Applying for College, & Why is October Such a Busy Month?
October is a busy month for seniors in High School considering college as their next step after graduation. Many Colleges & Universities consider November 1 their “Early Priority Deadline.” This means students who have submitted a full and complete application by that date will receive full consideration, often against a smaller pool of applicants! It is to your advantage to apply for college by November 1 for this reason, and many more.
Many students also don’t realize that the window to apply for scholarships, both merit based (determined by your high school academic record) and need based (based on your families financial situation) is very short, usually scholarships only accept applications from November to March of a students senior year of high school. Often, students who wait until after the holidays to start submitting college applications, have entirely missed the opportunity for scholarships! This can often snowball into other issues.
October is also a busy month because the FAFSA (The Free Application for Federal Student Aid) started accepting applications on October 1 to determine the Federal Financial Aid opportunities for a students college education for the following year. Many students and families don’t realize that the application is as it says, Free, and is not binding. Anyone can submit an application to see what aid is available to them, and they have the power to choose to accept, some, all, or none of what is offered. Parents are required to submit their financial information for their children who are still considered a dependent for tax purposes. Often, having an experienced College & Career Counselor review what was offered from the FAFSA can be extremely helpful in determining what aid to accept, and why or why not.
Understanding student Financial Aid is complex. Financial Aid includes Subsidized loans, Unsubsidized loans, grant money, work-study money, private loans, and more. It can be overwhelming for students and families to sort through. Especially because a student will often receive an offer of admission letter, months before ever knowing what their Cost of Attendance is for that that school (meaning the total cost for a year of college including books, fees, tuition, housing and any other related expenses). Thankfully, many schools (except if you apply as an “Early Decision” applicant to a highly selective school) honor Decision Day, nationally known as May 1. This means that if accepted, Colleges and Universities will hold your spot until May 1, giving you the remainder of Senior year to determine if that school is the right fit. Determining fit is done by reviewing the academic opportunities offered at the college, the cost of attendance vs the financial options offered to you and the FAFSA, student life opportunities and exploring the values of the college, vs. your own. Selecting a college to attend is an incredibly powerful and important decision.
If you think you might benefit from the support of a highly qualified College & Career Counselor to navigate this process with, please schedule a free consultation!
