by Melissa Brock | Jul 1, 2020 | Financial aid and scholarships |
Two kids (or more) in college at the same time.
What are your immediate thoughts and feelings when you think about this?
Do you feel excitement for the years ahead? Sad at the idea of being an empty nester? Do you feel a deep spike of fear when you consider how you’ll pay for it? Maybe you feel all of the above!
Hang in there — it’s normal to feel a rollercoaster of emotions.
I’ll always remember the unforgettable Andriuskevicius triplets. (That last name! Three times!) The three high schoolers came through the admission office looking so identical. It was so fun talking with them. Two of the kids ended up enrolling at the private college I worked for. One enrolled at a state university.
Their parents got slightly nervous when the conversation turned to paying for college. “You know, we knew this was coming,” Mrs. Andriuskevicius said. “But when they say, ‘Enjoy it, they grow so fast,’ they really mean it,” she added.
She was a fun mom (she had to be, to raise triplets!) and asked how much it would cost immediately. She listened to the financial aid spiel and did some fast math. Mrs. Andriuskevicius totaled up a pretty accurate figure in her head about much it would cost for all three kids to go to college — after grants and scholarships.
According to College Board, the average published yearly tuition and fees (not including room, board, housing or supplies) are:
- Two-year public colleges (in-district students): $3,440
- Four-year public colleges (in-state students): $9,410
- Four-year public colleges (out-of-state students): $23,890
- Private four-year colleges: $32,410
Multiply these amounts by two (or three or four!) kids and you could be looking at quite a chunk of change, as Mrs. Andriuskevicius deduced in about one minute flat. (I was really impressed.)
Hang on, there’s good news coming!
There’s Good News!
Did you know that it having two kids in college can work to your advantage?
“In my experience, the FAFSA’s expected family contribution (EFC) takes a significant drop when the second and third child enter college,” says Pam Rambo, former financial aid director in a community college, four-year college and a 5-city college access organization training counselors in financial aid. She now owns Rambo Research and Consulting.
The EFC is based on household income and assets. It’s the minimum amount that a household is expected to contribute toward the cost of college.
The financial aid office at each college uses the EFC for each student to determine how much aid your student gets. “That is a simple subtraction problem in which they take the official cost of attendance (COA) for their school and subtract the EFC,” Rambo says.
In other words, let’s say your student is attending a college that costs $30,000 per year and your child’s EFC is $15,000. The amount of need for your oldest child is $15,000.
Now, that doesn’t mean that all financial aid offices try to meet the full $15,000. Each financial aid office uses a financial aid formula that they use to distribute aid. Some colleges try to meet 100 percent of need. Others might meet 50 percent to 80 percent of need.
Check for a Sibling Discount
Have your kids considered going to the same college?
Whenever I think about this topic, Michelle, Maye and Rachael all come to mind — three sisters who attended the college I worked for — all at the same time. Michelle was a senior, Maye was a junior and Rachael was a freshman! They always said their dad (jokingly) refused to move three girls to three separate colleges each fall. It worked out really well that they all went to the same college.
I Know What You’re Thinking: “There’s No Way My Kids Will Go to the Same School!”
You might think there’s no way your kids will go to the same school: “They’re like oil and water! There’s no way they’ll end up on the same campus!” But the reality is that older siblings do have an influence on younger siblings, according to a working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
In addition, a study by Joshua Goodman of Brandeis University, Michael Hurwitz of the College Board, Christine Mulhern of Harvard University and Jonathan Smith of Georgia State University found that when older siblings enroll at a target college, it “nearly quadruples” the probability that younger siblings will apply to that same school. In addition, 13 percent of younger siblings follow their older sibling to the target college only because their older sibling enrolled there.
The benefit? Cost reductions.
“If the children are entering the same college, I have seen very favorable treatment in terms of the financial aid package offered,” Rambo adds. She says there’s no fixed dollar amount for the reduction because the reduction depends on financial information from each family.
“I like to address the fear of parents of freshmen, sophomores and juniors with a plan to apply where their aid awards will be greatest in relation to the cost of the colleges. Looking at whether colleges collect even more data about a family by requiring the CSS Profile is another strategy,” she says.
The CSS Profile, short for the College Scholarship Service Profile, is an online application created and maintained by the College Board. It allows college students to apply for non-federal financial aid and requires a much more comprehensive overview than the FAFSA. Nearly 400 colleges and scholarship programs use it to award non-federal aid. Check with the admission office of the schools your chid is applying to to determine whether your child needs to fill out the CSS Profile.
Filing the FAFSA
Does it change the FAFSA with more than one student in college? Rambo says that in addition to other calculations, the FAFSA collects information on the number of minor children in the family who will also be attending an undergraduate program at the same time and figures that into the formula, which is used to calculate the EFC for each child headed to college.
A frequent surprise for families with two children in college: Each child has a different EFC number. “They ask, ‘How is this possible when we entered our same income information for both?’” Rambo says.
The answer is simple: Student income and bank balances can make a difference.
How Many FAFSAs Do You Need to Complete for Multiple Kids?
This is a great (and common!) question. You’ll need to fill out FAFSA forms for each child but can transfer the information from one form to another so you don’t have to completely start from scratch each time you work on the FAFSA.
But wait! Before you file the FAFSA, you’ll need to get separate FSA IDs for each child. An FSA ID is a username and password combination that serves as your legal electronic signature throughout the financial aid process. You and each of your children will need your own FSA ID.
Your FSA ID is associated with your Social Security number and is equivalent to your legal signature. That’s why you must have a special FSA ID per person. You’ll use the same FSA ID to sign each of your children’s FAFSA forms.
Get Excited!
Don’t forget to do a few things methodically:
- Look for lower-priced schools.
