4 Tips: How to Prepare for College Right Now

by Melissa Brock | Mar 20, 2020 | Ask the admission office | 3 comments

Pre-COVID-19, did you have time for college visits? 

I know, I know. You’re laughing uproariously and I’m smiling because I’m fully aware your life is normally nuts. (Right now, it might be a different kind of crazy.) 

One of the biggest problems I encountered as an admission counselor was getting prospective college kids to visit. Parents and students didn’t have time to get it wrangled into their schedules.

I get it. I (try to) balance a full-time editorial job and freelance during slim pockets of lunch at the kitchen table (I just wipe off any ketchup that splatters onto my keyboard). 

Plus, two little kiddos need my attention. (My husband gets left in the dust because, well, he can take care of himself.)

I love what I’m doing. All of it. But I’m exhausted. I’m spread thin. (And a little cranky.) 

If you’re barely keeping it together and you still have college visits on your list, I feel for you. I really do. Here are some top tips if your soon-to-be college kid is wondering how to prepare for college right now,  along with some COVID-19 relevant tips, too.

1. Don’t bother visiting schools right now.

Forget about setting up college visits for the time being — the COVID-19 crisis means you get to take a breather. Nobody will give you a tour right now and admission offices may not even be meeting with families. 

The only way you can get a real sense of what a college is like is to do a visit when college is in full swing. It’s impossible to understand what a college is really like unless it’s teeming with students.  

Plus, many college kids who have stayed on campus did so because they don’t have any place else to go. It’s not fair to put them at risk by possibly bringing the virus to them. Stay home and weather the crisis online.

2. You can still learn a lot online.

These days were made for scrolling the internet, right? Since you and your teen have plenty of time to loaf while you’re self-isolating, you can also learn a lot about schools and how to prepare for college. (You’ll definitely learn more about their emergency preparedness and vision for the immediate future! Most school’s COVID-19 policies exist on their home pages.)

Nothing takes the place of a campus visit. However, you can still learn a lot about a college on a virtual tour. At the very least, you can find out whether College A has the kind of microbiology program your student is looking for.

Just remember, a college’s website will look shiny and beautiful. Try to remember that people are what makes an incredible college experience — not gorgeous science labs or state-of-the-art student rec centers. Try not to let your child fall in love with a college for aesthetic reasons. Hold out for meeting the people. You’ll be able to eventually!

3. Have your child start looking for scholarships. 

Explain to your child that he or she can be looking for scholarships now that sports, band and other clubs and organizations are canceled and now that there’s oodles of free time. Seniors can still look for scholarships, too. There’s still so much untapped money out there.

Check out the U.S. Department of Labor’s free scholarship search tool, look into foundations, community or religious organizations, local businesses, civic groups and ask about scholarships at your workplace. This is a constructive use of time for any student who’s wondering how to prepare for college. 

4. Write down your goals. It can change your life.

Edwin Locke, an American psychologist and goal-setting theory pioneer, was one of the first individuals to establish a positive relationship between clearly identified goals and performance. It really works.

Really, this can apply to any area of your life (when will you write the book you’ve been writing in your head since second grade?!). But consider using it as you’re trying to figure out how to prepare for college. Writing out your goals is a powerful motivator. In fact, if you really want to get something done, write it down and tell everyone about it. For example, you could write, “Schedule three college visits by October.” Then, tell two friends you’re planning to do it.

Even better, have your soon-to-be college kid write down his or her goals for college. They could look like this:

1. Apply for [insert number] of scholarships by [date].
2. Study for and take the ACT by October. 
3. Apply to College A, College B and College C.
4. Write a scholarship essay for College A and B by [insert date].

Find out what your high schooler’s goals are — really hone in on what he or she would like to accomplish in college. Building relationships during the college search also extends to building relationships with your son or daughter — and the COVID-19 crisis will require everyone to be at home more. Why not talk about college?

Give Yourself a Break

If there’s anything to be learned from this time in our lives, it’s to slow down. I mean, does life really have to be so busy? All the time? Maybe a lull will enable you and your child think more critically about what features you both really want in a college.

