If you’ve been involved in the college search process with your student for even a short time, you’re probably aware of the FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA reveals how much federal grant, scholarship and loan money your student is eligible for to help them pay for college.

It usually takes less than an hour to complete the FAFSA (pro tip: you might want to help your student fill it out). But what happens once your student clicks “Submit?” 

First, your student’s FAFSA gets processed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office. The schools that your student listed on the FAFSA are then notified.

FAFSA Submission Summary

Next, your student will receive a FAFSA submission summary, which summarizes the information they submitted on the FAFSA. If anything is incorrect, they can use their FSA ID to change the information on their form.

The schools your student picked on the FAFSA then receive the FAFSA information and use it to determine how much financial aid your student is eligible to receive. And if you’re wondering about the Student Aid Index that you may have noticed on the FAFSA, it’s used to determine eligibility and does not mean that you have to contribute that amount.

Verification

Your student may be asked to verify some information on their FAFSA. It’s nothing to worry about, it just means the government needs a few more details from you or your student. You’ll be notified if verification is required. And if you’re unsure about what you’re being asked to verify, contact your student’s university and they’ll help you.

Offer letter

Finally (and this is the best part), your student will receive an offer letter that explains the aid they are eligible to receive. What if multiple schools offer your student money (a terrible problem to have, we know)? Don’t worry, your student will have time to think it over and accept the package and school that is best for them.

And keep in mind, the earlier your student submits the FAFSA, the more aid they are likely to be eligible for. So encourage them to get started on it soon. Good luck!

The U.S. is a popular destination for international students to attend college. If your student is considering a U.S. university, the admission process involves a few extra steps your student will need to take. We’ll walk you through the basics below. 

What documents are needed for admission?

• Official academic transcripts from each secondary school, college, university or technical school the student has attended. Transcripts must be submitted in the original language as well as an official English translation. Be sure to check the requirements for the school your student is applying to in order to confirm which options for translations will be accepted. 

• Record of degrees earned or a list of completed courses. This should also be submitted in the original language and an English translation. 

• Any relevant test scores, such as the ACT or SAT, and English proficiency scores (more on that later). 

• An application for an I-20 in order for the student to receive an F-1 or J-1 student visa. 

What tests should students take for admission?

• Some schools require an SAT or ACT score in order to be admitted to an undergraduate program. In addition, some schools may request SAT II Subject Test scores. Check the admission requirements for each school your student plans to apply to in order to find out which tests are required.

• If your student is applying to a graduate program, the GRE or GMAT may be required for admission. Not all graduate programs require a test score, so your student should check the requirements so they know which test to take.

What you need to know about English proficiency requirements

Your student has several options for tests they can take to provide proof of English proficiency. 

• Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL.

• International English Language Testing System, or IELTS.

• Pearson Test of English, or PTE.

• The college or university’s English program. 

The school your student is applying to may accept additional tests as proof, such as the Duolingo English test. 

Check the international admission website for specific information for each university your student is considering, including minimum required scores. 

If you have an academically excelling student, they may be exploring expensive private or liberal arts colleges in search of a high-quality education. Those may be ideal choices for them, but have they researched honors colleges, too? If not, they’re worth looking into as a competitive option.

What is an honors college?

Honors colleges offer high-quality academics and special opportunities for students in a small community setting within a larger public university. 

Honors college benefits

Classes are usually smaller than average (although your student will still probably have to take some “lecture hall” classes). Normally there is a full-time honors faculty to support your student, and the academics are more rigorous — but that’s a good thing. After all, “honors college” looks great on a resume. Honors college students often have exclusive access to special internships, research projects, study abroad experiences, networking opportunities and more. And at many universities, honors students get first dibs on class registration.

How rigorous are the academics?

If your student is considering honors college but is worried about the academic commitment, they might not need to worry that much. Although they will be expected to perform well academically, most honors students don’t spend every night holed up in their residence hall studying until sunrise. The typical honors student is involved in clubs or intramural sports, attends college athletic events, and might even hold a job. Encourage your student to talk to an advisor about how much time they can expect to devote to academics during their honors college experience.

