Grades - When is it too late?

A couple of things are in the picture here and they are things that college admissions people and coaches see

01--the low grades in the first two years of HS indicate that the young man possibly did not work up to his capabilities

02-- by doing well in the final two years it shows that the boy was definitely just lazy in the first two years and has the ability to be a good student

03-- the final two years of good grades won't make him an A studentif he was a C studnet in the first two years

04-- Solid SAT/ACT scores will help to show he was just lazy in the beginning

05-- Your son is no different than many HS students. We see this in more players than you would imagine. I like to term student athletes like your son as a normal HS student

If it helps you any my son and my stepson were very similar to your boy and ended up playing college baseball


Trust me all is not lost especially if he has "finally seen the light".

Great question:

It's not uncommon, particular in boys to not take HS seriously those first 2 years. Colleges will weigh the junior/senior year grades heavier than they freshman/sophomore years, because they know that too.

While it might make it harder to get into Sanford or Yale, most colleges won't have much trouble. I know from experience. While my youngest was an over-achiever in HS, his older brother didn't "get it" until his junior year. He's now in a Masters program at George Washington.

The SAT will be very important to him in order to make it as a qualifier and also to prove to schools that the lower grades are more of an aberation than an indication of lower performance. He needs to demonstrate his potential, so have him really bear down.

But getting accepted with a good SAT score and good grades his last two years of high school isn't difficult. There are a shortage of male applicants at many colleges, particularly liberal arts colleges.

The student in this situation is unlikely to have an impressive overall GPA. Since most college questionnaires, showcase profiles, etc., only show the cumulative GPA, how does the student athlete avoid the situation where a coach disqualifies him as an admissions risk before getting the whole story.

Another question: Is the student athlete with the low overall GPA better off if he leaves the GPA line blank on showcase applications?

Assuming your son is a projectable college player, good SAT scores will counter balance a mediocre GPA for most D1, D2, D3 or NAIA colleges. To understand what "good" means, look at the websites of the colleges you are interested in to see the average SAT scores of entering freshmen. To see where your son is now, look at the conversion chart after he takes the PSAT this year.

The only thing that will make a difference in Senior year is the first semester, as in most cases the application is in by January. However, I would advise him to keep up his grades to "show" he is serious about school in order to support your "story" that he "got serious" as he hit his Junior year.

quote:

The only thing that will make a difference in Senior year is the first semester, as in most cases the application is in by January.

And if the player is a highly-sought-after recruit (i.e., early signee material), his transcript will be requested during the summer after his junior year.

Thank you for the positive response and feedback.

He has some work to do, but at least now I can reassure him that provided he does his part, it can happen.

The good news is that he approached me for help and guidance. This comes after hearing of a player who had his offer retracted from a D1 school after learning that the player failed a class. He also was told by a couple of alumni players that the reason they are playing at a local CC is due to grades. Not that playing at a CC is a bad thing, but these guys were being courted and could have easily played at a high level. So I guess hearing it from a "peer" so to speak got his attention.

Thanks again.

cny2010....you might want to also look into ways to prepare him for the SAT or ACT....among those are test prep classes, study guides, dvd's, etc.

google SAT or ACT test prep resources. some kids will take the SAT and ACT multiple times. With ACT, he can submit his highest test score only. ACT has a website as well. info. on the SAT is at the collegeboard website.

as a junior this year he'll also be eligible to take the PSAT. look into preparing him for this test as well.

It is NEVER too late to work hard and raise grades.

1. Many colleges do not consider freshman year grades in their application process. Also, many do not consider senior year grades, but that does not mean that you can fail a class (or even get a D) in your senior year - schollys will likely be revoked if you do.
2. Yes, take the PSAT (as prep only really), and then find some SAT/ACT test prep courses to prepare for SAT/ACT. Take these standardized tests more than once. Odds are you will improve with your second or third testing. You likely will NOT improve if you go beyond three (maybe four) test sessions. Also, if you score similarly (or better) on consecutive tests, it shows the college consistency - something they like to see - that your "one good score" was not a fluke.
3. Colleges consider grades first, then SAT/ACT scores. Weaker grades can be interpreted as not applying oneself, but a continued/sustained upward grade trend is always a positive to a college. Tutoring for the SAT/ACT should tell you which test you will do better in - they are not the same - and then focus on that test (either SAT or ACT).
4. What level of courses will be taken? It is also always a positive to show an increase in level of course difficulty over the years.