Finally, have patience with colleges as they work to sort out what they’re going to do. Many, many colleges are still hashing it all out. During this uncertain time, it’s more important to strengthen our communities through empathy, patience and support. College (and everything else, for that matter) will still happen, even if the world looks a lot different right now.

How to End the College Search: Spring of Senior Year

by Melissa Brock | Mar 14, 2020 | Ask the admission office | 0 comments

How to choose a college may be the only thing on your kiddo’s mind! As a parent, you might be exhausted by the college search. The ACT or SAT prep, the dozens of college visits, the comparing and contrasting financial aid awards — you may be ready for your kiddo to make a decision, already. But he or she just might not know. 

You’ve probably been a part of conversations with other parents at soccer games, after school, at barbecues: “So-and-so’s going to College XYZ.” 

You know the implied question: “Where’s your kid going?” or, “Why hasn’t he decided?”

Here’s a quick guide to March, April and May and some tips to help your child figure out how to choose a college.

March

March feels like the start of the end of high school, doesn’t it? Spring athletic practices have started, high schools are gearing up for the last curriculum burst — plus, you can see graduation looming on your calendar. (Cue the waterworks — it’ll be over before you know it!)

Here’s what you can be doing in March if your child still hasn’t decided what college he’d like to attend.

1. Make sure you have all your financial aid awards. Count ’em up! Are you missing a key award from a particular school? Call the financial aid office at that college and find out when you should be getting it. Maybe there’s been an oversight. You could have forgotten to submit the FAFSA code for that particular school or the college may still need some information from you. Note: Financial aid awards can be sent any time of the year, particularly now that FAFSAs can be filed in October. Don’t misplace the financial aid award from a liberal arts college sent to your kiddo way back in November! And remember, colleges may send the financial aid award letter via email, mail or both.
2. Pore over those aid awards. It goes without saying, but the next thing you’ll need to do is compare and contrast each financial aid award in detail. Remember — there’s more to the college decision than simply choosing the cheapest option. Weigh all the factors — yes, even factors like which college has the best fishing club. Where will your child thrive? (Sometimes you know it before he or she does.)
3. Discuss waitlisting. Let’s say your child’s waitlisted at College ABC. Would he or she be just as happy attending College XYZ instead? Find out when the final decision will be released — but in the meantime, review all options.
4. Selected for verification? Don’t sweat it. This is a federal process, kind of like an IRS audit. It means you’re asked to submit additional documentation to prove the validity of your FAFSA. Respond quickly so you get your final financial aid award.
5. Don’t stop looking for scholarships. Okay, this really doesn’t have much to do with making a final decision, but it’s a valid spring tip. Scholarships abound! Look online, have your child check with his or her guidance counselor, ask around. Do what you can to apply for scholarships — everywhere.

April

It’s April. You may get a teensy bit more nervous because your kiddo hasn’t decided. In fact, maybe he’s not having any fun talking about his college search at the dinner table anymore. “I’ll decide when I’m ready!” he snaps. What now? Ease up — you may just have to backtrack a bit. 

1. Have a conversation when your child is open to it. Review your pros and cons list from each school. There’s a reason he liked College ABC during the college search — remind him of that professor with the quirky personality. Remind him that the Division III coach from College ABC calls him every few days to check in. 
2. Visit again! Yes, why not make the trek to several schools all over again? Your kiddo’s hit with so much information (some of it’s not accurate), friend influences (definitely not always accurate!) and more. He or she may be trying to wade through a sea of confusion. Call the admission office and set up another tour, talk with an admission counselor, financial aid officer, professor, coach and more. 
3. Take it one step further. Set up an overnight visit. This could be the clincher for your student. If you need to set up a couple of overnight visits, go for it. The overnighter gives your student a sense of what the people are like — and ultimately, clues your child into whether he or she can “see” him or herself living, taking classes and eating in the cafeteria at a particular school.
4. Acknowledge that this is a tough decision. In fact, it might be the most difficult decision your child has ever had to make! Sympathize, and if you can, get him or her to talk about his fears, frustrations and why he or she is excited. You may be able to share a few of your feelings about the college search, too.