Other things to consider

Honors colleges are often more expensive than if your student attended the university as a regular student. This is to help keep classes sizes smaller, fund special opportunities and pay for facilities. But don’t forget about financial aid — it can be used to help pay for honors college fees.

Getting into an honors college

Some honors colleges might use GPA, test scores and letters of recommendation to admit students. Others don’t have a certain GPA or test score threshold your student needs to meet, but instead require evidence of well-rounded life experiences. This can include good grades, high school extracurriculars, leadership or community involvement, life experiences that give your student a unique perspective, and more. Encourage your student to closely read the application process and requirements, and to take their time putting together a strong application.

The bottom line

An honors college might be exactly what your academically excelling student is looking for. Encourage them to at least check out a few while they’re applying to the pricier colleges.

One important way your student can get a jump start in their career development is building their resume. Their resume tells employers a lot about them, but making it easy and straightforward for the interviewer to get eye-catching details and recognize them as a good match can be a challenge. Here are some guidelines for creating a stand out resume.

Content is key

Your student’s resume should speak to not just their skills and experience, but also the quality of their work. When they present a well-written resume, they send a message that they care about the fine details. They also present themself as someone who communicates well — something that’s valuable in jobs as varied as research, customer service, sales and tech support.

Make sure it’s current

Your student’s resume should be a professional, up-to-date presentation of themselves. Whether writing their resume themself or using a resume writing service, their resume should reflect recent formatting and hiring trends. Make sure that your student’s resume leans into the latest expectations and jargon of hiring managers and job recruiters. Due to the high number of resumes received for job and internship listings, in many cases the first 'reader' of a resume will be a computer.

Make it look professional

A professionally written resume will be properly structured and formatted. Working with a professional resume writer is one way your student can count on their resume looking professional. They can also search for resume templates online. A professional presentation is important when hiring managers spend an average of less than 10 seconds looking at each resume. They don’t want to provide that speed-reading HR person any reason to set their resume aside — and an unprofessional format can be one of the key reasons that causes them to be overlooked.

Bonus tip — get free professional help with your resume by using the Resume Builder app. 

Your student researched colleges, visited campuses and settled on their top choices. Now it’s time to send their applications. How can you help them make their application the best it can be? By encouraging them to follow the tips below.

Use a professional email address

Your student’s crazycat email address might be fine to use with friends, but they need to think about how it’s going to look to a college admission representative. It could raise some questions or concerns about whether they’re going to take their studies seriously. If your student’s email address is less than professional, they can still keep it, but they should create a more appropriate one for applying to colleges and other endeavors, such as applying for future jobs.

Meet the application deadline

If they don’t submit their application on time, they likely won’t be considered for admission. Plus, when there are so many deadlines throughout a college student’s experience (e.g., assignments, projects, etc.), missing their very first deadline doesn’t make a good impression. So how can your student be sure to hit the application deadline? Start early, and allow more time than they think they’ll need to complete their application.

Edit and proofread

Nothing turns off an admission representative like poor grammar and typos. After all, if your student is applying to get into an institute of higher education, they want to show that they’re qualified to be there. And using “there” when they should be using “their” just doesn’t look good. Of course, typos and incorrect punctuation can be easy mistakes for even the best grammarian to make and can be missed when your student proofreads their words. (It’s true, the brain fills in missing information that it expects to be there.) So your student should wait a day or two and then review their application, and have someone else — preferably two or three people — proofread their application. Editing tools like Grammarly can also be helpful.

Include and expand on extracurriculars activities

If your student participated in extracurriculars, they should include them in their application to show that they’ve had a well-rounded high school experience. And encourage them to provide details. If they played sports, they might think saying, “I was on the basketball team” is enough. But they need to explain what they learned by playing on the basketball team. What they walked away with. How it helped them grow. And same for any other activities such as student council, band or even the part-time job they held while in high school.

Lay out their ambition and vision

Your student should write about why they want to go to college and what they want to get out of it openly and honestly. Encourage them to share a personal or family story (skipping the TMI, of course), and to be creative. Admission representatives want to know a little bit about your student as a person, not as just a name on a piece of paper.