Mediocre grades can and should be increased. The student may not be an applicant for an Ivy, but there are many schools out there that recognize the effort to increase grades.

The ACT allows you to pick and choose scores - so you can send only your best ACT score.

The SAT will be changing to the pick and chose reporting in 2010 - but for the 2009, they will send all of your scores.

Something that is talked about on the college admissions boards is the idea of taking both the ACT and the SAT - but DON'T send the test scores to the colleges using the free "send a score" that you sign up for at the time of registration. Instead, wait until you see which one is better and only send that one.

It seems that the last couple of years in FLorida it is getting harder and harder to get into schools. U of FLorida has an average admissions GPA of 3.5+. (consider the top football recruits ave GPA's this puts the rest of students quite high!)
So if the player is a stud they will be OK but boy the competetiveness just to get in these top schools is getting very tough. UCF (Central Florida), Florida State, U of South FLorida and UF are tough.

this would also be a good time cny2010 to review the ncaa guide for the college-bound student-athlete (there's a link to it found at the ncaa website). once in the guide, there's a link to approved core courses found at the ncaaclearinghouse.net website. review those to see if your son is on track or needs to adjust his course selections for junior and senior year. consider taking accelerated courses and AP courses as that may help with admissions decisions. maybe the added challenge of AP and accelerated courses is what he needs?

Not only does taking the PSAT provide practice for the SAT but it also provides the chance to enter the competition for National Merit Scholarship Corportion scholarships.

08dad, thanks for the heads up about SAT and score choice. hadn't heard that yet. good advice about not sending test scores using the "free send a score."

cny2010 - look into the SAT subject tests as some colleges will require that those be taken during high school.....2 or 3 of those sometimes. collegeboard.com has info. on the subject tests and which colleges require those.

cny2010.......it's a matter of getting his ducks in a row now. imho, it's not too late. it's good that he's getting on track. good luck !

fsmjr - good point. it's possible many of the state schools will see increased applications because of the concerns over the economy and the high gas prices, etc. more kids staying closer to home, concerns about the rising costs of college, loan program changes, etc.

True, the PSAT (when taken in Jr year - you can take it in soph year too, but it doesn't count) is the NMSQT qualifier, but it is very tough to make that level. Further, the score cut offs are different for each state.

Yes, if you are taking both SAT and ACT (good idea to try both), don't sign up to automatically send scores. Wait, and then send only the ACT if it is a better score - as you only have to send one ACT (whereas SAT once sent, sends all scores of all tests taken, including subject tests). Oh, and before you sign up for the ACT, make sure the colleges you are interested in require or don't require the writing portion of the ACT. It is optional with the ACT, not optional with the SAT.

There are only two colleges that I know of that still require 3 subject tests - Princeton and Harvard. Many others require 2, many don't require any. Please make sure you get them all in timely - last tests to take are around November (maybe some in Dec.) to of senior year. And you can only take up to 3 subject tests at one testing. If you are a good multiple choice test taker, it is a good idea to pick 3 for the sitting. Even if the college to which you are applying only needs 2, it will take your best 2 of the 3.

I suggest you look at Princeton Review on line. It has a ton of information about each and every college. Their avg GPA ranges, avg SAT/ACT ranges, majors, general information on admissions and what things the colleges rank as important for admissions, etc. Very useful tool.

no11 - thanks for the info on the subject tests and getting those in by november or december.

another good online resource is petersons.com

fiske guide is available at bookstores and gives lots of good info. too.

The Clearinghosue list of core classes means nothing if your HS does not offer them and many high schools do not---There is a code(pin) number for every HS that will get you to a page with your sons school and their list of core classes--make sure they agree with the Clearinghouse


Also keep in mind that the Clearinghouse list of classes does necessarily correspond to the classes that are required at the school you want to attend---the Clearinghouse list is just for being certified to play a sport not to get you into the school of your choice

One trap concerns years of language taken-- read this carefully in the Clearinghouse listing and then check the school your son is intereste in--you might be in for a shock

For those of you who have players who are a little younger, one thing I learned through the process is to take the subject tests as the student goes along. For example, my daughter took AP World History as a sophomore - and she took the SAT World History Subject test that year as well. Most people - me included - thought of the SAT Subject tests as being something you took after the SATs. The time to take them is when the material is fresh in your mind. If you take American Lit as a Junior - take that test in the spring of your Junior year. Waiting to take them until the end is a mistake.

