Winter means planning for ACTs, SATs

As January finally pushes out, I'm reminded that winter is really only half over here in the Northern hemisphere, and as much as I hate this weather, winter really is a great time for high school juniors and their parents to engage in serious thinking, talking, and planning about college.

One way to start is to make an appointment with your son or daughter's high school counselor.  Your agenda should just be simple:  review grades and PSAT or PLAN scores, and look ahead to see which standardized tests and dates are available for your child.

If, for whatever reason, your high school counselor isn't able to see you, then you can do some of this on your own, but I think it's also worth thinking about hiring outside help if you don't feel as though the high school will be able to answer all your questions or point you in the right directions.  That doesn't mean they're not doing their job; it usually means that they have to much to do or too many people to serve to spend the time on you that you wish they could.

Whether you do things on your own, with a consultant, or with your high school counselor, the first objective should be to plan ahead for the testing that your son or daughter needs to take:  SAT or ACT.  My best advice is for kids to take one of each during junior year, without having scores forwarded to any college yet, and then compare the results.  Often kids will feel more comfortable or score a little higher overall on one test versus the other.  THAT is the test, then, to retake.  And then that becomes the test score that you want to submit to colleges.

By the way, in order to do the best comparison, be sure your child signs up for the ACT with WRITING when he or she registers; it's optional with the ACT, but it's incorporated into the regular test with the SAT.  Most schools that accept either test, will require the ACT with writing.

Some kids will also need to submit SAT Subject Test scores, depending on the colleges and their requirements--another reason to begin early by searching through college websites to discover what the testing requirements are at the colleges where your son or daughter hopes to apply.  Subject tests are one-hour long and focus on specific subjects such as literature, physics, US history, math, and so on.

For juniors who are also taking an AP course, the best time to take the SAT Subject Test may also be right around the same time they are taking the AP exams--either the SAT date in May or June.  It makes sense to test then when the knowledge at the end of the course is at its freshest and when kids are already preparing for a much longer, more intensive  AP exam anyway.

So, by planning now, you can look at test dates for the remainder of the school year, compare those dates to your family calendar, and register early so that your child's testing becomes a priority.  That way, the majority of a student's college testing can be finished before senior year.  Of course, taking a fall SAT or ACT is also a good idea, but that really depends on scores from junior year and the final list of colleges you all come up with in September.  For now, for January, focus on planning and preparing for those national exams that your child will need.

Later, I'll talk about test-optional schools.  And remember, I'll always answer any question you send my way.  Thanks and good luck!

January means time to think about MONEY

Happy New Year!  I know, I'm a little behind on that--especially given that New Year's Eve was a good ten days ago.  Regardless, the new year is still in its first month, so I think it's okay to be wishing happy things for all of us.

Last year on New Year's Eve I was in Casablanca, on the final day of a wonderful trip across the northern parts of Morocco.  Worn out from all the adventurel, I had decided to go to an authentic Moroccan hammam, where I was scrubbed and washed from head to toe and then massaged; the attendants there treated me like a prince.  When I called out, "Happy New Year!" to them in English as I was leaving, they replied in Arabic, "Sana Saeeda."  I gave it my best shot and called out "Sana Saeeda" back to them, which resulted in huge smiles and laughter all around.

But enough of Morocco and New Year's and all that.  Let's talk about what the month of January means for parents of kids who are applying to college.

First, for the most part, your kid's applications should be finished by now. DONE. Submitted already.  Of course, there are a handful of schools who have a January 15 deadline, so technically, it's possible that some folks are finishing up, and many state schools accept applications until spring, but if your son or daughter wants to have the best chances of being admitted, this is the time to finish everything.  So, January should mean a temporary end to some of the craziness you've been living through the last few months.

January is also a time for your child to write back to any ED or EA schools where she or he was deferred. In the very short letter your he will send, he should thank the admissions team for giving him another opportunity to demonstrate his strengths and included any updates or additional info that wasn't sent in with the original application in early November.  This is a good time to submit first semester grades, to talk about how an athletic season ended, or to include any recognition that your son or daughter has since garnered.  (By the way, your high school will submit official grades for you, but this is a chance for your son or daughter to volunteer that information first.)

But probably the most important thing to keep in mind about January is that it is financial aid month.  If you're hoping for any kind of aid, now is when things need to get moving.  Parents must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA after January 1 of the child's senior year, or in other words, now.  Some people prefer to wait until they've figured out their taxes, but my suggestion is to estimate your tax return and get the FAFSA in as soon as possible.  You can always makes adjustments later.

Colleges only have access to a certain amount of money to give away, and they start giving it away in financial aid packages as admissions decisions are made. Those who have submitted financial details earlier have a better opportunity of receiving the money before it is all gone. You can still submit a FAFSA, for example, in March or April, but by the time it is processed, the pool of aid available will have dwindled considerably.

There are dozens of helpful websites to guide you through all this, too.  Start with www.fafsa.gov.ed
and then progress on to http://www.usnews.com/sections/education/paying-for-college/.  And the best advice anyone can give you will be from the financial officers at the specific schools where your son or daughter is applying.  Become their friends.

I've also written a little more about financial aid, but in the very broadest of strokes, on my website.  You can read that entry here: http://bit.ly/f4J3R1

Happy January!