June 2012: Top 10 Financial Aid Tips & More

Greetings!

Happy June! Is your student finishing up their Junior year? Now is the time for them to start seriously considering where they want to go to school after high school, and transition into the role of “college-bound Seniors.”

Encourage your son or daughter to start thinking about how far away they want to be from home, what ultimate career they’d like, how they want to spend time outside the classroom, etc. Plan to have a top 20 college list identified before summer vacation starts.

The college planning process is full of difficult questions and potentially expensive pitfalls. If your student is a junior, now is the time to develop a clear college funding plan which will help direct parents and students in their application choices this fall.

Whether your student is already in college, is a senior in high school or just starting their elementary school years, planning for college can never start too early. Give me a call at 650-587-1517 to schedule a complimentary private consultation to take the first step on the path to creating a clear college funding plan.

All the best,
Beatrice Schultz
Westface College Planning
College Funding Specialist

Featured Find: Top Ten Financial Aid Tips for Parents

Looking for financial aid to help foot the tuition bill? Follow these 10 tips to help you secure the funding help you need and remember – don’t wait until your child’s senior year to start thinking about student aid. The sooner you start, the more money you may be able to find.

1. Get an early idea of your EFC
Estimate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) during your child’s junior year. By getting an idea of what you might pay, you can find colleges within your price range and identify what you might need in scholarships and loans to manage your tuition costs. The more financial aid information you can gather, the better.

2. Reduce your child’s savings
An entire 20 percent of your child’s assets are considered available for college, as opposed to just 5.6 percent of yours. Encourage your child to save, but keep college funds in a custodial account.

Read the other 8 tips here.

Upcoming College Funding Workshops: Seating may be limited – Register to ensure your spot!

Did you know most families qualify for more financial aid than they ever thought possible? Our 1-hour College Funding Workshops provide steps you can take right now to assure you don’t overpay for college, that you clearly understand the process and how to maximize your aid qualification!

We hope to see you at one of these upcoming workshops:

• College Funding Workshop: Thursday, September 6, 2012 from 6:30-7:30 pm at the Pacific Athletic Club, 200 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood Shores

Parents and students are welcome! Please visit our workshops page to register.

Senior Scoop: Steps for Students & Parents to Prepare for College

Most people are keenly aware that when shopping for a new car, the “sticker price” on the vehicle is typically only a starting point for the actual price that will be paid for the vehicle. The well-prepared consumer of a new car will actually come to the dealership prepared with the necessary information to make an intelligent offer for the car of their choice.

Shopping for colleges has many similarities to this process. Knowing your family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the amount each family is expected to pay before any aid is offered, is the foundation for your comparisons. College selection must then be added to this equation as each college will act independently with the amount and type of aid that they offer.

Selecting a college can easily be described using “The 3 H’s” – Head, Heart and Hand. A successful college selection is rarely accomplished without taking into consideration all 3 of these components. Read more here.

Advice & Insight: Connect With Us For The Latest News

Are you following Westface College Planning online? Here are just a few things you missed:

Is your child guilty of using text speak when fully fleshed-out English is more appropriate? Here are a few ways to help encourage proper grammar: https://bit.ly/J6Hf7R

Did you know student debt is actually higher at State schools than Private universities? https://huff.to/JiH1ap

Follow us on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn so you don’t miss any additional updates!

About Westface College Planning
At Westface College Planning, we are committed to helping parents through the process of making the right financial choices for their college bound students.

If you are a typical parent with college bound students, you’re probably overwhelmed by all the research necessary to help your sons and daughters make the right choices and prevent overpaying for their education.

You are not alone!

Our information packed one-hour workshops will help you:

• Understand the true cost of college and how to afford it.
• Learn the specific steps to take immediately to maximize financial aid.
• Receive valuable information on scholarships and gift aid qualification.
• Gain awareness on how to accurately compare the true cost of schools, public vs. private.
• Develop best practices for school selection, and more!

More information at westfacecollegeplanning.com.