google search to find the common data set for the colleges of interest. some are available. you can glean a lot of information from this data as well as incoming class profiles.

once you find the common data set.......go to item C5 "Distribution of high school units required and/or recommended." as mentioned earlier......it's here that you can see how many units of foreign language, science, english, mathematics, social studies, etc. are required or recommended for that particular college. requirements/recommendations vary from college to college.

cny2010 - maybe a good place to start is to look up the common data set and incoming class profiles for the flagship university in your state and then go from there. include some private colleges in your research as well.

in looking at data for several colleges, i noticed that some provide the C5 response and some do not.

08dad - good advice about the subject test schedule.

Holy Cow! My son (my first and only child) will be a freshman next month. Will his counselor tell me all of this info you all have written? I think I should print out this page and keep it handy. I had no idea...

Our GC had no clue about many things.

I think that is the big message I would have for anyone coming through now is that ultimately as parents, we need to be working with our kids to manage this process.

GC are a resource - as is HSBBW but we (parents and kids) have to be the owners.

quote:

Originally posted by btbballfannumber1:
google search to find the common data set for the colleges of interest. some are available. you can glean a lot of information from this data as well as incoming class profiles.


08dad - good advice about the subject test schedule. we didn't know anything about subject tests until late in the process and by that time, my oldest didn't take them since her plate was full. after taking the SAT and ACT multiple times, she had no interest in taking any subject tests. can only recall an ivy asst. making a specific request for the subject tests to be taken. with son, we'll try to get some subject tests taken at earlier dates now that we know.

d did take the ACT Plus w/writing and that was accepted by some colleges in lieu of the SAT. best to check with the college to see what tests they require.

Great advice about the common data set - really helpful information can be found there. Here is a link to many of the data sets...

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-sele...posted-colleges.html


Regarding what test to take - what I suggest is to take both in the fall of your Junior year. You can't know in this baseball recruiting process where the journey will take you - and what scores will be useful.

our gc was helpful but much of the information we learned on our own through research on the internet (college confidential, petersons.com, princetonreview.com, etc.) and from books from the library and barnes and noble.

How does this sound, son starts out freshman year with a 3.5, end of sophomore year, 3.2, and now at end of junior year, 2.8.

Of course now he going to take "easy" courses and get his GPA up. I tried my best with school, tried to get son to shape up. He was more concerned with play time and being cool jock. He did score high 1400s on SAT.

Is there any hope for this slacker?

Assuming your son has options, you will want to evaluate college programs' academic accountablity systems closely. Some JUCO's do not maintain a lot of control over their players' academics, while others do. 4-year programs tend to be more on top of things, but there is no guarantee. The mom of a D2 player who just flunked out of school said the coaches had promised all sorts of things (mandatory study halls, grade checks, etc.) but failed to follow through. It's best to ask lots of questions -- not only of the coaches, but of the players and their parents as well.

popuphitterdad,

There is always hope. We kept a pretty tight reign on son in HS. We told him he did not have to work as long as he continued to want to play baseball at a high level, work at it etc, and maintain a 3.5.He did this all through but got a little senioritis and ended up with a 3.2 his senior year. But overall maintained a 3.5.
Many times he would try and slack and not do well on test and we reminded him of his agreement, asked if he wanted to continue for us to support him to play baseball in which he did so again we held him to the standard.
Alot of distractions in HS but we figured he needed to learn how to study and play baseball if he wanted to continue in college,When he was a freshmen, sophmore and junior he had a mandatory study hall here at our house. At times we allowed no video games during the week.
Many of the players on his hs team barely had grades. Most of them didnt work hard in the class room and most are finished playing baseball.
for your son more importantly than the grades is his work ethic in the classroom and on the field they will go hand in hand. It might be cool to hang out with certain people in HS but when HS is over most those kids arent playing a sport in college.
some kids are just motivated on their own, my son doesnt particularly like school but he knows the importance of a college degree and what it will take to get it, and he wants to play baseball. In college you maintain or you dont play or graduate.
Good luck with your son. colleges like to see a strong finish as well. and there are JCs to go to to give some of the boys more chance to mature and get their study habits more fine tuned.

fanogame,

It sounds to me like you're doing a great job of raising a responsible young man. My son stopped listening to me years ago, his mom always let him off the hook, etc. We'll see how he does at the Area Code games and see who calls.

