Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.
Money
![Featured image for “Need FAFSA Help? Here are 6 Resources”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/question-marks.jpg)
January 2, 2014
Need FAFSA Help? Here are 6 Resources
January 1 marks the start of the FAFSA season. If you will be applying for financial aid this year for a new or returning college student, it’s time to tackle the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Unfortunately, it’s easy to make mistakes on the forms and these errors could cost you a ton of money. Resources exist, however, to...
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![Featured image for “Schools That Award Lots of Merit Scholarships”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/10000.jpg)
December 16, 2013
Schools That Award Lots of Merit Scholarships
I recently wrote a post that shared the colleges and universities that say that they meet 100% of financial need for the majority of their families. If you missed it, here it is: List of Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need The story prompted a mom to email me over the weekend with this question: Have you ever published...
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![Featured image for “10 Things You Need to Know About Private Scholarships”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/100-bills-.jpg)
December 12, 2013
10 Things You Need to Know About Private Scholarships
Winning private college scholarships can certainly help make college more affordable, but you need to know the realities of competing for college cash. Before you start hunting for private college scholarships, here are 10 things you should know about these awards: 1. Private scholarships aren’t the biggest source of college cash. My pet peeve about private scholarships is that people...
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![Featured image for “Who Should Complete the FAFSA?”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/divorce.jpg)
December 10, 2013
Who Should Complete the FAFSA?
FAFSA season is fast approaching, which always brings questions about who should complete this federal financial aid application. For the 2014-2015 school, year, the Department of Education has issued new rules impacting some parents about who should be completing the FAFSA. Here is a rundown of what you need to know: Traditional Married Couples If you are part of a...
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![Featured image for “Looking For Great College Bargains”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/4-tags.jpg)
November 8, 2013
Looking For Great College Bargains
Excuse me if this sounds ridiculously elementary, but here goes: One way to cut your college costs is to look for schools with lower sticker prices. My nephew Matt attends Westminster College in Fulton Mo, a liberal arts college, where the tuition and room/board is $30,490. Ninety eight percent of the students at Westminster don’t pay full price. The average...
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![Featured image for “How to Spot a Lousy Net Price Calculator”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/abacus.jpg)
November 4, 2013
How to Spot a Lousy Net Price Calculator
As I’ve mentioned in previous college blog posts, net price calculators allow you to obtain a personalized estimate of what a school will cost after deducting any scholarships and grants that your child might be receiving. Before you let your child apply to any colleges, make sure you have used each school’s net price calculator. Unfortunately, not all calculators are...
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![Featured image for “A Dirty Little FAFSA Secret”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/admissions-office.jpg)
October 30, 2013
A Dirty Little FAFSA Secret
If you’ll be filling out the FAFSA during this admission season for a high school teenager, be careful how you list the colleges that your child will be applying to. Colleges could use that information against you. Some schools — no one knows how many – are checking the FAFSA to see in what order an applicant lists his or...
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![Featured image for “List of Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/yale-copy.jpg)
October 28, 2013
List of Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need
If your family will need to depend on financial aid to attend college, your best bet is to find a school that will offer an excellent financial aid package to your child. A great way to assess the generosity of any school is to look at the percentage of financial need it typically meets for its students. Teenagers, who earn...
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![Featured image for “Random Thoughts from a College Conference”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/601073_10151833197799627_883873872_n.jpg)
September 23, 2013
Random Thoughts from a College Conference
I was in Toronto for the past several days attending the annual monster conference of the National Association for College Admission Counselors. I was a presenter with a couple of my friends – Paula Bishop and Cyndy McDonald – at a pre-conference, which I hope was beneficial for those who attended. I can’t recall ever sharing the microphone with anybody...
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![Featured image for “Need Aware vs. Need Blind Colleges”](https://thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/admissions-office.jpg)
September 19, 2013
Need Aware vs. Need Blind Colleges
My last post focused on whether families should indicate on a college application whether they will seek financial aid. Here’s my position: if you need financial aid to attend college, you should apply for aid. In case you missed it, here is the post: Should You Apply for Financial Aid? My post prompted a mom to make this observation: Good...
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