Tailor their essay to each school they apply to

College admission officers hate reading an application essay that is clearly a generic form essay sent to all institutions a student is applying to. And trust us, it’s obvious when they read it. Your student should customize a different essay for each school. This doesn’t mean it has to be entirely new. They can still use maybe up to 75 percent of their essay for each school. But it should be tweaked to what each school is looking for in a student. And by thoroughly researching the universities they are applying to, your student should have a pretty good sense of what that is for each school.

Don’t do it for them

Along with it being pretty obvious to an admission representative when a student is using the same essay for each school, it’s also pretty obvious when a parent does all the admission application work for their student. So don’t do that. You might think you’re helping your student, but that’s just not the case. And besides, don’t you want them achieving admission to college all on their own? That’s not to say that you can’t be there throughout the process, guiding and helping them (after all, that’s what this blog post is all about — helping you help them) but they need to do the bulk of the work on their own. If they can’t, then their chances of succeeding on their own in college are pretty slim.

Good luck, and we hope your student gets accepted to all the colleges they apply to.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for U.S. high school students, where scholars, finalists and semifinalists receive recognition for their academic excellence and scholarships to fund their college education. 

If your student is interested in entering the National Merit Scholarship competition, it’s a fairly simple process. Your student will likely take the PSAT during their third or junior year of high school; when your student plans to graduate from high school will affect what year they should take the PSAT in order to qualify for the National Merit program.

Student scores are evaluated, and semifinalists, finalists and scholars are selected based on the students’ academic records, PSAT score, and other skills and accomplishments. 

If your student is selected as a semifinalist, they can advance to finalist standing by completing a scholarship application, having a high academic record, writing an essay and being endorsed by a school official. From the finalist pool, the winners are selected. Even if your student does not advance all the way to National Scholar status, they will still be recognized for their achievements as a semifinalist or finalist. 

National Merit Scholars receive a $2,500 scholarship, and can also receive corporate-sponsored or college-sponsored scholarships depending on if they qualify.

The National Merit Scholarship Program’s mission is to celebrate and spotlight academically excellent students. If this is something your student would like to be a part of, encourage them to study hard for the PSAT so they can get the best score possible. 

To learn more about this program, visit the National Merit Scholars website.

Once your student chooses a college, they’ll be expected to attend new student orientation. This is where they’ll go to campus, learn all sorts of things about their new college and take care of certain tasks, which can include getting their student ID, submitting immunization records and enrolling in classes. 

It’s a big day, orientation. So we’re sharing some tips to help your student be ready to get the most out of the experience.

How to prepare for orientation

First, know the time and location. Before orientation, your student’s college should have sent them a schedule and information on where to park and where to go when they arrive on campus. Make sure they check out the maps so they don’t spend the morning wandering around looking for where they need to be. Many college orientation programs are a full-day event, so your student will want to eat a healthy breakfast, dress comfortably, wear good walking shoes and bring a water bottle. 

What to expect in orientation presentations

When orientation day begins, your student will be introduced to everything about their new university through various information sessions. Some of the things they’ll learn about are:

• Support resources like tutoring, the health center, the library and other services the college offers. 

• How to navigate their new campus.

• Their college and degree program.

• Their residence hall.

• Some facts, history and traditions of the college.

Your student will also meet plenty of other new students, and they might even register for classes at orientation.

What questions to ask at orientation

Your student will likely have tons of questions at orientation. Make sure they know to not be shy about asking. After all, that's what orientation is for, and plenty of other students will also have similar questions.

If your student isn’t sure what they should be asking, here are some ideas:

• Are there opportunities for student employment?

• What if it’s not working out between me and my roommate?

• What’s the policy on having guests in the residence hall?

• When do the dining halls open and close?

• How does the college keep students safe on campus?

• Are there mental health resources on campus?

• What transportation options are there on and around campus?

• What’s the best way to get textbooks? Buying, renting, etc.?

And if your student doesn’t have any questions going in, tell them not to worry — it’s likely that once they get there and start hearing about the university, questions will come up.