- Put an emphasis on having your child help earn money throughout school.
- Consider ways to earn more or make more money.
- Consider federal loans over private loans. The Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS loan) is an excellent option if you’re willing to take out a little bit more for college. for the freshman year and work with the college aid and scholarship offices to find additional funds for sophomore year and beyond. Learn how to apply for the Parent PLUS loan.
- Remember that you don’t have to come up with the full amount yourself. Many colleges offer steep discounts!
“You might find that if you’re a high-income earner and your child has already been accepted at a high-dollar university which only awards need-based aid, you may not see much help with the first child who enrolls there. That will improve some when a second child goes to college,” Rambo says.
It Takes Planning
Every dollar you save is $1 less that you or your child will have to borrow. (Yep, I’ll bring out the “a penny saved…” adage. Those pennies really do add up, even after just a couple of years!)
Most families end up covering just over 40% of college costs with a combination of savings and income, according to a national study by Ipsos and Sallie Mae. Your child will likely get scholarships, grants and loans as well.
What can you do as a parent?
Don’t forget about how helpful meeting with a financial advisor can be. If you can, do it before your first child’s a senior so you can develop a comprehensive plan to determine what’s best for your family’s financial circumstances. In some cases, financial advisors can recommend how to reallocate your assets, which can be helpful before you file the FAFSA. (It can help you qualify for more aid.)
Also, don’t discount your earning power. Your earning power may be tremendous during the course of a 10-month period. Remember that you can always figure out how much your paycheck can cover and submit money (even if it’s just a little bit!) to help pay for college.
You Can Do This!
I always admire the Andriuskevicius triplets’ parents because they handled having three kids in school all at once with such grace. They took a deep breath and handled the costs through a combination of grants, scholarships, cash and loans. All three kids made it through college (and incidentally, the “oldest” triplet ended up student teaching in my daughter’s first-grade classroom. A fun connection!
Thinking about putting more than one student in college at once can feel like plopping yourself into an icy stream. But it’s doable. Jigsaw the puzzle of all the options together. Consider how you can break it down, and remember, having more than one student in school can be a benefit, not a drawback.
by Melissa Brock | Jun 23, 2020 | Financial aid and scholarships |
I vividly remember working with a student whose dad said, “Whaddya mean, it costs $XX,XXX for my daughter to go to college? I’m not giving up golf and vacations!”
He was joking, he was joking. (I think.)
At any rate, I know that on some level, just about everyone can relate. You may think, “When do I get to do what I want to do? When my kids are out of college? Uh, no thanks. I’ll be what, 70 by then?”
Of course kids are a blessing and you’re willing to sacrifice for them.
But is it possible to have it all? Is it possible to pay for college and help your kids through a very expensive part of life? Without taking out oodles of loans?
Yes, it is! Yes, it is. You can do this — even if college is coming at you at 60 miles per hour. It just might take some creativity and careful planning (and maybe a side hustle to boost your bank account). Here’s how it can be done.
Prioritize
My husband has been hankering after a garage for the better part of a decade. Actually, I take that back. He wants a shop. A place to store his tools, a car project and a boat.
Do you need a lot of things all at once? Maybe your husband wants a new car and a shop, you want a new kitchen and you want to pay for college all at once. Life is short, right? You deserve it. You’ve worked hard all your life. But have you asked yourself what you really need?
Consider these statistics, directly from fee.org:
- The average American home contains 300,000 items.
- One out of four houses with two-car garages is so stuffed a car can’t even fit in the garage. (I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m one of the four!)
- Each American throws away over 68 pounds of clothing per year.
- Americans spend about $1.2 trillion a year on nonessential items.
I’m not saying that the “things” you want aren’t essential. It’s a great exercise to decide your priorities and figure out what’s essential. I know from experience that prioritizing what you want is easier said than done.
How to Evaluate Your Priorities
My husband’s shop isn’t done and he’s getting increasingly nervous about the lack of time he has to build it. In fact, I can almost hear his train of thought: “It’s almost already July and the cement floor isn’t poured yet… When am I going to build the thing because it’s going to be December before we know it? The truck will have to go into storage somewhere else because there’s already snow on the ground… AAAH!”
Poor guy.
But in the grand scheme of things, the shop doesn’t have to be built now. In fact, he could wait another year or two if he really needed to. However, he wants it now so he has enough time to work on a car (which could take years). He wants to be able to have it ready so he can teach our son all about restoring cars as well.
So, there’s a bigger priority in the works here — son and dad time. Priorities go deeper than wants. In fact, they drive to the very heart of our most important values.
How do the things you want align with your priorities and values? Here are some examples. You may want to:
- Install a pool to spend more time with family.
- Build a bigger dining room to entertain and encourage closer friendships.
- Help your child with college so he or she’s debt free after college.
- Go on an anniversary trip to become closer to your spouse or partner.
So, what are yours? Getting clear on your priorities can often help you decide how to put your money into pieces and parts that achieve those goals.
Use Your Money to Fulfill Your Priorities
Let’s say you decide your priorities are:
- Paying for college.
- Building a new shop.
- Painting your cabinets (instead of getting a new kitchen).
- The car will have to wait.
The reality is, we all have a finite supply of money and lots and lots of buckets.
When you discuss your priorities with your family, maybe you agree that your priority is to make sure your children don’t start their working years in debt and that you want to be able to help them pay for college.
Maybe you decide the full kitchen upgrade is a want, not a need. You can cook just as well and entertain friends in the kitchen you have. Furthermore, you do some research and realize that a full kitchen upgrade won’t give you a great return on your investment when you sell down the road.