May

May is Decision Month! And for some, it’s graduation month! Whether you’re still in the “How did that happen?” stage or you’re in more of a “Let’s do this!” mindset, here’s what you can do in May if your child still struggles to make a decision.

1. Tell your child that May 1 is the National Candidate Reply Date. Most schools adhere to the National Candidate Reply Date of May 1, unless your student is admitted under a binding early decision program. This means that a college cannot pressure you to decide on a college prior to May 1 unless you’ve committed to a college early decision. It’s outlined under the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practices. This doesn’t mean your child must decide at the stroke of midnight on May 1. But it’s a good idea to encourage this date as the final deadline.
2. Do the heart/gut test. Now that it’s time to make a final decision, sit your student down and find out his instinctual response to a few schools. What’s in his heart? Sometimes it can’t be explained — one school just feels right. Your child may be feeling conflicted because he knows that College ABC has a better biology program — that is, it’s produced a larger number of podiatrists (or whatever!) — but he feels more at home at College XYZ. You may have had no idea he felt that way — but cheer anyway! — because you’re finally getting somewhere.
3. Have your son or daughter connect with an influencer. You know those influencers — the ones who make you go “Wow!” when you meet with them on campus. Maybe it’s the college chaplain, the art history professor or an admission counselor. Set up a phone call or one-on-one meeting with that person. Be heartfelt and honest — explain that your child is having trouble making his decision and he needs one more person in his corner. A successful meeting will most likely make a difference! This journey is about building relationships! The minute your child feels wanted at one school over another, it’ll make a world of difference.

How to Choose a College in the Spring

The best thing you can do as a parent? Remind yourself:

1. If your child is meant to go to college, he’ll eventually decide! He will — even if he changes his mind 100 times in the process.
2. Acknowledge that it’s a tough decision. Your child may need a dose of patience and understanding. Try to caution others to give him or her space, too. He may not appreciate his best friend’s dad hounding him every other day about the college search.
3. It’s all about relationships. All of it. It’s not about the college with the sparkliest building, the internship success percentages, the number of students who get into medical school. It’s about where your child will be encouraged, challenged (in a good way!) and ultimately, succeed and be happy. 
4. Try not to compare your child’s journey with anyone else’s. We all make decisions on our own terms. Try to remember a time when you took forever to make a decision — like which house to buy, which car to purchase, which city to land in. Grown-up decisions are hard. Be proud that your child is thinking things through.

Reflect on the past few months! Whether it’s been an amazing college search process or stressful, haven’t you learned a lot?  

7 Tips to Weave College Tours into Your Spring Break

by Melissa Brock | Mar 11, 2020 | Ask the admission office | 0 comments

It’s almost spring break! You may not have tons of time to do college tours with your junior or sophomore, so here’s a guaranteed way to knock out two birds with one stone.

All you need to do is say, “Hey, why don’t we sneak in a college visit during spring break?”

Just to be clear, the two “birds” are a college visit and R&R, not a cacophony of groans from your 16-year-old and the rest of your family. (Though that might happen, too.)

My family and I just spent time in Florida two weeks ago (I miss it already!). As we whiled away the hours in the Everglades, I considered how it would be so easy to take advantage of your proximity to great colleges.

Here are some top tips to make it happen and a few things you may want to consider. 

1. Call in advance — a week is great! 

Colleges have to prepare for your visit. I recommend calling at least a week ahead of your chosen visit date. It gives the campus visit coordinator a chance to create the best visit possible for you. Remember, in most cases, there’s a person at the other end of the line who puts the visit together for your son or daughter — not a robot. 

I recommend talking to a live person over the phone instead of submitting college tour requests online. That way, you can talk through your options with an admission office staff member.

Now, I understand that college visits can happen on the fly. You may be in the car, see a sign for College XYZ and suddenly, your daughter says, “Oh, my gosh, Mom! I’ve always wanted to look at that school! Stop THE CAR!”

You can arrive on the admission office’s doorstep unannounced — but remember, your options may be limited. At the very least, many colleges can give you a tour and arrange for you to meet with an admission counselor. You might be out of luck if you want to meet a specific microbiology professor on the fly, however. It’s best to plan ahead and give the admission office a heads up a week ahead — or even more advance notice.

