High School Class of 2016/College Class 2020

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We filled out the FASFA on Monday. Now on top of waiting for the other colleges to reply, we need to wait to hear about the financial aid package. I hate this waiting game!

 

[punkin]

We're still in full application mode. DD still has 4 applications to finish. The supplemental essays are killing her.

 

[jetskigrl]

Luckily none of the colleges that DD has applied to require the CSS (even the private art schools). Now I'm just waiting to hear back from her first choice school with the financial aid package. Our expected family contribution is a little less than the tuition (about $3,000 less) but since they have already offered her a $20,000 per year scholarship, I'm assuming that means the school has met their obligation for aid. So the rest is on us.

It would be nice if they didn't take the merit scholarship into account and still found us another grant or something, but I doubt that will be happening.

 

[jetskigrl]

We're still in full application mode. DD still has 4 applications to finish. The supplemental essays are killing her.

DD has one more application to finish too, but for her it is the portfolio that is killing her (private art school). She has 4 pieces of work that she wants to include and she just can't get them to her liking (digital art). So she keeps redoing them. I am so ready for her to just get this last one finished. I keep reminding her that even though the deadline is Feb, she should still be trying to get her application in before they have given out all their awards. But she won't do it until she gets her art pieces just right.

On another note, we finally got around to ordering her Senior Portraits (she had her seating last August but we have put off doing the actual order). UGH...even with a 30% discount it was so expensive. And we haven't even gotten to Graduation announcements, cap and gown, prom, etc yet

 

[MomofKatie]

Only one of DD's schools doesn't require the css. I'm not happy.

Us, too. Paid for the CSS for 6 of the 7 schools she applied to. I guess we should be happy the FAFSA doesn't cost anything to fill out/send...

 

[Kimberlyann11]

DD was just accepted into the honors college at her first choice of her accepted schools. The professor who read her app and essays wrote some wonderful comments in the acceptance letter. She was nervous because her grade point was .01 below the cut-off, but i told her that they will take much more than just that into consideration and I was right. The big bonus is the honors housing. When I was in school, I lived in both honors and non-honors dorms and there was quite a difference.

 

[punkin]

That's terrific news, Kimberlyann11. I don't think we'll hear anything before middle of February and I think the majority won't be in before March.

 

[wishesuponastar]

This is the first I've heard of CSS. How do you know if you need to fill it out?

 

[wishesuponastar]

Congrats to your daughter Kimberlyann!

 

[MomofKatie]

This is the first I've heard of CSS. How do you know if you need to fill it out?

The school's website should have the information- probably in the 'financial aid' or' dates and deadlines' sections.

Many private universities require the CSS, but almost no public schools do. It is basically the financial aid form for schools that give out aid from their endowments instead of or in addition to federal sources.

 

[punkin]

Oh, shoot me now. DD has decided to do one of her supplemental essays as a poem. I looked on college confidential and the consensus there is its gimmicky. However, she just read it to me, and I think it's actually really good. She wants advice and I usually like to play it safe, but...help, what do you guys think?

 

[MomofKatie]

Oh, shoot me now. DD has decided to do one of her supplemental essays as a poem. I looked on college confidential and the consensus there is its gimmicky. However, she just read it to me, and I think it's actually really good. She wants advice and I usually like to play it safe, but...help, what do you guys think?

If it shows who she is, and demonstrates her passions, go for it. That being said, if she is applying for engineering, it might be an odd choice. If she is going for a liberal arts school, it is more appropriate.

 

[punkin]

If it shows who she is, and demonstrates her passions, go for it. That being said, if she is applying for engineering, it might be an odd choice. If she is going for a liberal arts school, it is more appropriate.

Yeah...not engineering. It really is her in free verse. I will run it by DH, but I actually teared up when she read it to me.

 

[Mom2DDs]

My daughter applied to mostly all private schools (including a couple of women only schools) and none are requiring it so that's why I was asking. So far she's gotten all merit based scholarships and from what I've heard from neighbors who have kids in college - they really didn't get much money just loans. Thank goodness we have 529 plans for both of our girls!

 

[Monykalyn]

DD was just accepted into the honors college at her first choice of her accepted schools. The professor who read her app and essays wrote some wonderful comments in the acceptance letter. She was nervous because her grade point was .01 below the cut-off, but i told her that they will take much more than just that into consideration and I was right. The big bonus is the honors housing. When I was in school, I lived in both honors and non-honors dorms and there was quite a difference.

How exciting!!! Congrats!

 

[punkin]

My daughter applied to mostly all private schools (including a couple of women only schools) and none are requiring it so that's why I was asking. So far she's gotten all merit based scholarships and from what I've heard from neighbors who have kids in college - they really didn't get much money just loans. Thank goodness we have 529 plans for both of our girls!

If by women only schools you mean what's left of the seven sister's, I think they all require the css profile.

 

[Monykalyn]

Been MIA for a while (where oh where is the time going??) We've had some good news on our front : "safety school" is pretty much full ride paid for (but she really isn't excited about this school-hometown school); What had been her first choice (UofArkansas at Fayetteville) she got accepted into the Honors college along with a scholarship, she applied to her "reach" school-Colorado School of Mines-and also got accepted (her Science teacher was very excited as well)-but...that is a hugely expensive out of state school. Pretty much ruled out until 2 weeks ago when a scholarship letter came...only really covers room and board...however she hasn't heard about any other scholarships yet (the ones she has already are the ones already awarded automatic due to academics). Looks like a quick trip to Colorado at end of month to check the school out. And she is so casual when she mentions the acceptances and awards...the only one she was really really excited about was the Colorado one.

We have our own business and I also work partime so our FAFSA is more complicated (ugh).

So exciting to hear all our big kids plans coming together

 

[luvsJack]

Hope everyone's kids get the best fit for them. So glad dd isn't having this stress on top of everything else! I didn't realize lower stress level would be another benefit of my job!!

She is stressing enough with choir, showchoir and a capella auditions coming up. Anyone else's kids that are performers having to do auditions? How soon are they?

Dd's choir director is going with the seniors to at least 4 local schools-two universities and two community colleges. He wants dd to audition at all of them even though she knws where she wants to go. She has worked with all of the directors through her high school choir and he wants her to gain a lot of confidence before the last one at the school she plans to attend. She really likes the director at the cc I work for but really is the most nervous about auditioning for her.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

Robotics starts today! Woohoo!! I am actually taking time off work for all the tournaments (districts are two days each and then states are three days. I'm not sure what worlds is this year - but I might take that time off and watch on the internet at home (lol -in my head they are already going to worlds.)). I told DD that next year I might have to adopt a freshman and force him to join robotiics so I can have four more years of roboticy goodness.

 

[punkin]

Just finished filling out the fafsa and css profile. I did a lot of "estimating" or more accurately, guessing, lol. My etc is astronomical. I could afford it if we don't eat or pay any bills for 4 years.