You realize you can get along with the van you have. You realize your jealousy of your next-door neighbor’s shiny new van was getting the best of you. (Due to the large scrape on the front bumper from backing out of the garage too quickly. Yes, this is coming from personal experience. My van actually does have a recent large scrape and rock-chipped windshield.)
On the other hand, what if your priorities are different? Let’s say your main priority is to spend more time road tripping with your family. In that case, the van may have gone in the first priority slot and paying for college might move to the second slot on the list, like this:
- Buy a new car.
- Save for college.
- Build a shop.
- Paint the kitchen cabinets.
Determine How You’ll Juggle Various Goals
Once you determine your priorities, figure out how you’ll get them done. Have some fun with this! It can be like a fun puzzle to determine how you’ll get to those things you really want. Here are some ideas of how you can go about doing it.
- Estimate how much money you’ll need for each goal you’d like to achieve. It might cost more over time for things like college but there are lots of calculators that can help you estimate how much it will cost later on.
- Ask yourself how much of your savings you’ll need and when you’ll need it. Do you need the money soon? If so, you’ll need to organize your finances so you can save the money more quickly.
- Create an online savings schedule that aligns with your paydays. Decide how much you’ll swoop into a savings account immediately after you get paid. If you do it regularly and often, it’ll become a habit and you won’t miss that money. (Promise!)
- Don’t forget to create a separate account. You don’t want to spend the money you’ve earmarked for other goals, so make sure it goes into a different account. It also keeps you going! When you see how much money is in your “other goals” account, it’s inspiring.
- Treat this extra savings like a bill. In other words, treat money for your extra savings as if it’s a required payment like a utility bill. Make sure the payments are automatic so they come out of your paycheck right away, every time.
- Ask yourself whether you need a side hustle. You might need another source of income to float your project. What are your talents? Can you brainstorm extra ways to make money? It can help you hit your goals much faster if you place all of your extra money in your savings account to reach your goals.
Tips for College Savings
Guess what? The tips for saving for college are the same as the steps listed above for saving for other goals.
What might be a little trickier is determining how much to save. This can get confusing because you might not be sure what type of college your child will attend — community college, state university, liberal arts college, etc.
In other words, how much goes in the bucket?
The rule of thumb is to save as much as you can.
Even if your child only has two years of high school left, it’s worth saving as much as you can. You might not want to sock a lot into a regular savings account because there are other types of accounts that offer tax benefits. You can consider channeling that money into the following types of accounts:
- Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or Education IRAs: These are tax-deferred accounts with earnings and withdrawals which may be free from federal income tax if used for qualified education expenses. Contribution limits apply.
- 529 Plan: 529 plans allow you to invest for your child’s education or even your own. You can make sizeable contributions every year and also shift portions of assets in a 529 to future generations.
- UTMA or UGMA (Uniform Gift to Minors Act): An UTMA or UGMA offers a way to transfer securities to a minor. You’ll call it an UTMA or UGMA, depending on which state your child resides.
There are various pluses and minuses with each type of plan, and it’s a great idea to consult with a financial advisor about which type of plan is best for you. Your best bet is to make it automatic, just like you do with your other savings accounts. (Who knew you could save for a kitchen just as effectively as you can saving for college?)
Staying on Track
Part of staying motivated is making sure you check your progress. Let’s say you funnel each of your savings streams into different accounts. Keep a fun tally system on the bulletin board in your office or on a spreadsheet so you know exactly how much money you’ve saved at any given time. It keeps you motivated and excited as you see those numbers climb. You can go old school with a Post-it Note and jot down all your numbers. You can also use a tool like Personal Capital or Mint to track your spending and savings. (I use both.)
You might not be able to save as much money as you want if you have several goals on your plate. You might feel like you’re getting nowhere fast if you’re saving for four different items. The buckets fill up a lot more slowly when you’re trying to funnel your finite extra income into four different streams.
So, how do you stay motivated when it seems like there are only pennies in the bottoms of four different buckets? Great question. Why not tackle your smallest payment first?
For some reason, this reminds me of the Debt Snowball method. The Debt Snowball method means you tackle your smallest debt amount first. You get an instant win by paying that off, then move on to your larger debt amounts.
In other words, save for one thing (the smallest amount), then the next largest amount, and so on. That way, you only tackle one or two things at a time and you get quick wins along the way.
How to Get Through It When You’re Over It
Sigh. Saving for things often loses its excitement really fast. I remember a long time ago, one of my friends was really gung-ho about saving for a new car and I was really excited for her. She’d mapped out a robust savings plan for how she’d have her beautiful new (used) car in a year.
A week later, I went over to her house and a new car was sitting in the driveway.
She’d caved and gotten a loan. “I just couldn’t wait anymore,” she told me. “I wanted it now.”
It’s easy to take out loans for the things you really want, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s necessary — you may need to take out a loan because you’ve got no other choice. What else do you do when you don’t have the money and your car breaks down? What else do you do when your child’s ready for college and you haven’t saved quite enough?
Anyone at any life stage can experience this. But I always encourage trying to save for the “extras.” Even the things that fulfill your priorities and values but that you don’t absolutely need right away. My husband’s shop is a great example.
You Can Do This!
So, if you want that [kitchen, boat, new bathroom, she shed] but college is coming soon, now’s a great time to start making a plan. And it’s still possible to make a plan if college is catapulting right around the corner (maybe it’s in just a few months)!
You may just need to heavily consider how you’ll make it happen more quickly. You might even need to come up with a more robust savings plan early on so you can prep for those college bills and the things you really want.
by Melissa Brock | Jun 11, 2020 | Financial aid and scholarships |
Your child may be gung-ho about experiencing all there is to soak up about residential living during his or her first year at college.
