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Insider tips for the week of November 8, 2021
How to find good schools…for you – Rick Clark writes an excellent article about how to find right-fit schools. Click here to read some questions you should answer while determining if a college is a good school for you (and see a picture of a crazy-flexible 10-year-old). Big changes to financial aid and…
Insider tips for the week of October 4, 2021
10 things to know about getting into your dream college – Eric Hoover shares 10 takeaways from his hundreds of interviews with admission deans. Our favorites: Express your authentic self, don’t take rejection personally because admissions officers aren’t looking for students that just fit one description, and colleges want to be your first choice.…
Insider tips for the week of September 6, 2021
Mission drives admission – Rick Clark writes a wonderful piece explaining why certain students get admitted when others don’t, and encourages students to consider what their mission in admission is before applying anywhere. An important read to share and discuss with your student. Why undecided is a great college major – Dr. Deborah…
Jay Benanav Q and A: Your High School Senior and Imminent Financial Aid Tasks
College Inside Track founder and nationally recognized college admissions financial aid expert Jay Benanav responds to a few of the moment’s most pressing financial aid issues, in this wide-ranging interview: The need for conscious student responses to financial aid questions on college applications, how need- and merit based aid configure with financial form (FAFSA…
Insider tips for the week of August 2, 2021
3 college statistics to know if you want to pay less – Many families only look at college statistics in terms of getting into college, when they are just as important in determining how much they pay for college. DIY College Rankings covers three big ones to understand. 5 best essays – The…
Insider tips for the week of June 28, 2021
FAFSA changes delayed – The significant FAFSA changes recently approved by Congress will be delayed by year, due to the complexity of overhauling the entire system. Federal Student Aid (FSA), the agency in charge of implementing the changes, said they will now be rolled out for the 2024-25 school year. The earliest families can…
FAFSA change for families with multiple students
At first glance, the recent changes to the FAFSA appear to be a good thing: A simpler form with far fewer questions, increased financial aid eligibility for low income families, and a formula change reducing any penalty for grandparents who contribute to college. But another formula change could prove to be extremely painful to…
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…
Podcast: 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…
Podcast: 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