Truth: It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement that you have qualified for financial aid at the college of your choice. Keep in mind you still have many options to choose from within the letter. It makes sense to take a careful look at exactly what is being offered.  

Take Your Time

While you should keep in mind the acceptance deadline, you need to sit down with your family to ensure you understand exactly what is being offered before you accept the terms. In some cases, you may feel that you haven’t had enough time to review the package before the deadline. Some schools will extend their acceptance deadlines. You will just have to ask for an extension.  

Realize You Have Options

Next, keep in mind that you do have options once you receive notification. You can accept the total amount awarded, you can claim a portion of the financial aid or you can choose not to accept any of the financial aid that’s offered. In fact, your financial aid package may include a variety of different types of financial aid sources.

Your letter may be broken down and awarded in areas like:

• Scholarships

• Grants

• Work/Study programs

• Loans

Here’s an example of what your letter may look like.

While looking over your letter, some questions might arise. Use these helpful tools as you begin your review: 

Q. The total amount awarded to me is less than I need. What can I do?

According to an article that was published in The Wall Street Journal:

“If you get less aid than you need, you do have other options. The government sets strict formulas for the distribution of federal student aid, but also allows aid officers latitude in assessing special circumstances.” 

Check out this blog post from My College Options that discusses other ways to get more money for college.

Q. There’s a ton of information within the letter. How do I make sense of it all?

Learn more about what your award letter may include and how to understand the information it provides.

Q. I received multiple letters. Now what do I do?

If you have received multiple financial aid rewards at different colleges, here’s a comparison tool see which makes the most sense from a financial perspective.

Truth: Submitting your application by the deadline is key. Most of the time, however, submitting your application earlier than the college requires does not guarantee you’ll be accepted. But, it’s always a good idea to plan ahead, allow for ample time to complete the application, and of course, write your essays.

But what if you already know which college you wish to attend? Getting a head start on your application can have its advantages. First, take a careful look at the many options available during the application process. Several colleges and universities provide an Early Decision Program for students who are certain of which colleges they wish to attend.  

What is an Early Decision Program?

An Early Decision program allows high school students the opportunity to get a jump-start on the application process. A word of caution: make sure you do your research and you are certain you want to go to a particular college, as most Early Decision programs require you to withdraw all applications at other schools and attend if you are accepted. Check with the admissions department to see if they offer an Early Decision program, and if so, what kind of restrictions apply.  

What are the benefits of an Early Decision Program?

• A better chance of getting into the college you want:

Statistics show many colleges let in more early decision applicants than regular applicants. This makes sense when you think about it. Colleges want students who are serious about attending their schools because this affects their "yield" (the percentage of students who enroll out of all the students who are accepted). Early decision applicants are often required to attend and therefore, the school's yield goes up along with its rankings.

• A head start:

Being a part of an early decision program means you will have an earlier application deadline, usually six weeks before the regular admissions deadline. However, this also means that you will hear a decision before regular applicants and that means you can begin your financial aid applications, dorm assignments and one-on-one college interviews before the rest of the group. One early decision applicant talks about their experience here.

What are some disadvantages of an Early Decision Program?

• Binding agreement:

One thing you must keep in mind is that if you’re accepted as an Early Decision student, you must attend the college. This is why it is so important to do as much research on the schools that interest you as you can. Make sure you know tuition rates, GPA expectations, graduation requirements, and expected financial aid before you begin an Early Decision Program. 

• Only one application:

If you decide to go the Early Decision route, keep in mind you can only apply to one school’s Early Decision program. If you wish to apply to any other college or university, you will have to go through the regular application process.

Tell us what you think about the early decision program. What do you like/dislike about it? Have you had a good experience with it? We want to hear from you

Truth: Actually, your college admissions essay is your chance to write about anything you wish. What’s more, you don't even have to write an essay! You could submit a dramatic screenplay about your first summer job and how you saved the day when the ice cream shop you worked at ran out of ice. You could communicate your passion for student government through a poem. Subject and format aren’t set in stone (though you should make sure to stay within the word count). Most applications have very open-ended essay questions and as long as you answer them, feel free to get creative. In fact, you may get bonus points for presenting your essay in an interesting way.