My best to you and your son.

Popuphitter,

Best of luck to your son at the area codes. He will surpass your expectations if it really matters to him.

Pitchersmom - make a copy. GCs aren't always helpful with the details. They are overworked and not really concerned with what's happening to juniors - its enough to keep up with the seniors.

08dad - thanks for the "take as you go along" advice on the subject tests. I wouldn't have thought of that. #2 son wants to go very academic so knowing that will really help.

Interestingly, I was sitting behind the head coach of a major DI at a camp. He was trying to gun the pitchers, but a continuous stream of young men came to sit by him and meet him and chat a little. His first questions to EVERY player were "what is your grade point and what are your test scores" His responses to each kid depended on their answers to those questions. He suggested to those with low grades that they consider JUCO.

You can always change habits and an upward trend will definitely look better than status quo. But keep in mind its hard as they get older. They start driving, working, and the demands of varsity athletics and working to get better get bigger. My son had above a 3.5 all through school. 2nd semester of senior year he totally focused on baseball (had an awesome year - lol) and made a 2.8. Thus, he dropped to a 3.46 and didn't graduate with honors - I could have strangled him.

Good luck and share these stories with your younger boys. As you will see over and over on this site, grades matter!!

general overall summation (sorry this got so long) I start by CAVEATING: this is based upon my experience ONLY, mostly as a parent, some as a user of services, some as a volunteer/worker in the college admit process, working at the HS level, private level, with many other students. Therefore they are MY OPINIONS only - take them or leave them. There is no "one size fits all" - but I have tried to list some of the general/larger categories of import.

Planning for all of this is the key. Start in Soph year, if possible. If not, make sure you start in Jr. year.

The first question any college coach will ask - "what are your grades and SAT/ACT scores?" Most colleges put grades first, then standardized testing, then any variety of other things from essays to community service, etc. Princeton Review will tell you what the college's order of priority is in their application process.

1. NCAA Eligibilty Center - register during Jr. year, but make sure to check it as early in the process as you can - make sure you have all of your core classes lined up. Get your SAT/ACT scores sent directly to them, get your transcripts in timely, etc. And make sure you sync these required Core classes up with whatever your HS requires for graduation, as you do need to graduate (duh).

3. Continue to work hard to keep grades as high as possible, improve grades, take increasingly more difficult classes up to and through senior year - DO NOT, repeat DO NOT slack off in senior year. Colleges will and do pull schollys if you blow Sr. year. Hopefully this will not apply to you, but if there are any extenuating circumstances as to why your grades may have tanked, please make sure you explain that in an essay in your application. Most colleges will give you an opportunity in their app. to do so. Believe me, they do listen/read/pay attention to this.

4. Take SATs and ACTs (with writing) - fall of Jr. year may be a little early (but DO take PSAT in Oct. of Jr. year - this is a shortened version of the SAT. That being said, it also has a much tougher curve, so your score will likely be lower than on an SAT.) Perhaps start with SAT or ACT in Dec, then rotate them again through the spring testing sessions and add in subject tests in the spring and early summer testing sessions. Take the subject tests in conjunction with your classes - i.e., take bio SAT when you are taking bio, take US history when you take this subject, etc. Also, it is must that you take the subject test for any subject where you are in an AP or IB class. Make sure you plan ahead to be able to take all tests more than once. Also, try to be completely DONE by June of Jr. year. It is very tough to come back in as a senior and take another test. However, that option is there if you must use it. It is a lot of testing (probably 6 sessions total), but just grit your teeth and do it. Here is where a strong athlete mentality will help you get through.

In fall of Jr year, you may not know where you will eventually end up in college, so do not limit yourself by closing any doors early on the testing side.

My thinking is that the Dec tests tend to be a little easier (yes, they vary the degree of difficulty in their testing patterns). The reason being that most seniors are done testing and most junior haven't started testing yet, so Dec. tends to be an easier test. The more difficult test is the March test, because that is when most Jrs. take their first SAT - caveat: this is JUST MY THOUGHT - based upon what I have seen from experience. See my prior email for more detail on subject testing, etc.