On the other hand, your kid may refuse to set foot in a dorm. Maybe she doesn’t like the idea of sharing a bathroom with 30 other girls. Maybe dorm life just doesn’t appeal.
For whatever reason, let’s dig into this all-important question: Will your child get extra financial aid if he or she lives off campus?
In short — no. However, it’s important to know that off-campus living doesn’t affect your financial aid eligibility.
In fact, I think Notre Dame’s website sums it up nicely. It says:
Living on campus does not affect a student’s financial aid eligibility. A standard room and meals amount is used to determine undergraduate students’ cost of attendance whether they live on or off campus.
— Notre Dame’s website
Generally, this is the case at most schools, but it’s always best to check with every school your student’s interested in. Here’s what you need to know.
Why Live Off Campus?
First of all, why do students choose to live off campus? There are a variety of reasons, and sometimes it’s not always a decision your child will make freely. Universities often don’t have enough room for all students to live on campus.
But here again, all colleges have different policies. It’s best to ask. For example, the college I worked for required all students to live on campus. In fact, you needed to petition the residence life office staff in order to live off campus — and that reward was granted just to a select few.
Why’d they do that? Well, I worked at a small liberal arts college. The requirement was put into place to make sure that the college built a sense of community. If even half of the students lived off campus, the college would be a ghost town. I was actually super grateful for that requirement because small campuses need that community feel. (It’s definitely a very different story at a large state university.)
The point of telling you this is to check into a college and university’s policies very carefully when you go on visits. If your child isn’t sure he likes the college’s policies regarding residence life, he’d better steer clear of attending that college altogether.
So, why do some students choose to live off campus? Here are a few reasons:
- Potentially less expensive
- More space
- Less noisy than a buzzing residence hall
- Potential garage parking — it’s way easier to live off campus with a car
- No residential advisors (RAs) and fewer rules (including curfews)
- Increased privacy (no communal bathrooms!)
- Easier with work and other social commitments
- Roommate choice is more targeted
On the other hand, here are some reasons your child may prefer to live on campus:
- Potentially less expensive
- Offers a more social atmosphere and a gateway to the campus community
- Fewer responsibilities (paying utilities, making rent payments, etc.)
- Easier access to the cafeteria and broader food choices
- Easy access to campus resources like the library, student center, gym, etc.
- No need to drive to campus or take public transportation
- Your child is more likely to complete a degree — that one is HUGE!
- Services like internet, water, sewer, waste removal, etc. are already built in
- Opportunities to participate in residence hall association
- Laundry facilities are available
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when you and your child are thinking through the benefits of each. Notice that the first item on each list is “potentially less expensive” — it might be cheaper to live on campus or off campus.
While that might sound confusing, you just have to run the numbers. Rent will naturally be cheaper in Omaha, Nebraska, compared to Cambridge, Massachusetts. We’ll dive into the numbers a little later in this post. I’ve also created a handy budgeting spreadsheet to help you and your student figure out which option is cheapest.
Note: This entire article tackles financial aid for off-campus housing by paying rent for an apartment, house or townhouse. It’s obviously going to be cheaper if your student lives at home with you and doesn’t plan to pay rent while going to school.
How Financial Aid Works with Room and Board
Your child won’t get extra financial aid by living off campus, so how does the money get distributed? It all starts with a college or university’s Cost of Attendance, or COA.
How Colleges and Universities Calculate Cost of Attendance
The COA is an approximate calculation of your child’s complete expenses. It includes items like tuition, room, board, fees, books, supplies, transportation, loan fees and other miscellaneous expenses. The COA helps determine the maximum amount of total grants and loans your student can receive. In short, financial aid offices use the COA to determine your child’s eligibility for financial aid. The COA may also include other things — disability costs, study abroad program costs and more.
You may even want to alert the college your student is considering if you have any unusual expenses that might affect your cost of attendance.
The COA works with another factor — your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) — to determine how much financial aid your child will get. In fact, it’s an easy subtraction problem. Colleges and universities subtract your EFC from the school’s COA (I know, all the acronyms)!
What’s an EFC? It’s the government’s estimate of what you and your child may be able to pay for a year of college. It’s based on your income, assets, age, number of dependents and more. The difference between the cost of attendance and the EFC is how much financial aid must make up the difference.
When you fill out the FAFSA for your child, you’ll need to indicate whether your child plans to live on campus or not.
So, let’s apply all this to an example. A student named Rachel plans to attend College A in the fall. She and her mom filled out the FAFSA together and found out that her Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is $12,000. College A’s Cost of Attendance (COA) is $52,000 — again, this includes tuition, room, board and fees. The difference, $52,000 – $12,000, equals $40,000 — and within that figure is room and board. Financial aid calculations will be different for students who live in off-campus housing and $40,000 must be made up through financial aid.
Which is More Expensive — Living On or Off Campus?
Is off-campus housing always less expensive than on-campus housing? (I’ve heard so many college kids say that.)
The truth is that Trulia’s 2018 Market Trends Campus Report said that in 28 of 48 colleges and universities it surveyed, it was either the same price or cheaper to be off campus, with average savings of $219 per month for those with a roommate. Meals were included in the housing options for 8 of these 28 colleges and universities, which added to the expense. Removing these schools from consideration brought the average monthly savings in off-campus housing down to $146.
I did some more digging to find the actual cost of living on campus compared to living off campus:
Average cost of room and board, according to Debt.org:
- $8,887 per school year at public colleges and universities
- $10,089 per school year at private colleges and universities
Average apartment expenses, according to Debt.org:
- $1,178 per month for a two-bedroom apartment
- $112 per month for the electric bill
- $50 per month for internet
- Total: $16,080, assuming your child doesn’t have a roommate
So, here’s what I can tell you for sure, because there are so many variables: At first glance, an off-campus apartment may look way cheaper than the price of room and board, but you have to add in costs for electricity, gas, water, waste disposal, cable and internet — it all adds up fast.