2. Find out whether a college’s spring break coincides with your vacation plans.

This is so important! When I worked in college admission, we were open during spring break. You could take college tours, eat in the cafeteria, meet with an admission counselor and anyone else who might’ve stuck around during the week. If a family called in and wanted to visit campus during spring break, I’d always suggest, “Come on a different week if you can.” 

A good chunk of professors spent spring break thousands of miles away (donning shorts or safari hats) and coaches disappeared (particularly baseball and softball coaches, who always made a beeline for warmer locales).

Worst of all, the campus was dead. Far from the bustling hive it usually was, the only activity you’d encounter was from a couple of nesting geese. 

3. Decide what you’d like to do on your visit.

It’s okay not to know exactly what your high schooler’s visit might look like when you call in. It’s the campus visit coordinator’s job to talk you through your options. Colleges often don’t offer a comprehensive overview of your options. It’s common to hear a chipper greeting, then, “Sure, you can visit! What would you like to do?” Some general options at almost any college or university include:

• Admission counselor meeting
• Campus tour (make sure you ask for a tour with a current student!)
• Professor meeting or presentation
• Financial aid officer meeting
• Coach meeting
• Lunch on campus

It’s obvious that there are more options out there than these, but it’s up to the campus visit coordinator or admission counselor to talk you through them. The only thing you can do is tell the admission office what your son’s or daughter’s interests are and ask a lot of questions if you’re not getting what sounds like the perfect visit for your child. 

A liberal arts college or smaller university will try to make your visit feel as personalized as possible. This means you could get a one-on-one tour and individual meetings with everyone you request to meet. 

On the other hand, some universities will execute all of these opportunities in a group setting, so don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re in a herd of sheep throughout the visit. 

4. Arrange for transportation.

Okay, this seems obvious, right? But you could overlook it, particularly when you’re used to having your kid-friendly SUV handy at all times. You may not need to rent a car when an airport shuttle whisks you off to an all-inclusive hotel. 

Get an Uber or Lyft from the hotel to the college, particularly if it’s close. Looking at a two-hour trek? Find out if you can arrange a rental car through your hotel for just a day, or be creative with the arrangements. Maybe a friend you know from college lives in the area and would love to drive you to your college visit! Maybe your great-aunt lives two towns over and can’t wait for your son to tour her alma mater. 

5. Decide whether a full day is too much.

Remember, you’re on vacation. You might need to stick a meeting with the college dietician on the back burner during this visit — unless it’s a critical component of the college decision. 

Also consider whether your whole family needs to tag along. If you have much-younger children, consider the wisdom of having them stay back. They’ll be much happier cannonballing into the pool. 

Why not split your family up for an afternoon, if it’s feasible? One adult family member could stay behind with the kids. Otherwise, many hotels offer kiddie day camps for your younger children. Younger kids might love palling around with hotel kiddie camp staff while you and your high schooler do a college visit.

6. Limit visits to one college, especially if your vacation is the focal point. 

College tours — plural — may not be the best idea if you want to enjoy your vacation. It’s a different story if you intend to only do college visits during spring break. In that case, knock yourself out — though it’s a good idea to limit the number of visits you accomplish. It’s easy to get confused if you take on too many. 

I used to give college tours twice a day during Iowa Private College Week, a week in August in which students and families could choose any private college in Iowa to visit. They could choose any private college or university to tour during morning or afternoon sessions. Some families did all ten sessions during that week — that meant two college visits per day! By the end of it, their heads were swimming: Which college offered program X? Which college had the baseball coach with the funny moustache? Was College X’s music program better than College Y’s? Do you even remember where we were that day??

Unless a school really stood out, it was all a shimmery mass by the time they finished up.  

7. Save the debrief till later.

Your kiddo wants to get back to surfing Huntington Beach or hiking the Sierra Nevadas. But be sure to talk with him about the college visit later. Take notes — record your first impressions as well as the school’s pros and cons. Once vacation concludes and your college visit is a (hopefully!) nice memory, you’ll have some fun things to talk about once you get home.

