Welcome to College Summit

Senior Year Checklist for Parents

With your child’s high school career coming to an end, s/he will have a world of opportunity—and a lot of difficult choices—ahead of him/her. Senior year is the gateway to his/her adult life, and the choices s/he makes and actions s/he takes this year will greatly impact his/her future. Your help during this process is crucial! The steps below outline some ways in which you can help your child make the wisest choices possible and provide him/her with the right support during the college application process. Thank you for your participation!

September

College Lists

• Sit down with your child to research and create a list of colleges for application. Your local library can provide useful tools, such as college resource books and the internet, to facilitate the process.
• Make sure that your child’s list includes:
  • At least one state college or university
  • At least one or two “safety” schools
  • At least one or two “reach” schools
• For more information on college searches and -selection, see Week 3 of your child’s College Summit Navigator.

October

College Application Forms

• Make sure that your child has completed application forms for each of the colleges on his/her list.
• Check each application form to make sure that the information is complete and accurate.  (For more information on completing college application forms, see Weeks 4 and 5 of your child’s College Summit Navigator.)
• Create a list of application deadlines for each school.
• Please note that application fee waivers are available.  See Week 4 of your child’s College Summit Navigator for more details.

November

Personal Statement

• Make sure that your child has completed his/her personal statement.  (For more information on the personal statement, see Weeks 6 – 8 of the College Summit Navigator.)

Standardized Tests

• Make sure that your child has registered for and/or taken the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and/or the American College Testing Assessment (ACT).  Test score data from one or both of these standardized tests are requested on most college application forms.
• Check with your child to make sure that s/he is aware of the standardized test requirements for each school to which s/he’s applying. (For more information on standardized tests, see Week 9 of the College Summit Navigator.)
• Please note that fee waivers for standardized tests are available.  For more information, see Week 4 of the College Summit Navigator.

Letters of Recommendation

• Remind your child to request letters of recommendation from his/her teacher, counselor, employer, or other community professional. Most colleges require applicants to submit at least one letter of recommendation; several require two.
• Make sure that your child requests the exact number of recommendations required by the schools to which s/he’s applying. (For more information on letters of recommendation, see Week 10 of the College Summit Navigator.)

December

College Application Packets

• Make sure that your child submits his/her college application packets on time. Pay attention to deadlines!
• Before s/he sends the application packets, check to see whether all of the necessary components, listed below, are included in the packets:
• College application form
• Personal statement
• Transcript
• Letter(s) of recommendation
• Any additional information or documents requested by a specific school
• Congratulate your child and celebrate!!! With your help, s/he has completed some major steps towards getting to college!!
• For more information on submitting college applications, see Week 14 of the College Summit Navigator.

January

Income Tax Information

• Complete your income tax return information as soon as possible after January 1. While you may not usually complete your taxes at this time of year, doing so can help you receive more money! Your current tax return information is requested when your child applies for financial aid to pay for college. And, the earlier you apply for financial aid, the more money available to help you pay for tuition.

Financial Aid—the FAFSA

• Complete your section of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—the parent section. Completing the FAFSA is the first—and most important—step towards receiving financial aid to pay for college. The federal government determines the amount of money your family is able to contribute towards your child’s college tuition, based on the informbation you provide on the FAFSA. Submitting the FAFSA is free and the earlier you submit it (after January 1, 2007), the more money available to help pay for college. You and your child are encouraged to complete the FAFSA online because you will receive results faster and it is often a more accurate approach to completing the FAFSA than using the paper version of the form.
• To complete your section of the FAFSA, you will need:
  • Your Social Security Number
  • Your Alien Registration Card (if applicable)
  • A current bank statement
  • Your most current income tax return information, W-2 forms, and 1099 forms
  • Mortgage information (if applicable)
  • Records of untaxed income, like Social Security, welfare, disability, and veterans’ benefits
  • Records that describe any unusual family circumstances (e.g. medical and dental bills not covered by health insurance, loss of employment, etc.)
  • Business and farm records (if applicable)

