1. You should choose your schools based solely upon their tuition. True or False?

False. First, it is crucial that the school you choose meet your interests and career goals. That is something you do not want to sacrifice. Therefore, it is important that you have at least started to narrow in on the careers you are interested in. Read this if you need help with identifying your interests and career goals.

Second, it is false that a school's tuition is not necessarily what you'll pay, because it does not reflect financial aid or extra expenses like travel, housing and books. You need to look at the total cost of attendance, as well as opportunities for financial assistance.

Some institutions have more merit scholarships available than others. Also, if you can carry a tune or a football (or both) as well as do well academically, you may qualify for a more robust scholarship package. It is important to be completely informed of your options and have a good back-up plan.

2. After you complete each college application and before you send it, what should you do?

Copy it! Everything will probably be fine, but just in case your application gets lost in the mail or on someone's desk, you want to make sure you are covered with a back-up copy of everything.

3. Once in your senior year of high school, do your grades really count?

Contrary to popular belief, senior grades do matter even after you have gotten into the college of your choice. So, do not catch senioritis!

4. Is it true that there are good scholarships and bad scholarships? If so, what makes one good and another bad?

Yes! There are good and bad college scholarships. You may be surprised to find out that Private Scholarships can actually work against you in the financial aid formula. The best and most abundant kinds of scholarships are the need-based scholarships that we help our clients receive.

In order for you to receive these types of college scholarships and education grants, you need to complete all the financial aid forms including the FAFSA. If you do not complete the FAFSA (and the CSS PROFILE if required) you may be closing the door on your opportunity to receive these highly coveted college scholarships.

5. Which is more important to your family's financial bottom line - your student positioning or your parents filling out the FASFA form correctly?

Both are equally important! The positioning of a student by a college always affects the award package that he or she is offered. The more a school wants you, the more financial assistance you will be offered. GPA and SAT scores, as well as athletic performance, participation in extracurricular events and community organizations, all affect your positioning. It is never too early to focus on maximizing your performance and participation in these areas.

If financial aid is important to you and you want to increase your chances of receiving free college scholarships, we recommend finding schools where you would be in the top 20% of thier applicant pool. Students in the top 20% of the admitting class tend to receive more free college scholarships and need less student loan money and work study programs to pay for college.

6. Which types of schools are most likely to be the best "educational bargain"?

The very wealthy Ivy Leaguers are still in a seller's market. In other words, they can most often command that a student (and family) still pay the sticker price. (Bear in mind that this is not in all cases.)

There are hundreds of very fine institutions that are very comparable to the Ivy Leaguers. These are mainly private institutions that offer a wide range of course / major specialties. These colleges have found themselves in the midst of a bidding war to attract desirable students. These institutions are where the majority of the real educational bargains can be found. They offer the finest in education, most often at a discounted rate (as compared to their publicized cost of attendance).

7. Which will ultimately be more expensive, a state school or a private institution?

While private schools almost always have a higher "sticker price" than a state university, that does not mean their "bottom line" will be higher.

Historically, each school will meet a different percentage of the family's need. In other words, if the family's need is $20,000.00, School "A" may meet 100% of that need, while school "B" may meet only 60% of the student's need.

The amount of need that the institution meets is based primarily on the amount of the funds the institution has available. This is why private institutions (with larger endowment funds) commonly meet a greater portion of the student's need than public (state-funded) schools. Therefore, depending on your family's financial situation and how you approach your college plan, you may end up paying less at a private institution.

8. Most schools meet financial need by offering aid packages consisting of both self-help and gift aid. True or False?

True. Each institution will give a percentage of the need they meet in gift aid (free money), and the remaining portion of the awarded funding will be either borrowed or worked for. The ratio between "gift aid" and "self-help" money can vary greatly from school to school. School "A" may gift 60%, 70%, or even 80% percent or more, while school "B" may gift as little as 15% or 20% percent.

9. To which to I apply for first, admissions or funding?

Technically, you will apply for admissions first (in the Autumn of your senior year) and funding second (by May of your senior year). However, you should start planning your funding strategies long before you actually apply to the schools. Also, since private scholarships vary in their deadlines, you may be able to apply for some of these scholarships as early as your sophomore or junior year of high school.

10. To how many colleges should I apply?

We recommended that you apply to at least six (6) institutions. These should include 4 good selections, at least one "long-shot" selection and at least 1 "safety" school.

How did you do on the quiz?

If you are feeling confident, you may want to try our Quiz for Parents to make sure you are "up" on all the issues your parents need to know but may not.