Schedule a great spring break college visit

You might need to schedule college tours during two years of spring breaks because there’s just… no… time! Your phone calendar’s bursting, your student’s high school schedule is hairy. Plus, your junior or sophomore might have a long list of college tours he needs to tackle. 

Maybe you’ve chosen the vacation before you considered the schools in the area — and those colleges aren’t quite what you’re looking for. (There aren’t too many colleges in the Keys, where my family and I were vacationing.) However, you might want some college visit “practice.” Who knows? That school could end up being the best school possible for your son or daughter.

You may even need to resort to making a deal with your high schooler. (He might be totally resistant to a boogie board interruption.) Think up a reward if it’s feasible — something along the lines of, “If we do this college visit on Tuesday, I promise, we’ll go ziplining on Friday.”

Have a great (and safe!) spring break! 

How Long Does the FAFSA Take to Process?

by Melissa Brock | Mar 7, 2020 | Ask the admission office | 0 comments

• Your application is processed by the U.S. Department of Education within three to five days if you submitted your FAFSA online using FAFSA on the web.
• On the other hand, if you submitted a paper FAFSA, your application will be processed within seven to 10 days.

Early on in my admission career, we’d tell families to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) starting January 1, then promised all families that they’d get their aid packages in March. Now, you can file the FAFSA starting October 1 — almost a year before your kiddo heads off to college!

So what does that mean? First, you’re so relieved once you file the FAFSA. You’ve taken care of that giant hurdle. But then what? You twiddle your thumbs and then eventually get a financial aid award? It’s not like booking a trip — the FAFSA results aren’t instantaneous.

So how long does the FAFSA take to process? Great question. The short answer is that it varies. Here’s what you can expect.

What is the FAFSA?

Let’s backtrack a second. What is the FAFSA, anyway? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form you must fill out if you want financial aid from the federal government for college. Many, many students (over 13 million!) receive federal aid in the form of grants, work-study and loans through the U.S. Department of Education.

The FAFSA asks for information about you and your family’s finances, including tax returns.

Quick facts about the FAFSA

Filing the FAFSA isn’t as painful as you might think — and if it’s something you’re positively sure you cannot do, there are lots of resources out there to help you file it. You can even reach out to the financial aid office at a college your student is considering for step-by-step help in many cases. Here are some absolute truths about the FAFSA:

• You or your student must file the FAFSA if you want your student to receive any kind of federal student aid.
• Slam on the brakes if you pay any money at all to have it filed or file it for a fee online. The FAFSA is a FREE application — remember, that’s the first word in the name — Free Application for Federal Student Aid)!
• You may have to get a tiny bit used to it. You’ll need to file the FAFSA every year that your child attends college. The deadline is different for every school, but many schools put the final deadline at July 1 of the year that your child will attend college. Check with each college on that final deadline.
• Our financial aid office always said, “Never, ever use your child’s high school email address when you file the FAFSA.” It was solid advice, because your kiddo will lose that email address and you need to be able to use a current email address.

How long does it take the FAFSA to process?

Here’s how long it’ll take in a nutshell: 

• Your application is processed by the U.S. Department of Education within three to five days if you submitted your FAFSA online using FAFSA on the web.
• On the other hand, if you submitted a paper FAFSA, your application will be processed within seven to 10 days.

Step 1: Check your Student Aid Report (SAR). 

Next, you’ll receive a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR), which summarizes everything you put on your FAFSA. Check your personalized SAR and make sure every piece of information is accurate.

Step 2: Fix missing or incorrect information.

Finish or correct your FAFSA as soon as possible. FAFSA will have information on how to do that.

Step 3: Wait a bit more — we know, we know. Colleges must get your SAR first.

When you file the FAFSA, you can list the colleges you want to have receive your SAR. Each college determines your eligibility for financial aid using your SAR. Next, you’ll receive a financial aid award from schools you’ve applied to, sent your FAFSA to and have demonstrated your commitment to.

Buddy up with the financial aid office at the colleges on your shortlist to find out if there’s anything you need to do.

Every school’s timeline for releasing financial aid is different — so send your admission counselor an email, hop on a call or call the school’s admission office to find out when you’ll get yours.