In fact, there might even be hidden surprises you’re not thinking of as a parent. (You may own your own home now — it’s easy to forget about things like lease deposits!) Here are some often-forgotten extra expenses I came up with:
- Don’t forget about summertime rent! Remember, leases are typically year-round, not just the nine months your child is in school. That can add more to the bill.
- Your child will need to pay for transportation. Whether that means paying for car insurance, the subway, the bus system — whatever it is! — it adds to the expense.
- Utilities are part of the package. Don’t forget about electric, gas, internet, cable, water and trash. This can add considerably to the expense.
- A deposit is also part of the deal. The drawback to having to pay a deposit is that you have to pay it in the first place — and can lose it if your apartment is in a shambles when your lease is up.
- Roommates might not work out. What happens when one roommate decides to bail out and your child can’t find a replacement? The rent still needs to be paid each month!
Figure Out Whether Your Child Really Should Live Off Campus
Living off campus is much closer to a real-world experience. Rent is due and the lights will extinguish if the electric bill isn’t paid. Is your child ready for these types of responsibilities or is he better off in the relative comfort of dorm life? If you know for sure that your child will subsist on Easy Mac and needs an RA to help handle roommate squabbles, it might be better to stick to residence hall living.
On the surface, it might look like living on campus versus off campus is solely a money decision, but consider where your child would thrive most. If your son thinks of himself as a gourmet chef, he may hate eating the on-campus food and text you green-faced emojis daily. (That alone will probably tell you whether he or she is ready to live off campus.)
Don’t forget that there are ways to reduce the on-campus costs if you really want to. Your student may want to expand her leadership skills and get plugged into a resident advisor (RA) position. Here’s a major perk: RAs usually get free room and sometimes free board! Now, it’s true that your student may find that RA jobs are only reserved for juniors and seniors. However, your son or daughter might be the token sophomore that gets chosen! (I’ve seen it happen lots of times.) Your child will need to prove good grades and extracurricular involvement and will likely also have to go through a rigorous interview process.
Determine a Budget
You may want to talk your child through a budget prior to the start of college whether he or she decides to live off campus. In fact, to save you a little bit of time, I developed a budget worksheet for you and your child. You can copy this worksheet and adapt it to your needs. It’ll tally up all the costs for you automatically. It’s nothing fancy — maybe someday I’ll get a chance to make it really pretty!
Compare your student’s total expenses with his or her total income. Your child’s income should be greater than his or her expenses. If this isn’t the case, try to help your child reduce expenses and/or work to increase his or her income. This may show you clearly whether it’s cheaper to live on campus or off campus. Explore these options on every visit and while you build relationships with admission counselors and financial aid personnel at various schools.
Think of the Whole Picture
No, you don’t get extra financial aid for off-campus housing — even if it’s more expensive than living on campus. So, the moral of the story may be this: Don’t make cost the only factor when you and your child decide whether living off campus is a priority. There are lots of other things to consider — including your child’s sense of responsibility.
Here’s something else to consider: Check to make sure your financial aid and tuition plans cover off-campus housing. Direct student loans, 529 plans and prepaid tuition plans have certain rules about how your student is allowed to use the money.
by Melissa Brock | Jun 3, 2020 | Financial aid and scholarships |
Can you guess the hot topic in every single admission counselor meeting?
That’s right — financial aid and scholarships!
I loved this part of what I liked to call my “admission spiel,” because I enjoyed helping families dive into financial aid and scholarships.
Anyway, I launched into one particular admission spiel with a family in my office one day. We talked through the available merit-based scholarships the student would automatically receive through the college. (Based on his grade point average and ACT score.) Then I brightly said, “And don’t forget to fill out scholarship applications in your community and online!”
The student avoided his parents’ gaze.
The student’s dad chuckled and his mom said dryly, “The problem is getting him motivated to actually do them.”
Sound familiar?
Kids seem to fall into two camps: Those who apply for scholarships like it’s their job and those who have no interest in scholarship applications at all. The kids in the latter group might just need a little nudge. Here’s how to get your high schooler started.
Step 1: Have the talk. (The money talk!)
Your child needs to hear why it’s important to get scholarships. This may mean breaking down costs in a visual way so she can see where the gaps will be if she doesn’t apply for them.
For example, you might want to break it down like this — and you can get way fancier than I did, with charts and pie graphs and whatever!
Dream school cost: $50,000 per year
Amount of financial aid you’ll receive based on dream school’s net price calculator(net price calculators live on financial aid pages and estimate how much financial aid you may get): $20,000 per year
Total cost after net price calculator results: $30,000
Amount in 529 plan: $60,000 ($15,000 to be distributed over four years)
Out-of-pocket costs: $15,000 per year
Note: You’ll be basing this off the net price calculator, which is an estimate, but that’s okay. It’ll give you a rough idea to figure out how much potential out-of-pocket costs you’ll have.
If the out-of-pocket costs make your high schooler nervous, assure her that you’re going to work together to figure out that out-of-pocket amount. But tell her that scholarships are going to help out a lot — and that it’s better than taking out oodles of loans.
Step 2: Hammer out a goal. Then set smaller goals.
It’s hard to get started if you have no final goal. In high school, goals are built right in: English persuasion paper is due on such-and-such a date, for example. Science test on Friday.
Then, set a big goal with your child — one that you can both agree on, like “Complete 50 scholarship applications” between June and August (or whatever it may be).
