The Oregon State campus in Corvallis.
This column is not going to tell you how to get yourself or your child into and funded for college.
It just can't. Each student's situation is so different -- their strengths, school experiences and interests so varied -- that there's no one-size-fits-all textbook or column befitting this challenge.
On top of that, the admissions and financing game employed by colleges is fluid, opaque and diverse. Financial aid and enrollment applications and offers differ from school to school. So do their mission statements. And the costs are tremendous.
Given all that, if you want to improve your our your child's chances of going to a college, you need to get serious about a number of things.
More online
of Brent Hunsberger's past columns on planning, paying and applying for college.
"The first two words parents want to have over your desk is 'follow directions,'" said Michael Sexton, vice president for enrollment management at Santa Clara University who previously worked at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. "You've got to get organized. You know your kid better than anyone else."
Think in three categories:
You can't apply to them all. So be realistic. Target your Hopefuls, your Reaches and your Safety schools, said Susan Yang, an accountant in Portland who specializes in helping clients plan for college.
Hopefuls are the schools you're more confident about getting into and affording. Your Reach is the spectacular school that you're less likely to attend. You also need one or more Safety schools to fall back upon if affordability becomes a big issue.
"Hope for the best," Yang said, "but be prepared to go to a Safety school."
Fill out a FAFSA:
That's the standard
. It's a myth that applying for need-based financial aid will hurt your chances of getting into a Reach school.
"It's very, very important that you file one," said Gretchen Beckner, retention and access specialist at the
For 2013-14, the commission hopes to hand out $50 million worth of Opportunity Grants at $2,000 for each full-time student. You'll need to complete your FAFSA by Feb. 1 to qualify.
And just about anywhere else, the date you file your FAFSA is the date you get in line for grants and scholarships at any school, experts say.
You can't submit the FAFSA until Jan. 1, but you can get a sense of what it's going to tell you by using
. To prepare, both parents and students should get a PIN representing an electronic signature on the form.
Late next month gather final paychecks and savings account statements so you can complete the real application before all your W-2s arrive.
"The mantra always is FAFSA first and taxes second," Beckner said.
Know your EFC:
That's your expected family contribution.
Every family eyeing college should estimate it, even those with juniors, so you don't set out applying for or visiting schools you later find you can't afford.
"I call it a blood pressure number for college," said Paula Bishop, an accountant and college planning specialist in Bellevue, Wash. "You should know it."
The EFC is what the government thinks you and your child should be able to pitch in for college education each year, based on your income, most assets and other benefits.
A college's cost of attendance minus your EFC equals the amount of money you could receive in loans and aid, according to the government.
"Your EFC might not be the same as what you think you're able to pay," said Julia Surtshin, a college counselor in Portland who prepares families for the application process. "But if you don't know those two figures at the get-go, you can't expect to have a reasonable discussion with your kid" about what you can afford.
Calculate your EFC at
or at
.
Use net price calculators:
Still not sure how to compare college sticker prices? Schools now must provide online net price calculators that estimate a family's out-of-pocket cost of attendance.
Plug in your income and assets (some even ask for GPA and test scores). The calculator will spit out an estimated financial-aid award. It should also give you an idea of what parents will have to pony up in loans or cash.
"Some are good," said Bishop. "Some are just downright awful. They're inaccurate."
Among her least favorite calculators is the U.S. Department of Education's template used by many schools. Other colleges developed their own or used third-party vendors. Generally, the fewer questions these calculators ask, the less accurate they are, she said.
Bishop likes
which is used by dozens of schools and takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete. When I tested it the calculator even estimated grants that Reed College would give me to attend -- if I were more than 20 years younger.
The College Board also provides a template to make apples-to-apples comparisons among different calculators. Not all display results the same way. Some schools will include loans as aid. Others won't.
Be prudent about scholarships:
All sorts of websites and books purport to help you land thousands in scholarships. But experts warn students not to spend so much time on them that entrance essays, grades, test retaking or community service suffers.
"It's a balance," Yang said. "You don't want to spend all your time winning those $500 and $1,000 scholarships. You also need to consider the energy you need to preserve to work on your academics."
Where to begin? "Think about the size of the applicant pool" of each scholarship, Beckner said. "The local- and civic-level scholarships are where they need to start." Ask for a list at your high school's counseling office, she said.
has more than
totaling $15 million. It requires only one application.
The scholarships come from donors pinpointing all types of students: Eagle Scouts, student newspaper staff, current and past prisoners or students with at least a three-year gap in their education. There's even one for former preschoolers at the Rise and Shine center in Portland.
The commission's scholarship application wasn't ready as planned Nov. 1. But you can still get started. Essay instructions are up. So is a required activities chart, which can take time to complete.
You have until March 1 to finish it, but getting it in by Feb. 15 qualifies you for a $500 scholarship drawing.
In the meantime, parents and kids need to have some serious heart-to-hearts over the holidays.
"Set the budget," Yang said. "Set expectations. Make sure everybody's on the same page."
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welcomes questions about his column or
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