• Remember: To complete the parent section of the FAFSA, you will need your most current tax return information. If you have not completed your tax return information, do so as soon as possible!
• If, however, you are unable to complete your taxes at this time, use your tax information from the previous year to estimate income amounts (as long as your income hasn’t changed significantly between last year and the year before that).
• Never over-report your family’s income; the government will think that you can pay more towards tuition than you really can and your family may not qualify for the amount of aid that you need.
• Proofread the entire FAFSA (student- and parent sections) to make sure that all of the information is complete and accurate.
• Make a copy for your records.
• Submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 and no later than February 15.
• For additional information on completing the parent section of the FAFSA, see Week 18 of the College Summit Navigator, call the U.S. Department of Education at (800) 4-FED-AID, and/or access online help at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Financial Aid—Next Steps

• If you made a mistake or did not complete a required entry on the FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will send you a Correction Form via mail or email, depending on whether your completed the FAFSA using the paper version or online. Make the appropriate corrections and resubmit them as soon as possible to ensure that your family still receives as much federal money as possible.
• Your child will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) via mail or email, depending on your method for completing the FAFSA, within four weeks of submitting it. The SAR will indicate your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC)—the amount of money the government determines that your family can pay towards your child’s college education. The colleges that your child indicated on the FAFSA will also receive an electronic copy of the SAR so that they can begin to review your family’s financial need, based on the EFC shown on the report.

February

Addressing Senioritis

• Congratulations! Your child is a second-semester senior and you have helped him/her successfully navigate the hardest parts of the college application process!
• Remember though: It’s not over yet! Colleges pay close attention to a candidate’s second semester grades—college acceptance can even be revoked if an already-admitted student performs poorly—so make sure that your child remains diligent about his/her grades.
• Acknowledge your child’s hard work up to this point, but prompt him/her to continue to excel. Don’t allow him/her to jeopardize his/her future by slacking off. Just as a sprinter doesn’t slow down before crossing the finish line, don’t allow your child to do so either.

Scholarship Searches

• There are several thousand scholarships available each year: some are given to students who exhibit certain traits, while others are given to students who belong to certain groups, are of a certain heritage, live in a particular city or neighborhood, or belong to a certain faith. Your child is likely to find at least one scholarship that matches his/her qualifications.
• Make sure that s/he has researched and applied for at least two scholarships.
• Pay attention to deadlines and make sure that your child submits his/her scholarship applications on time.
• For more information on searching for scholarships, see Week 15 of the College Summit Navigator.

March

SAR

• Review the SAR with your child to make sure that you reported accurate information and that the Department of Education did not make mistakes in calculating your EFC.  Check for accuracy around your:
• Family income figures
• Student income figures
• Student and family tax contribution
• Number of immediate family members currently enrolled in college
• Family and student savings- and interest-earned figures
• Be sure to look at the third page of the SAR for your next steps, tax filing information, and additional sources for help.
• If there is no EFC on your SAR, the Department of Education will instruct you to provide more information.
• If you notice a mistake in the figures reported on your SAR, contact the Department of Education as soon as possible at (800) 433-3143.
• For more information on the SAR, see Week 26 of the College Summit Navigator.

April

Financial Aid Offers

• Determine a bottom-line financial contribution—the absolute largest amount of money per school year that your family is able to contribute to your child’s college tuition.
• Review all of your child’s financial aid offers with him/her. Make sure that all of the information is accurate.
• Review and choose loans carefully.  Some have lower interest rates and are subsidized, meaning that they accrue interest only after your child has graduated from college. (For more information on financial aid terms, see Weeks 12 and 13 of the College Summit Navigator.)
• If your family is not able to contribute enough money to cover the whole EFC or if certain colleges require you to pay more than your bottom line, you and/or your child may rely on loans and scholarships to cover the gaps, or your child may need to consider enrolling elsewhere.

May

College Preparation Congratulations!!! Your child will be attending college!!!

• Help your him/her create a budget for the upcoming school year so that s/he can successfully manage his/her money. For tips, see Week 32 and 33 of the College Summit Navigator.
• Help your child collect and pack the items that s/he will need for college. For a suggested checklist of items, see Week 34 of the College Summit Navigator.
• Review the “Tips for Life After High School” (Week 35 of the College Summit Navigator) with your child.
• Reflect on and celebrate your child’s accomplishments!
• Acknowledge yourself for having successfully helped your child navigate the college application process!