Then, within that goal, set up mini-goals. A mini-goal could be like this: “Research and choose 10 scholarships to apply for during the first two weeks of June.” One of my favorite phrases: “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” (Supposedly Confucius said it — how do they know that? I picture some guy following him around all day, writing down every word he said.)
Anyway, I recommend breaking everything down that you possibly can.
Step 3: Play to your child’s strengths.
This means two things. It means knowing your child’s capabilities within those goals. Does your child despise writing essays, even if they’re about himself? Work with him to find scholarships that eliminate an essay component or require a brief essay.
Also, make a list of your kiddo’s strengths. What’s unique about him? What does he have going for him that can niche his way into scholarships? Does he plan to major in something specific? Does he have a disability? Do his hobbies qualify him for a scholarship? Brainstorm and do some hearty research online.
Step 4: Help your high schooler get organized.
My daughter takes piano lessons, and can you guess the hardest part of practicing? You got it — getting started. She dreads it, but once she gets into a new piece, she’s fine. In fact, I finally started giving her permission to play the songs the worst she could the first time around so that they sounded terrible. That seems to work.
The hardest part is getting started, and it seems especially true for kids. (It may be hard for you as well!) But you know that once you actually get into something, it’s not so bad. But you have to start somewhere!
It helps to have a plan mapped out ahead of time so your child can stick to goals. Sticky notes on a calendar work really well. If you want to get techy, use a project management tool like Trello or Asana to keep your child on his or her goals. I personally use Trello for work and I love how due dates turn yellow and send you email reminders when a deadline looms closer.
Step 5: Talk to everyone about scholarships.
Next, alk to anyone who might have a connection — your job, your partner’s job, your neighbor — whoever you can think of! And yes, talk to that guidance counselor and those at colleges. This can be you and your child’s fact-finding mission.
Finally, once one of you find out about a scholarship, what will you do? You bet — you’ll put it on the “to do” calendar.
Step 6: Develop a few key paragraphs for pluck ’n plug.
What do I mean by pluck ’n plug? Easy: Develop a beginning, middle and end for scholarship essays that your child can use for just about any scholarship application. It’ll be a paragraph you can store on Trello, Asana or Google docs.
Will every scholarship application sound the same? Of course not! However, it sure does help with getting started when you already have something to work with.
These three paragraphs should be kind of like writing an essay for school. Your child should write an attention-grabbing intro:
My name’s Sadie and I’ve been blind since I was two. How did it happen? Unfortunately, that’s my earliest memory. My brother was a science whiz (and also 13 years older than me). One day, he…
An equally gripping middle, which addresses questions asked in individual scholarship essays (you’ll have to add answers to those later):
What’s the largest predictor of success, you ask? I believe I’ve had to overcome a lot in my life, and college is just one more of the series of challenges. I’ve read a lot (audio books are my fave!) of books about leadership and perseverance and one thing I’ve learned is that grit matters. In fact, it’s one of the largest predictors of success. Never quitting. Digging in and waking up thrilled for the challenges you face every single day, whether your world is full of color or not.
A conclusion that ties it all together:
So, I learned at an early age that life doesn’t always go as planned. But you know what? I think I dream in color — even if I can’t remember exactly what colors look like. I know grit plays a role in what happens when you fall down (blind or not) and that — not talent, not luck — is everything. It’s why I believe I deserve the XYZ Scholarship.
Your kiddo can mix and match, pluck ’n plug. And fill in the gaps. This doesn’t have to be rocket science!
Tackle the Overwhelm
Finally, tell your child she can do this. And stopping short of doing scholarship essays for her, tell her you’ll help her in any way you can.
Also, make sure your child understands that this doesn’t have to be so complicated. It’s only a matter of moving one stone, little by little.
by Melissa Brock | Apr 25, 2020 | Financial aid and scholarships |
When your child is college-bound, financial stress is a very real thing. In fact, the financial part of sending a child off to college can be overwhelming.
I spent 12 years working in college admission at my alma mater. Every so often, parents would break down in tears in my office. They wanted so badly to be able to pay for college. I’ve never forgotten these conversations and I still think about those families.
Money is one of the most commonly mentioned personal stressors, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2019 Stress in America survey. In fact, 60 percent of people from the survey cite money as a major stressor.
Chances are, you probably feel some financial stress — I mean, 60 percent is a heckuva lot of people!
It’s easy to say, “Think about something else! Go for a bike ride!” You know, common ways to de-stress your life. But financial stress is so different — it doesn’t go away when you spend 30 minutes with a yoga mat. It may take time and involve some serious planning.
So instead of telling you to grow your own potatoes or start extreme couponing, here are six ideas for how to attack financial stress. Warning: They’re not all quick fixes, but they will help you feel better about financial stress later on. Promise.
1. Recognize how you deal with money-related stress.
The first thing you can do to alleviate financial stress is to recognize how you handle money. Have you ever stopped to evaluate how money in general makes you feel?
Maybe you:
- Never talk about it. You just let the stress build up like a hot air balloon.
- Talk about money (or lack thereof) with everyone — your spouse, your kids, your friends — everyone!
- Fall somewhere in between these two approaches.
Suze Orman, award-winning author and financial personality, believes that how your parents handled money paved the way for you to formulate your own attitudes about money.
Did money cause stress in your family? Did you parents spend more than they earned? Was money a source of pain? Were your parents controlled by money instead of the other way around?
Orman grew up in a poor family. She often tells the story about how her father’s small takeout restaurant burst into flames. He still ran in to get the cash register, burning his hands in the process. It showed a young Orman that money is more important than life itself!
Money is so closely tied to emotions.
You may want to think of it this way instead: You define your money. You tell it what to do! You’re in control of it! You can make as much as you want. (You just might not be able to do that completely through a traditional nine-to-five job. Check out my piece on how parents can make money!)
