring Break!

It is almost Spring Break for most High School students. Vacation? Hah!
NO, Spring Break for Juniors is prime college visit time; really!
We have one lined up so far, but my goal is to at least get to 2 colleges. If your teen does not know what they want to study, then I suggest staying within 1-2 hours of home and maybe pick one public and one private school. It is also a good idea to pick one larger school and a smaller one. There really are different vibes of schools, and your child will get a feel for what size/type of school they like.
The great thing about most Spring Breaks is that many of the colleges are in session and both you and your student can see how the campus really is when students are there and classes are going on.
 Look online for school visit days, or call some of the schools to get something set up. Most campuses have visits on the weekdays, and there are always some Saturday times as well.
I will have some more tips for your visits in the next day or two, but start thinking about it!

England?

Wow, My son has a chance to go to College in England for 4 weeks in the summer! Very excited, since it is a scholarship opportunity, with almost everything paid for. Of course,he is scrambling to get an application, essays, and recommendation letters done. I am scrambling to help him get stuff together for a passport. I hope he gets selected. If not , I'm sure he will get other chances to study abroad, so the passport will get used sooner or later!
Now, during this same time I am helping my daughter line up college visits. Another year of my PTO from work going towards the kids' stuff; some things don't change, even as they get older I guess!

FAFSA part 2

Ok, so if your child gets any financial aid, then the Fafsa must be filed every year. This time I got flagged for verification! Really? Oh well, so now  I have to request a transcript from the IRS and fill out some dependent verification form for the college. If not, my son won't get his aid for next year. Boy, they get you coming and going! Oh well, I'll let you know how it all turns out!

FAFSA time!

Whether it is your child's first year of college next year, or you are in the midst of it, January/February means Fafsa time! Even if you think you may earn too much for your child to get any aid, think again! It is worth the effort to apply. If your child has gotten aid in previous years, you and your child must fill the online forms out EVERY year!  It takes a little time, but is fairly simple. You mush have your tax info available, but if you don't want to wait until you file your taxes, you can do an estimate. One warning: if your estimate is really off, then you have to ammend the Fafsa. Make sure you are going to the actual site:  http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/  .
There are similar sites that try to charge you money; be careful, and good luck!