What happens after the FAFSA processes?

The next step is an exciting one — you’ll get your financial aid award! Cue all the cheers! Here’s what to do once you get financial aid awards in the mail.

Step 1: Look at each financial aid award in detail.

Take a deep look at each financial aid award you receive. Analyze each one in detail and  line-by-line. You may see a few terms you’ve never experienced before, so we’ll break them wide open here.

Cost of attendance (COA)

This is simple to understand! (Whew!) It involves tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation and any other cost of attendance requirements for a college. You might need to check a college’s website to find out the full cost of attendance.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

EFC is a number that a college uses to determine how much financial aid you’re eligible for. Don’t let this number scare you — it’s often high. It’s not how much you’ll have to pay for college.

Grants and scholarships

I lumped grants and scholarships together because neither needs to be repaid. But there’s a difference between the two — grants equal need-based aid offered by the federal or state government. Scholarships don’t have to be repaid and can be based on need, merit (as in, your child is an A+ student) or interest (which means your child gets a scholarship because of his awesome tuba playing).

Federal work-study

Your child can work to earn money through his or her school with work-study. Did you know that the federal government offers work-study — not the school? There’s usually a limit to the amount your kiddo can get through work-study (like $1,000 or $2,000), but here’s a little-known secret: Ask for more. The financial aid office at your son or daughter’s school might be able to offer you a little extra.

Federal student loans

These are listed on your financial aid award, too, and this simply means your child can get a loan from the federal government. 

You might be wondering about credit-based loans like a federal Direct PLUS loan or a private student loan and why I didn’t list them. I didn’t because they may or may not be listed on a financial aid award. The remaining balance is almost always listed, and you can use private loans toward that remaining balance. Ask the admission counselor or financial aid professional at each school you’re considering for more information.

Step 2: Compare each award.

This is where you’ll have to sit down and actually compare costs. You’ll want to be sure you have the exact tuition, room board and fees for every school, each scholarship in its exact amount and everything else. Check out College Board’s college cost comparison tool — all you have to do is plug in the data and it’ll tell you exactly which school will cost you more and less.

It’ll take a while to plug in, so be sure you take your time and get every single number exactly right so you know the true costs of each institution. Don’t use the institution’s published average for loans and scholarships, etc. Use your very own numbers so you know how much it’ll cost you, down to the penny.

Step 3: Take a deep breath.

It looks like a lot of money, doesn’t it? It is. (There’s no beating around the bush.)

But remember, the key is to break it down! Break it down, break it down. We talk a lot about breaking it down on this website, and that’s because it works. Take that leftover amount and figure out how you’ll break it down. Here are some ideas for whittling away whatever scholarships, grants, student loans and other aid don’t cover: 

• Use your child’s summer earnings to pay toward the cost.
• You or your child can do a side hustle for extra money — this is a gig economy, remember? Check out an article I wrote for MSN Money about side hustles.
• Savings you already have in a savings account, 529 plan, CD — wherever you’ve got investments. Just don’t sacrifice your retirement for college savings.
• Take advantage of a 10-month payment plan (or whatever type of payment plan is available to you through your child’s school). This breaks it way down and makes the final amount a lot easier to swallow.
• Take one less vacation per year (or two!)
• Use private loans to cover the remaining balance.

Can you think of some other ways to take that remaining balance and make it bite-sized? YOU can do this!

Step 4: Help your child make a decision.

It’s so hard to relinquish complete control, isn’t it? You want with all your heart for your child to make the right decision and avoid the stress of transferring to a different school later on. Put everything on the table (literally!) and have a frank conversation about family finances.

Remember, it’s probably a good idea to make sure the final decision rests on your son or daughter’s shoulders. He or she will ultimately own the college experience when it’s his or her decision. 

Patience is the key — trust the process!

The college search process might seem like the entire THING is a hurry-up-and-wait scenario, especially when you’re wondering, “How long does the FAFSA take to process?”

I get it. It was tough to answer questions in the admission office when families would ask me, “So, how much longer till I get my financial aid award?”

It’ll get here soon enough. Soon, you’ll be weeping through an entire box of Kleenex at graduation. Trust me.