Don't send test scores until after you have them. That way you get to chose which to send. If ACT is better, pick the best one and send it. If SAT is better, send that one, but they will send all scores (for 09s). It will cost a little more to do it this way, but....

IF you get lucky and really NAIL your first standardized test, ask any coach at a college where you are interested IF they suggest you take another. Some may say "nope, you're done!" Lucky you! Some may say "yep, take another" (ugh)- most likely because the college wants to see consistency - i.e., that you can replicate the score, so that they know your "one time hit" isn't a fluke. Some coaches may not give you insight here, but you can call the college admissions officer and ask them. And the general rule of thumb is that you will/do improve in your second testing session. I believe statistics show that you do not improve (actually may even drop) after 3 testings, so you can use your own judgment here.

5. Sign up for a tutor for testing, if possible. It really can make a difference. They will/should teach you HOW to take the test - not really teaching subject matter of the test. Like anything else, there are good and bad ones out there. Some notable names include Ivy, Kaplan, Princeton Review - but there are others, so ask your friends who they may be using. If you cannot afford or otherwise decide not to do this, you still can and should invest in a practice test book - many are sold, just look in your local B&N or Borders, or whatever your bookstore may be.

6. Check all available website information. Princeton Review gives you a run down of the colleges- very thorough. Petersons is also very good, it seems to give more of a rating system from the students themselves. College Confidential is also a great resource, but remember that a lot of what is written on that site comes from the college applicants themselves - posting their thoughts and fears, etc. So, don't let it get you panicked when you read it - college seniors applying and awaiting application results can sound panicked (indeed, they probably all are - it is a reasonable thing to expect when they are awaiting such weighty decisions), and that tends to have a "stampede effect" on the reader. Oh, and I do believe that Admissions Officers do troll that site (whether this is a good or bad thing? I would not know). It is a helpful site, just as this site is so very helpful.

7. Fiske Guide is also a great resource book - there are others. This book will rate the colleges overall, and talk about general things like if you like college A, what other colleges should be considered as being similar, etc. There are other books out there too, but I do like Fiske best.

8. Common data set: eh, to me this one is just more relevant for knowing how many get in off of a wait list. Of course, if you are a recruited athlete, this has no import whatsoever to you. Not all schools prepare or publish a CDS. Not all schools call it a CDS - some have other names for them. And the information is historical for percentages of applicants, ranges, etc. So it is really only that - data for the general public. Interesting to read, but IMHO not too particular to a recruited athlete.

9. The app itself - make sure your student has developed a strong relationship with two teachers from his/her junior (particularly junior) year. He/she will need two (most colleges require two) recommendation letters from teachers other than their GC. Also, have them get to know their GC. GC's are excellent, but can appear not to be because they also tend to be overloaded with kids. Thus, the STUDENT should be the one to make sure this relationship gets developed. It will help when the GC goes to write his/her rec. letter for the student. There are many other things I could write here about the app. - like whether to use the Common App (if available), or not, but these are all individual decisions that you should make after doing a little research about the particular school. Ask the coach which their college prefers. Again, if you are a recruited athlete, your coach can/should/will tell you what his college/university needs/requires for the application process to be complete.

Oh, yeah, and try to get your student to start the essays over the summer of jr. sr. year, if possible. (Ugh again). DO NOT, repeat DO NOT write (or have anyone else write) these essays for them. Admissions officers are very good at what they do, and they can smell this a mile away. Yes, read them and perhaps discuss/brainstorm them with your student, but the idea/topic selected and their writing MUST come from your student alone!

10. GC v. Private College Counselor - eh, if you have the resources and the desire, the private can help you, but you can certainly do your own "homework" and do it yourself. IT JUST TAKES TIME and EFFORT to learn it all. Do not expect your GC at HS to do it all for you - they are great, but they can only spread their talents so far - Most GCs will have their own senior application packets and strategies, make sure you stay in touch with them and work through their system in their manner. That is the best way to get through the HS Admin portion of the Sr. college appl. process.

Ok, now all of you - feel free to pick apart, add, delete, etc. with your own input/experiences.

Having worked/volunteered/assisted/used both at the HS level and with private counselling (and with older sib. going through this entire process), these are my thoughts and experiences - again CAVEAT: these are MY thoughts and experiences. Take them for what they may be worth, or leave them to do your own thing - by no means what works for one works for all.

I know it sounds like a lot, but IMHO it is important. Whew. Long, sorry again.