What to do after attending orientation

Once orientation is over, your student may have a to-do list. Each college is different, but it could include meeting with an advisor, picking their meal plan or following up on any items they weren’t able to take care of at orientation. They should start thinking about the things they’re going to take with them to their dorm room and what they’re going to leave at home. They’ll want to make sure to get their books (although some students like to wait until classes begin to make sure which books are really required). Your student should also keep in contact with any new friends they met at orientation.

Embrace it

Lastly, your student should take the time before or during orientation to realize what a milestone they have reached. Going to college is a big deal, and they will remember this period of their life forever. Encourage your student to pause for a moment and take it all in.

The journey may seem long, but college will be here before you know it. We set out to help parents and students along the way by compiling a timeline of steps, action items and activities that families can use to prepare for that next big chapter in a students’ life. Parents and students are encouraged to start early. Save this document for future reference. We’ll be here for you every step of the way.

One of the biggest factors in the college decision-making process is having to pay for it all. Between tuition, fees, housing and books, it’s important to budget for everything. First things first — be sure your student completes the FAFSA. They might also consider the possibility of getting a part-time job to take care of extra expenses and “fun money.” They should also apply for at least a few scholarships. Since you can’t apply for too many scholarships, here’s a search tip to increase your student’s chances of getting awarded.

How to find scholarships

Use Fastweb. It stands for Financial Aid Search Through the Web. Fastweb is a helpful website that aggregates all types of scholarships in their database. After creating a profile, Fastweb will show your student the scholarships they are eligible for. Your student should check back often because scholarships are updated daily.

What kinds of scholarships are available?

All different kinds. Check out this scholarship directory

Here are some category examples:

Scholarships by major

Scholarships for veterans

Scholarships by state

Scholarships for African American students

Scholarships for Hispanic students

Not all scholarships are big

True, most scholarships aren’t going to give your student a full ride, but if your student applies for all the awards they’re eligible to receive, they may find that the money adds up quickly. $500 here, $1,000 there — before they know it, they can have a good chunk of their college expenses paid for. It really is worth the time it takes to apply for scholarships. 

And for a scholarship opportunity that doesn’t require an essay, make sure they check out Niche.

Good luck!

Lots of things have changed since the pandemic struck, and that includes the way your student searches for the right college. But one of the best ways for a student to decide if a college is right for them — the college visit tour — is still worth taking, even if it might look a little different now.

How should my student arrange a tour?

Your student can start figuring out what their college visit tours will look like based on two things: what the colleges they are interested in are offering, and what you and your student are comfortable with. Most colleges are offering virtual tours of campus and many are also offering in-person, socially distanced tours with fewer people than normal. 

If a college that your student has their eye on is offering only virtual tours, then that is their only (official) campus tour option. But as long as the campus is open, your student can go to campus and have a look around on their own if they wish. If a college offers virtual and in-person tours, your student should take a virtual tour first. If they still like the college after taking a virtual tour, and they are comfortable going in person, their next step should be to sign up for an in-person tour. The earlier they sign up, the better — most schools doing in-person tours are reducing the number of people allowed on a tour, so your student’s options could be more limited.

When should my student take a campus tour?

If it is a prerecorded tour, they can take an online tour when it’s convenient for them . If it’s a live virtual tour, they will probably have to register for a session, so they should do that as soon as they can. Your student should plan an in-person tour for a weekday, and preferably not a Friday. This is because they’ll want to get the most accurate picture of what campus is like, and many students arrange their schedules so that they don’t have Friday classes. (Can you say “long weekend?”) Plus, with all the students and faculty around, your student can start a conversation with someone who attends or teaches at the school to gain some further insight.

Any advice for when they’re on the in-person tour?

Your student might want to bring a way to take notes while on the tour. They’ll be getting lots of information and probably won’t remember all of it without writing it down. This is also an excellent opportunity to have all their questions answered, so they should be sure to take full advantage of it. Finally, they might want to get the contact info of someone they can follow up with if any questions come up after the tour is over.

Whether in-person or virtual, your student should take a tour. They are an invaluable tool while deciding on the right college.