Thank you to those Upper School parents who were able to attend our virtual program last week focused on financing college. We are grateful to our guest presenter, Mr. Chris George, VP of Enrollment at St. Olaf College, for joining us and for providing his digital slide presentation for the benefit of those PA families who were unable to attend.
To continue the college finance conversation, we also encourage interested families to attend either of the next two installments in the College Aid Pro* Webinar Series, “Financial Aid/Scholarships 101” (for underclassmen/parents) or FAFSA/CSS Profile (for seniors/parents) on Wednesday, December 10 at 6:00 p.m. CST via Zoom. These are great opportunities for parents (and interested students) to learn actionable strategies for securing financial aid and reducing college costs, including the key strategies for securing scholarships, even without financial aid, and other pro tips in the college financing process. If you cannot join live, register anyway (using the link above), and you will receive the recording to watch on your own time.
*We also strongly recommend you activate your CAP account HERE prior to the presentation, if you have not previously done so.
Net Price Calculators or tools like MyIntuition.org are helpful tools for calculating an estimated net price to your family at different colleges. Every college is required to have a NPC on their website, and they can help to establish your expectations for different institutions which may emerge as targets for your student. It is important to note that colleges vary in their aid offerings (merit versus need-based assistance) and in their ability to meet a family’s demonstrated need in full.
We also strongly recommend reading Carol Stack’s book The Financial Aid Handbook (Revised Edition) (co-authored with Ruth Vedvik). This book is available from online booksellers (be sure to select the revised edition). The entire book features wise and candid advice to guide the cost-conscious college search, but of particular note are Chapters 1, 4 and 5 (addressed to students and parents, respectively), which would help to shape conversations about the cost of college and the ‘art of the possible’ for your family. Questions? Please contact Mrs. Hogan.