“The SAT is being redesigned to more closely reflect the core skills and knowledge that current research shows are essential for college readiness and success.”[1] The future direction of the SAT is going to be both useful and beneficial for students. In 2005, the SAT went from a 1600 point scale to a 2400 point scale, until the big news today. Click Here for more information on College Boards’ SAT, the ACT, or more scholarship information Earlier today, College Board announced their plans to redesign and redevelop the SAT in the spring of 2016. Takers of the SAT will now be scored on a 1600 point scale, which is how the SAT was originally scored up until 2005 (this is when they made the essay…
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Only 11 Days Left To Fill Out Your FAFSA!
Note: The FAFSA is for graduating high school seniors entering college and for all current college students. Have you started on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)? There’s only 11 days left for California residents to apply. Each state has a different deadline, so if you’re in a different state make sure to visit FAFSA.ED.GOV to find out your deadline. Top 3 reasons to fill out the FAFSA: The federal student aid and government have $150 billion just to help your student pay for college You can qualify for FREE money and not even know it (if you don’t apply, you’d never know) Don’t want loans? If needed, filling out the FAFSA will make the best loans available The deadline to complete…
What Colleges Give The Most Financial Aid?
Over the past few College Planning Workshops, many parents have asked me, “Brian, which colleges are known to give the most financial aid?” I wanted to write this blog to inform parents and students on which colleges are known to have high academic standards while also being the most generous in terms of their financial aid awards. This means less loans and more FREE money for your student. Last week, the Princeton Review released their annual list for the 150 Best Value Colleges in 2014. The list contained 75 public schools and 75 private schools throughout the whole country. The Princeton review takes the following facts into account when creating their list for the 150 Best Value Colleges: Academic Rating – How challenging is…
How Can You Take Charge of College Process?
[fb_button] Did you know the Federal Student Aid (creators of the FAFSA) offers over $150 billion every year to help students go to college? Most parents and students qualify for some type of financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) regardless of income, assets, or the student’s GPA. Take charge of the college process and you will be surprised at how much help is out there for your specific family. Even if you do qualify for financial aid, it is important that you know how to apply correctly in order to receive it. In 2013 www.CollegePlanningExperts.com helped the families we work with receive an average financial award package of $21,900 per year. This is free money that they never have to pay back! Also in 2013,…
Brian Safdari on KFWB’s Money 101 w/ Bob McCormick 2014
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How will the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis affect your future?
[fb_button] Do you have a plan for getting accepted and graduating from college? The United States student loan debt just tipped $1 Trillion last year for the first time in history. This amount of debt is HUGE! Take a second and realize just how much $1 Trillion really is. Let me write it out for you $1,000,000,000,000. Believe it or not, student debt is now following after mortgage debt. How much planning and research do you do before purchasing a home? College planning is just as important. Colleges are becoming more and more of a complex system and the odds will be against you if you aren’t in the know. There is no sign of student debt slowing down and in 2014 we should expect…
The 2 Mistakes You Have to Avoid
Tweet In 2014, one of my goals is helping you navigate through the college planning process, so I decided to give you yet another valuable gift! Financial aid season has arrived, and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I made when filling out the forms. Here are 2 common mistakes on financial aid forms: The #1 mistake students make is leaving a field blank. All income questions must be completed. If the answer is zero, or the question does not apply to you, write in a 0. If you leave an income or asset question blank, the federal processor will assume that you forgot to answer the question. Be careful to write your Social Security Number (SSN) and date of birth…
FREE Gift to Welcome 2014
Tweet Looking Back, To Help Make 2014 Your Best Year By: Brian Safdari This holiday season I thought to myself, “what better gift to give than the gift of knowledge for the New Year?” I have a special gift just for college-bound students and parents that you can download at the link below: Click here to download your Special Gift “A Checklist of Things You Should Be Doing” This FREE gift is a chapter of my very own eBook College Planning Made Easy. In this chapter I go over the things you should be doing right now if you’re the parent of a college-bound student. As we wrap up the holidays and bring in the New Year, I want to…
How can you avoid getting into $200,000 in student debt?
Tweet By: Brian Safdari Can you get into $200,000 in debt just from student loans? Of course you can, but I specifically wrote this article so you can learn how to avoid making this costly mistake. In this article I will cover three main topics: Why finding career options before college is so important How to properly plan for a college education How to avoid unnecessary debt A family we recently met with had 2 students going to universities in New York. They did not have a plan going into college and Nick, their oldest son, was undecided on his major and career. Nick spent his first 5 years in college figuring out what he wanted to do after…
How To Receive Free Money For College If You Are Going Through A Divorce Or Already Divorced
Written by: Brian Safdari The daunting task of submitting and applying for Financial Aid for college can be an overwhelming chore to say the least. Now imagine if you and your family find yourselves in a divorced situation. That’s right; it just got 3 times more confusing. Numerous questions may be swirling in your head: Which parent do we file under? Do the schools want both parents’ information? Do we have to provide EVERYTHING? The questions can go on and on. The good news is that in a divorce situation, you may just have many options in order to receive the most amount in financial aid, assuming you spend some time “planning” and gathering information…
