Posts by Chris Wills
Filling out the FAFSA when there are divorced parents
Completing the FAFSA when parents are divorced is one of the most confusing scenarios for families, because custodial terms and who claims the child on the tax return do not necessarily apply. Further complicating things is that the rules for divorced parents are changing along with a number of other key FAFSA changes starting with…
Read MorePodcast: Navigating Student Loans
College Inside Track’s Cozy Wittman was a guest on the “Your Life, Simplified” podcast sharing her wisdom on navigating student loans. Getting accepted into the school of your dreams can be stressful enough, but then you have to think about how — and who — is going to pay for it. Cozy shares best practices…
Read MorePodcast: College Planning – Going Beyond the Dollar Signs
College Inside Track’s Cozy Wittman was a guest on the “Your Life, Simplified” podcast sharing her insight on college planning. Cozy goes beyond loans and scholarships for an in-depth discussion on considerations you may not be thinking about. Listen to the podcast here
Read MoreACT canceled – What am I supposed to do?
Your high school student wants to apply to Flagship U, which despite the growing list of test optional colleges and universities, still requires the ACT. She was registered for an earlier test, but a global pandemic rudely interrupted our lives and the ACT got canceled. Okay, you thought, we’ll just sign up for the June…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of May 31, 2021
College magic – Forbes has an excellent article on how college, if done right, can be a life-altering experience with lifelong benefits. Not enough students experience the most important elements of college, what researchers call the “Big Six.” The elements fall into two categories of relationship-rich and work-integrated. This is an important read as…
Read MoreInsider Tips for the week of May 3, 2021
3 things to do now for strong HS recommendation letters – Students have experienced online learning and cancelled or shortened extracurricular activities as a function of the pandemic. Many report that they hardly know the teachers who have taught them this year, and worry that their core teachers don’t know enough about them to…
Read MoreCollege Inside Track Alumni Newsletter – Spring 2021
Scholarships for current undergrad students – If your college student is looking for additional scholarship money, start by exploring opportunities specific to his or her school and program of study, and then share this handy list of outside private scholarships from scholarships.com Essential advice for early career success – Check out this Forbes…
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of April 5, 2021
Controversial financial aid change – A new FAFSA change will dramatically reduce the amount of financial aid middle and upper-income families with more than one child in college at the same time will receive. Check out our article on this significant news. 10 ways to help your teen with the college decision –…
Read MoreIs a Gap Year Right For You?
College Inside Track’s Lessa Scherrer was featured in the Carlmont (Calif.) High School newspaper providing insight on “Is a Gap Year Right For You?” Scroll down to the end of the page to view the article.
Read MoreInsider tips for the week of March 1, 2021
Huge change for grandparents contributing to college – The FAFSA changes included in the December COVID relief bill contain a HUGE one for grandparents: Cash contributions from grandparents, including distributions from grandparent-owned 529 plans, will no longer hurt a student’s eligibility for financial aid. Check out our article on this significant news. How…
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