JLV College CounselingTuition Deposit – Should I Commit Now to a College?
Have you started receiving admission decisions? Did you get an acceptance letter from your first choice college? In addition to congratulating you for being admitted to the institution, the letter will invite you to confirm your enrollment at the institution by submitting an enrollment deposit. However, if you applied early action or regular decision, you have until May 1 to decide on the college you will attend in the fall. While you may want to send in that deposit right away, make sure you do these five things before committing to a college.
Figure out your finances
Unfortunately most students will not receive a full-ride scholarship. While a college may feel like a great place, if it is out of reach financially, it may not be the best fit for you. Before committing to a college, figure out the cost of attendance and financial aid.
- Cost of attendance. Have you seen the published cost of attendance? This number will typically include tuition, fees, and housing. However, are the numbers you saw the amount you will be charged? Or, are they the numbers for the current academic year? Many colleges regularly increase their cost of attendance, including some that increase their cost every year! Check the college website or ask your admission counselor about the cost of attendance for the upcoming academic year. In addition, learn about other fees you may be paying. Some classes require extra fees that are not included in the general publicized costs. If you are going to take a car to campus, you’ll have to pay for a parking permit.
- Financial aid. No matter what the net price calculator said, wait for the financial aid offer. The net price calculator is a good estimate, but it will not give you the exact amount of financial aid you will receive. In addition, a common misconception is that you will only have to pay the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Only a small percentage of colleges can meet full need. Most other colleges have their own formula to determine how much financial aid you will receive and many will have you paying more than the EFC out-of-pocket. Study the financial aid offers and determine if your family can afford the institutions financially after financial aid. In addition, remember that you will be attending the college for at least four years. Whatever you are expected to pay out-of-pocket the first year will probably be similar (or even more) the next three years. Again, ask yourself, “can my family afford this college for four years?”
Ask your questions
Make sure you have all of your questions answered when it comes to the college you want to attend. No question is too big or too small when choosing the college you will attend for four years. If the website or brochures do not answer your questions, reach out to the college. In addition to admission officers, reach out to professors, staff members, and current students. Choosing a college is a big decision and you want to make sure you make your decision knowing as much as you can about the college.
Visit
If you have not visited the college yet, try to visit before committing to the institution. All colleges look pretty, diverse, exciting and academic in their marketing pictures. However, the personality of the college may not come through in the pictures. Walk on campus to see if it feels like the right place for you. Many colleges have admitted student programs that will cover all of the things you will need to know. In addition, it will give you an opportunity to meet other incoming students who could potentially become your future classmates. If you can’t make the admitted student program, schedule a regular visit.
Take your time
May 1 is the National College Decision Day. Don’t rush into the decision, but take your time to think about all of your options. Consider how you felt while on the college campuses. Think about starting a pro and con list about the colleges you are considering to help you make the decision.
Pay attention to important dates
While you have until May 1 to make your decision, the colleges may have other deadlines that are important. The college may have specific deadlines for housing, honors programs, etc. If you are seriously considering these colleges, make sure to meet these other deadlines. In addition, the financial aid office may need more information from you and will give you a specific date they need the documents. Missing a financial aid deadline could alter your financial aid award. You may want to only focus on your first choice college, but if there are other colleges you are considering, make sure to meet their deadlines as well.
Receiving acceptance letters is exciting! While it will be tempting to respond to your first choice college by sending in your confirmation deposit right away, wait! You do not need to respond right away –if you applied early action or regular decision, you have until May 1. Take your time with the decision and make sure you have all of your questions answered before making the commitment.
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Scholarship Saturday – February 2, 2019
The deadlines for the scholarships that were on this list have passed. To see scholarships that are still accepting applications, visit more recent Scholarship Saturday posts.
February 2019 DoSomething Scholarships
Do you like making a difference in your school or community? If you do, DoSomething has many campaigns to make a difference, and for participating, you will be entered to win a scholarship! Below are campaigns from DoSomething that are accepting entries in February. Read More
Child Development – How to Improve your Child’s Academic Performance
Each new beginning of a school year brings on many mixed emotions and expectations. There’s surely the excitement of a fresh start, but it usually comes with some apprehension as to how well the child will fit in and how much progress will be made.
Expectations differ: parents hope for good grades, acquisition of useful skills and keeping the kids out of trouble, whereas teachers want their students to achieve their full potential and master the curriculum. If we ask the students all around the world, Australia included, most of them say they hope for best grades possible and having fun along the way.
It’s certainly not easy to balance all these expectations, but it’s far from impossible. It takes a combination of strategies: providing constant support to students, establishing a learning environment and building up regular working habits and maintaining great communication among all three parties.
As your child’s success at school depends on several factors, here are some useful tips that can help in improving their academic performance. Read More
The Power of Music: Music Can Help Students Cope With Stress and Anxiety
Music has the power to heal us and to rejuvenate our soul by enchanting our inner self.
In the current pressure of life where we are all busy participating in the cat’s race, it is tough to keep ourselves aloof from the humongous stress. It is sad, but the fact is this pressure starts building during our childhood days. The moment a child steps into the outer world, he has the pressure mounting on him from various aspects of life, and it goes on increasing as he grows up.
Students are definitely affected by stress. While they have immense pressure to perform well, they do not always have the ability to deal with it effectually. Therefore, it is our duty as parents to help them. Why not introduce them to music from the very early days of life and give them an avenue to distress?
Let us see how music can help students to cope with stress and anxiety. Read More
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