2. Write down your goals.
When I worked for the college, I gave a presentation to my team during our annual summer retreat about writing goals. When I announced my topic choice, I’m pretty sure everyone groaned. “Why do you feel that way about goal setting?” I asked.
Our campus visit coordinator replied, “It’s boooring.”
I laughed and said, “What’s boring about getting exactly what you want? Let’s say you write, ‘I’d like a new car in a year and I’ll do A, B and C in order to save for it.’ What’s boring about that? You get a new car!’”
I’m sort of a geek when it comes to goal-setting. Let me tell you, writing down your goals works. For example, my husband and I resolved to save a certain amount of money by this spring because he wants a new shop. It’s currently in the works — all because of a little Google doc (and a bit of willpower, too).
The premise is simple: Write it down, make it happen!
You can write down your goals associated with paying for college. Let’s say you write, “Get a side gig by July 2020 to earn extra money for Junior’s college fund.” And yes, you can do this even if your child is set to go to college this fall.
Try it! Write it down! I promise, it works. There’s something empowering about writing down your goals and posting them where you can see them. And man, oh, man, is it cool when you turn that goal into reality.
3. Meet with a financial advisor.
You may already have a financial advisor, but if you haven’t met with him or her recently, it may be time for a financial checkup.
Never worked with a financial advisor before? One of the best ways to find a great financial advisor is to ask around. Ask your family and friends who they use in town. It’s important to have a financial advisor who has a good reputation in your community.
Next, meet with a few financial advisors and ask good questions! Here are some you can ask:
- Are you a fiduciary? A fiduciary will put your financial interests before their own. If a financial advisor is not a fiduciary, don’t choose that advisor.
- How do you get paid? Focus on fee-only advisors. Fee-only advisors might charge a percentage of the assets they manage for you — a flat fee for services or an hourly fee. If costs are a concern, use a robo-advisor like Betterment, Wealthfront or SigFig.
- What are your qualifications? You can check the legitimacy of a financial advisor by visiting FINRA’s BrokerCheck. BrokerCheck is a free tool that can help you research advisors and firms.
- How will you help me map out a plan to pay for college? Whether you’ve saved nothing at all or have some money in the bank, an advisor should be able to give you an idea of how he will help you approach paying for college.
Make sure the advisor meshes well with your personality. Your best friend may have recommended a particular advisor, but that person may not click with you. It’s okay. Move on to someone else. In all cases, your first consultation is free.
Believe it or not, talking with financial advisors is often very soothing. The reason? They help you come up with a concrete plan to help you tackle your goals.
4. Use financial aid to your advantage.
Yes, this could be the most obvious de-stressor of all — getting financial aid!
Class of 2020 parents, you can combat financial stress during this corona-crazy time. All it takes is a simple phone call. Ask the financial aid office at your child’s chosen college if there’s any extra money laying around. Inquire about extra scholarships. Ask about work-study. Tell the financial aid office about a recent job loss. Talk to someone in financial aid about any financial situation you’re going through. Colleges want your child to go to their college and can help you alleviate financial stress.
If you’re the parent of a sophomore or junior, financial aid can go a long way to help you and your child afford college. It’s a great idea to start planning now. Check out my short piece about financial aid (What is Financial Aid? Plus, 6 Steps to Get It) so you start understanding the basics.
5. Reduce other stressors.
What’s a great way to reduce stress? You can make a long list of temporary stress relievers, I’m sure: Go for a walk. Talk to a friend on the phone. Color rocks with sidewalk chalk (that’s what I’m watching my kids do right now).
Do you know what seems to exacerbate one stress? Another stressor!
For example, let’s say you’re already stressed about paying for college. It doesn’t help if you’re stressed about, say, the 2020 presidential election. (I’m not pulling this out of thin air — the American Psychological Association’s 2019 Stress in America survey actually cited the presidential election as a major source of stress. It would be interesting to know how coronavirus would rank now.)
As much as you can, try to reduce other stressors in your life. Have a talk with your neighbor about his dog’s incessant barking. Talk to your mailman about firmly shutting your mailbox door so your mail isn’t soggy every time you grab the mail. (These seem little, but man, are they irritating!)
Eliminate the little stressors so you can tackle your financial stress before college head-on and talk to your spouse or others about what’s really stressing you out.
6. Talk to someone.
Chances are, you know someone else who’s sending a child off to college this fall. Or better yet, you know someone who already has three kids in college right now. This is your tribe! Your friends and community can be a great sounding board for your fears.
If your regular tribe doesn’t include parents of college-bound kids, it may be time to find a new tribe or add to your existing tribe.
You might need to go beyond your tribe and your spouse or partner and seek counseling if you’re really stressed out. If you find daily life to be a struggle or feel that your emotions are overwhelming, seek help. Just remember, money fears are real. It’s okay to reach out to a professional.
Reduce Stress Now
First and foremost, remember to celebrate one major thing: That your child’s going to college. Focus on what’s important. He or she is going to get the college education that he or she (and frankly, you!) have always dreamed about.
Remember that even though you may want to help your child pay for college, it’s still possible for your child to get loans to fund college completely.
Above all else, consider your attitudes toward money. Again, you may want to reframe how you think about money. If you think of money as unlimited — flowing in abundance! — it might just happen and help you and your kiddo pay for college.
by Melissa Brock | Mar 14, 2020 | Financial aid and scholarships |
You’ve gone on a dozen college visits with your son or daughter and watched as he or she applied to just as many schools. You’ve waited months for the financial aid award from his or her first-choice school to land in your inbox. You open it nervously and your eyes dart immediately to the bottom numbers. The out-of-pocket cost. The amount you and/or your child will need to pay for college.
