CONSTRUCTING CRITICAL COMPONENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL SEARCH AND SELECTION
Monday, December 14, 2009
Request PIN Now; Submit FAFSA in Early 2010
For Class of 2010 high school students and their families, it is almost time to begin the financial aid process. While you cannot submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) until January 2010, you can begin the process now by requesting your PIN.
The PIN is a 4-digit number that is used along with your Social Security Number, your name, and your date of birth to identify you as having the right to access your personal information on Federal Student Aid web sites, such as the FAFSA on the Web.
PIN Request is the web page where BOTH the student AND one parent must request a PIN. This becomes your electronic signature when you submit the FAFSA. Request your PIN now before the craziness of the holiday season! Store it securely until time to submit your FAFSA beginning next month.
Keeping your PIN private is imperative because the code can be used to: • electronically sign your Federal Student Aid documents • access your personal records and • make binding legal obligations
Again, BOTH the student AND a parent must request a PIN. Note: You will use your PIN for the duration of your collegiate experience and beyond (repaying loans). The PIN stays the same.
Test Optional College Admissions
Most high school upperclassmen know well the fear and anxiety that surrounds preparing for college entrance exams, the ACT and the SAT. In recent news, many students, families, and college counselors and consultants have struggled to fully comply with the intricacies of the College Board's new score choice policy.
While the hooplah around testing is media worthy, so is the fact that 830 colleges and universities in this country are test optional institutions. This means that the admission decisions are based upon factors other than standardized test scores.
Fair Test, the National Center for Full and Open Testing, provides an easy to manipulate, searchable database of all test optional colleges and universities.
These schools recognize that test scores from a Saturday morning exam do not equate to a student's merit. Often, these schools require a student portfolio of high school course work in addition to the traditional requirements to submit official transcripts, an essay, and a resume of activities with the application for admission.
So, if your test scores do not seem comparable to your academic transcript, if you are unable to overcome the fear of standardized testing, or if you are interested in a college campus community that recognizes its students are more than test scores, begin researching to learn if a test optional school may be a good fit for you.
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