Improve your chances of getting into college,

College tuition isn't really negotiable--to reduce the amount you pay, however, there are several things you can do to reduce your out of pocket cost:

1. Target colleges where you have a good chance of getting Merit Aid--this means colleges where your credentials are at the high end for that particular college--most schools post the available merit or talent scholarships on their site, along with the academic requirements for receiving them.

2. Through financial aid--File your FAFSA on time (and CSS Profile, if your college(s) require it).

3. Parents of younger children, start saving now! Consider opening a low cost 529 college savings plan (research which have the lowest administrative costs).

A significant change in family circumstances is often the only reason that colleges will allow an appeal. First, go to “Financial Aid” on the college website, and see whether they have appeals information. If not, send a message to the financial aid office (preferably a specific person) outlining exactly what has happened. If you filed a CSS Profile, amend the “special circumstances” section, and re-send. Finally, even if an appeal does not yield a result, you may still have the option to take out additional student loans. The first year Stafford loan maximum is $3500, and while a college may limit the subsidized portion (government pays the interest while you’re in college), you always have the option to request the remaining amount in an unsubsidized loan (interest accrues while you’re in college).

Find outside scholarships by turning your remarkable or unusual interests or traits into dollars. There are scholarships for just about everything you can think of, from hair color to country of origin—the more obscure, the fewer applicants you’ll be competing with! Scholarship search sites let you complete a profile and be matched with scholarships. Three good sites are Fastweb.com, Moolahspot.com, and Scholarships.com.  You can also do a Google search for any combination of traits and the word scholarship.  An excellent resource to help you decide what’s reputable is Finaid.org.  

Budgeting in college can be difficult. For many of you, it may be the first time you've had to juggle a food allowance (usually in the form of a rechargeable card from your college), day to day expenses, and more, while also making sure that the tuition gets paid.

One way to keep track of your expenses is to use online (and phone app) budgeting tools, such as Mint. Your bank may also offer similar tools. On the other hand, there's always the tried and true method of envelopes--after you figure out how much money you want to spend in each budgeting category (e.g. books, laundry, recreation, food that's not included in your meal plan, clothes, etc.) and put the amount for the week or month (your choice) into labeled envelopes.

The short answer is rarely. Under normal circumstances, you cannot negotiate financial aid offers--it's not like playing off two car dealers to get the best price. However, occasionally, you might see a situation where an extremely strong student has received acceptances to two colleges, but the one that is his/her first choice gives a smaller financial aid award. I have heard of situations where the family provided the other college's award information to the first choice school and asked for them to match it. There's a slight chance that the favorite college might make a change to the offer to replace some loan money with grant money, but they'd really have to want the student.

There is one case when you absolutely SHOULD contact a college to talk about a financial aid offer, and that's when there has been a material change in a family's financial circumstances. Should that happen, then you can (and should) approach a college and ask for a professional review of the financial aid offer, and provide information about the changed circumstances.

There are quite a few growing occupations in the visual arts--especially if you combine your study of art with studying communication and/or technology. Careers in the areas of industrial design, packaging/package design, user experience design, and web site development all make use of the arts. Additionally, teaching and art therapy are other applications.

I would suggest going to each college for a visit, if at all possible, even if you have visited before. Many colleges offer an 'admitted students' weekend, where you have an opportunity to sit in on a class or two, stay in the dorms, and so on. By experiencing both colleges once more, in close proximity, time-wise, your better fit may emerge.

Have you compared each school on a series of elements that are most important to you, e.g. course offerings in your major, class size, internship opportunities, clubs, recreational facilities, dorms, study abroad opportunities? If so, and you're

still have trouble making the decision between two similar schools, you're likely to be happy at either one. Perhaps, at that point, you might want to look at the financial aid offers again and see whether one is the better "deal" financially.

Colleges do not keep you informed of your child's academic progress--they only communicate with the student. Even though you're considered financially responsible for your student until the age of 24 (or post Bachelor's degree), you do not get any information about the student's course work, progress, grades, health care, finances, or anything else, unless your student specifically gives the college permission to have contact you. Even then, you will be the one asking (your child or the college)...the college will not reach out to you.

The number of schools is less important than making sure you have a great mix of schools. Have you selected colleges that meet your needs academically and socially? Assuming you have, I usually recommend having 2-3 colleges in each category of enrollment expectation--reach, target, and safety. Though, of course, many students will have more or fewer on their list. Generally, students who are able to visit colleges ahead of time will have fewer on their application list than those who won't be visiting in person until after they receive acceptances.

I also recommend making sure that your safety schools are all colleges you'd enjoy attending. (I define a safety school is one where your grades and test scores are above the middle 50% for that college and where the college accepts at least half the applicants...and remember that these are also the colleges where you have the best chance of receiving merit aid).

You'll want to visit/contact the office of Disability Services at each college to which you're thinking of applying and check out the services that they offer. While every college is required to provide accommodations according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the quality of support can vary widely. Depending on the type of learning differences you have and the accommodations required, you may want to select colleges that have comprehensive programs (often at an additional cost), but not necessarily. Many students with learning differences thrive at colleges of all kinds. One key will be for you to be proactive and advocate for yourself. If you find that difficult to do, check out some of the comprehensive programs (e.g. University of Arizona's S.A.L.T., University of Denver's LEP, Hofstra's PALs, etc.) on the University Web Sites.