How many times would you be able to read an essay about what someone learned in high school?  Imagine reading about the same topics in the same format 300 times! That's the position most admissions officers are in. Make your essay stand out among the hundreds of others that sound the same. Here are some tips on how to write an essay that ‘wows’ the admissions committee:

Write from a different perspective. Some successful essays throw the personal narrative out the window. For example, instead of talking about how you helped an elderly person in their time of need, write your essay from the elderly person’s point-of-view.

Avoid listing. Many prospective college applicants think that making a list of all of their accomplishments will place their essay on the top of the pile. However, to create an essay that interests the admissions department, you should actually tell a story and have a clear, direct focus. Lists are boring and redundant since these achievements are likely listed elsewhere in your application.

Write with a hook. What’s a hook? It’s what makes your essay stand out in the crowd. What’s different about your essay? How will others remember you? If there is something that makes you unique, tap into that. Are you known at school for being great with people? Do you have a knack for baseball and help coach a little league team? What is it that makes you stand out and how will it make you stand out while you’re in college?

Still have writer’s block? Check out the following:

• Take a look at Essays That Worked for College Applications, a helpful book which features 50 excellent examples of essays written by students accepted at some of the country's top universities.
• If you want your essay to stand out, refer to this unusual, yet effective example called Eating Eyeballs.
• See what Tufts University is currently asking its applicants.
• Want to try your hand at a provocative essay question? Check out the University of Chicago admissions website for examples.
• Stay up-to-date with all things related to finding the right college for you with the MyCollegeOptions blog.

Truth: Absolutely not. Do you realize that about 70 percent of students enrolled in college change their majors at least once? Seriously, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t know what you want to be “when you grow up”, much less know exactly what your major will be before checking out some colleges.   

Think of it this way. The first half of your college years will be spent taking general education classes. Those are foundation classes like Introduction to Biology and English Composition. General education classes are basic overviews of many subject areas and offer you the chance to see what career fields and options are out there.  

Don’t be discouraged if your friends seem to already know what field they would like to go into when they graduate. It’s a known fact that most college students change their majors at least once if not more than that, so you’re doing just fine.  

As you begin taking your general education classes, here are some things that can help make choosing your major a bit easier:     

• Take note of the classes that are interesting to you and why.
• Talk to current students already in the major and gather their feedback.
• Search online to learn more about what that job can be like once you have your degree. (The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a great place to start.)
• Make an appointment with a professor who teaches some of the courses.
• See what the job market is like for people with the degree you wish to earn (America’s Career InfoNet has some great information!) 
  

Once you have your list, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices in a way that’s not so overwhelming. Bottom line: find a school that will help you succeed and achieve your dreams. Discovering your major (once you get there) will be the fun part.   

Have you already begun looking at specific majors to study? Tell us in the comments about some of the subjects that sound interesting to you and why!

Truth: Far too many students fall into the mindset that they have to get jobs that look good on a college application. The truth is you'll be better off if you follow your passion and focus on the things that matter most to you.

Use your summer to determine what it is you want for your future. If you decide to take a class or work a specific job, do so because it interests you, not only because it looks good to the admissions department at a particular school. Having solid job experience is important, but it's even more important to do something that is exciting and fulfilling to you.

Many of you are probably also concerned about paying for college and a summer job may help pay the bills. While it is true every penny can help, you can get started on financing college in other ways, such as by applying for scholarships or financial aid the summer before your last year of high school.

Other things to do the summer before your senior year:

• Request financial aid information and start asking for college applications. Check out the CollegeBoard's Financial Aid EasyPlanner for help.
• Begin searching for scholarships on online databases, such as Scholarship Monkey and Fastweb.
• Talk to your friends who went to college this past year and find out what they are doing to help pay for college. Ask around to see which schools have good financial aid programs.
• Make a note of questions that arise throughout the summer, so that you’re prepared for the next meeting with your school counselor come fall.
• Read blogs, like MyCollegeOptions or FAFSA Online, which offer tips on how to pay for college.
• Instead of getting a job that's a "resume-builder", try that random and intriguing gig that's always interested you. For inspiration, check out some of the weird summer occupations some celebrities have had, such as lion-taming or chicken-plucking.