If anyone has any other/more specific questions, please feel free to PM me. No guarantees I have all/any of the answers, but...

No11- excellent post and advice. We pretty much followed this same schedule preparing son for college so I think you're right on target.

Thanks for taking the time to write this- not an easy thing when you look at all the steps you list.

The only thing I would add is that the common data sets can be very useful to determine where your student-athlete fits into the overall admissions @ each college. You can google each colleges CDS or look on collegeconfidential.com for a list of many. If your student is above the average gpa,SAT at that school, they may be able to get a merit scholarship at the college in addition to an athletic scholarship.

Good luck to all going through this process. It can be a long process, requiring alot of research on your part but No11's advice is a great place to start.

Another piece of advice from personal experience:

My son was looking at/being recruited by several schools, most of which he qualified for a considerable amount of academic money. He signed with a school (got merit money and baseball money). Coaches left school, son got a release, is now following coaches to new school. He qualifies for pretty close to a full ride academically at new school but will get ZERO academic money because it is gone. He also had a full ride at a local DI JUCO that is a top 20 program. When released the coaches started calling him. They ended up offering him full baseball money b/c the academic $$ was gone as well there. But had they not had a couple guys decide to go 4-year they wouldn't have had the baseball money to offer at that point. There was also a very good academic school with a decent DI baseball team that had recruited him. Cost of the school $30,000. He qualified for 50% academic there. After being released, we might have considered that school again, but the academic money was not there.

I would suggest if there is a school you might go to - go ahead and apply and get your name in the hat for merit money. Look at say ok, if son got hurt and ended up going to home state university or if son might change mind and go JUCO etc. Apply to these schools. I know some situations are unforseen, but some scenarios can be considered.

Great post No11. I think it should go on the Golden Threads!

hitahomer,cabb, no11.......all great posts !

just want to emphasize again.....

for academic money...... get those applications in for academic scholarships (merit aid) early.........say by the end of November of senior year. start now and list the various scholarships at the colleges of interest and make note of the application deadlines. some colleges require an application for each separate scholarship or it might just be one scholarship application for all scholarships at that school. some may only need the one application for admission and a box is checked for scholarships. find out now what is required for scholarships at each school.

also a good idea to find out the admission deadline dates for the colleges of interest.....and track those. find out if they offer rolling, early action, regular decision, early decision, etc. and understand the differences between each. knowing the deadlines helps in prioritizing campus visits, applications, etc.

Oh, yes. One more thing btbball mentions that I forgot.

SCHOLLYS - important. There are many beyond just what a college/uni has to offer. NEVER PAY ANY MONEY to anyone to apply for a scholly. Most outside of the college/uni tend to be small - $500-$2500 (possibly even $5,000 - and there are some really elite schollys that can award up to $50,000 - $100,000 per - but these tend to be academically based - if you are a high academic kid - go for it!) but it all adds up. Many are need based, fewer merit based, but they are still out there. Applications vary a ton, and they all take time, but an hour or two may reap $500 or more, so just think how much money you earn at your job in an hour or two - $500 or more should sound pretty good, right? Your HS counselling office should have lists and lists of available schollys throughout senior year (sometimes even for juniors).

Now, it's kind of like the princess who has to kiss a lot of frogs before she finds her prince. You may have to do a dozen or more to get one or two awards, but again - I think it is worth it.

And I do think btbball is on target with merit/academica and need based money from the college. Don't forget to fill out those FAFSAs!

no11 - good points ! i'll add that there are websites that list outside scholarships too.

also remember that some schools will require the FAFSA and may also require their own application for financial aid. there are some that may request that the CSS profile be completed too. info. on css is available at the collegeboard website. the deadlines for each of those different financial aid applications may all be different so you'll want to stay on top of deadline dates for any/all financial aid applications. remember that applying for financial aid (need based) is usually a separate process from applying for merit aid/academic scholarships (and those scholarships themselves may be need based or merit based). 2 different processes !

there are some schools that are FAFSA only schools. find out which ones those are.

we found financial aid packages may include........

grants, scholarships, federal loans, work study, alternative loans

then......... there is the EFC amount for the parents.

read all you can about financial aid......read about the different methods to calculate financial aid....i.e., federal methodology, institutional methodology, consensus approach, etc.

run the efc calculators. some schools will have merit aid calculators at their websites too.