You may think it’s a lot of money.
Before you set that award aside and start poring over the financial aid awards for other (less expensive) schools, stop for a second. This could be an opportunity — a challenge! It’s time to get creative, ask a lot of questions about cost savings and stay positive. You can do this.
I caught up with Dr. Terri Snyders Crumley, vice president for enrollment and marketing at Mount Mercy University, to get her perspective.
Crumley said, “Everyone wants college to be free, but colleges have to pay their faculty and staff, electricity and more, just like any business. If a family thinks of paying for college as a partnership — where the college helps a bit, the student helps, the family helps — it’s usually doable. And that’s the same whether it’s a state school or private college.”
In other words, there are things you can do if you feel the financial aid award is a lot pricier than you anticipated.
1. First, breathe.
It can be hard to focus on anything but those final numbers. You want your child to go to his first choice school — especially when he’s worked so hard to get into the school of his dreams. Stay calm and know that there are things you can do — and a lot of what you can do involves a little bit of creative thinking.
2. Talk to the financial aid office.
Crumley suggests picking up the phone and directly talking to financial aid personnel at your son or daughter’s top choice institution. This is when the relationships you developed during college visits may come in handy. Ask a few questions:
- Are there other scholarship opportunities available? Find out whether there are additional scholarships your son or daughter can still apply for. He or she may still be able to apply for a last-minute music scholarship or a writing scholarship — just ask!
- Is work-study available? Work-study is a federally-funded program that can help your son or daughter pay for college. They do this by earning money through an on-campus job. Your son or daughter may not have been awarded work-study at all, and this is the time to ask whether it’s available. If work-study is already plugged into the financial aid award, ask if more work-study money can be added. It’s a little-known secret — and to get it, all you might have to do is ask.
- Was my FAFSA information correct? Ask some deeper questions about the FAFSA, says Crumley, because it’s very possible that you could have filled it out incorrectly. Work with the financial aid office to double-check. Did you accidently include your 401(k) retirement? Was your expected family contribution (EFC) inflated due to one-time income? (EFC is an indicative number that colleges use to determine how much financial aid you’re eligible for.) Find out through the financial aid office whether you need to fix what’s on your FAFSA.
3. Evaluate whether you qualify for special circumstances.
Colleges know that financial setbacks happen. You might have caught a bad break or two since you filed your FAFSA. Your son or daughter’s first-choice school may be able to take special circumstances into account and adjust your financial aid award. The following situations could qualify as special circumstances. You may:
- Support multiple households (married family members may live apart or you may support elderly family members or family members abroad)
- Experience one-time income, such as withdrawing retirement funds for emergency purposes
- Be paying funeral, medical or dental expenses
- Have education debt yourself
- Experience a job loss or a significant reduction in income
Check with the college financial aid office to find out whether you’re eligible to fill out its special circumstance form.
4. Consider cost savings.
This is where you get to think outside the box. Put all your creative juices into overdrive and figure out how much cost savings are in store. How much money will you save when your child is no longer living at home (if he or she is going away to school)? How can those savings can be applied to college costs?
Groceries
How much do you currently spend on groceries? Imagine how much you’ll save if your son isn’t home to drink four gallons of milk per week and eat two meals in one sitting!
Utilities
How much do you spend on utilities? How much cost savings will you incur when your teenager isn’t taking two showers a day, leaving all the lights on or cranking up the heat without your knowledge?
Car insurance and other vehicle-related expenses
Your student may not need a car at college. Unless he or she has an off-campus job, the reality is that your student can catch rides with friends to Walmart or take public transportation. That means you could even sell the car! You’ll also save a lot of gas money — no more, “Hey, Mom, can I have $40 for gas?”
Toiletries
You won’t have to stock your house full of toilet paper and Kleenexes for your high school student — major cost savings. Plus, if you really wanted to, you could encourage your student to come up with his own funds for deodorant, soap, shampoo and whatever else he might need. He can get a job, use birthday cash — it’s a great time for him to get creative with money.
Lessons and athletic fees
You won’t have to pay for piano or voice lessons anymore. That’s a lot of savings right there, especially if you’re spending hundreds of dollars per year on athletic club participation or whatever else your son or daughter participates in at his or her high school.
How can you save save money in college in other ways? Why not make a long list?
5. How can your student pitch in?
How much can your child work and save over each summer break? Don’t discount what your student can earn at the public pool, waiting tables or even freelancing. Add that to the pile! A summer job earning $4,000 can make a huge difference.
6. Break it down.
Once you’ve done steps one through five, take a look at the out-of-pocket costs again. Pretend it’s a puzzle you need to solve (and can solve!) and break it into chunks to make it more palatable. Encourage your student to figure out how much he or she can contribute. Determine how much you can each feasibly add and consider the cost savings mentioned above. Maybe grandparents want to chip in, too!
Another way to break the cost into manageable chunks is to opt for a 10-month payment plan at your child’s school. The 10-month payment plan divides the out-of-pocket costs into 10 separate payments over the course of a school year. Once you do that, does it seem so scary anymore? I hope not.
Finally, decide whether you need a private loan for the rest. Note: Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, which are both federal loans for eligible students who will attend four-year colleges or universities, could also be built into the financial aid award. Talk to the financial aid office about loan options for you and your family.
Get excited and have a family conversation
I love Dr. Crumley’s approach — that paying for college can be a partnership between the parent, the student and the college. Tackle that out-of-pocket cost with some energy! Once you and your family sit down and actually tackle the financial aid award head-on, it can even be exciting!
It doesn’t have to be daunting. Work with the financial aid office to break down the out-of-pocket costs. Make it your mantra! Break it down, break it down, break it down.