FAFSA

[deleted872555]

hey guys, i had question about FAFSA since it just opened up.

can i submit it right now, while adding in the schools i’ve been accepted to so far? and as i hopefully get into more schools further down the line, just adding them in as we progress through the cycle?

OR do i wait until i’ve actually committed to a school before submitting FAFSA?

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[TragicalDrFaust]

Submit to all schools you are considering.

 

[OchemOficionado]

You don't have to wait. I believe you can only add 10 schools though, so theres that.

 

[KnightDoc]

You don't have to wait. I believe you can only add 10 schools though, so theres that.

No, whatever the limit is per submission, you also have an unlimited number of submissions. The real key is that no school is going to look at it until after you are admitted, so it really is pointless to add every school you have applied to. It doesn't hurt and it doesn't cost anything, but it also doesn't serve any purpose until after you receive an A.

 

[OchemOficionado]

No, whatever the limit is per submission, you also have an unlimited number of submissions. The real key is that no school is going to look at it until after you are admitted, so it really is pointless to add every school you have applied to. It doesn't hurt and it doesn't cost anything, but it also doesn't serve any purpose until after you receive an A.

Yes, the limit is 10. If you’re saying to add 10 then submit then add more and resubmit, that would still only save 10 school codes total.

If you were wanting to add on to my comment that a student can then take schools off and add others, that is true. (Just read that students can also call the FAFSA info center and have them add additional schools if necessary)

 

[KnightDoc]

Yes, the limit is 10. If you’re saying to add 10 then submit then add more and resubmit, that would still only save 10 school codes total.

If you were wanting to add on to my comment that a student can then take schools off and add others, that is true. (Just read that students can also call the FAFSA info center and have them add additional schools if necessary)

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Once FAFSA is transmitted, there is no value to "saving" schools, and you can delete and add more, which will then be sent. Again, the more important point is that this is very pointless, since it is not reviewed unless and until you are accepted. So, sending to 20+ plus schools when at most only a small handful will ever look at it is pointless, as opposed to only sending as you receive As. JMHO, but I wouldn't waste my time.

 

[OchemOficionado]

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Once FAFSA is transmitted, there is no value to "saving" schools, and you can delete and add more, which will then be sent. Again, the more important point is that this is very pointless, since it is not reviewed unless and until you are accepted. So, sending to 20+ plus schools when at most only a small handful will ever look at it is pointless, as opposed to only sending as you receive As. JMHO, but I wouldn't waste my time.

The value would be that if you remove a school and update anything on your FAFSA the school you removed won't receive the update. I didn't comment on what you shared about the "more important part" because that comment isn't in relation to my response and moreso general info for the thread/OP. (Don't want you to think I'm ignoring that)

 

[KnightDoc]

The value would be that if you remove a school and update anything on your FAFSA the school you removed won't receive the update. I didn't comment on what you shared about the "more important part" because that comment isn't in relation to my response and moreso general info for the thread/OP. (Don't want you to think I'm ignoring that)

Your point about the updates is very well taken, although it's tough to have FAFSA updates since everything they ask about is two years old! (2019 income and tax info in October 2020.) Don't you agree, though, if for no other reason than the difficulty in transmitting updates, that it makes way more sense to just send to schools as you receive As, in which case it would be highly unlikely for anyone to need more than 10 schools?

 

[OchemOficionado]

Your point about the updates is very well taken, although it's tough to have FAFSA updates since everything they ask about is two years old! (2019 income and tax info in October 2020.) Don't you agree, though, if for no other reason than the difficulty in transmitting updates, that it makes way more sense to just send to schools as you receive As, in which case it would be highly unlikely for anyone to need more than 10 schools?

Yeah, I think the majority of students would have very few updates. I worked at a university before med school though and there were always students with holds on their accounts because certain forms were missing or incomplete (33% of all students get selected for FAFSA verification that's probably why. Who gets chosen is random at all schools too, btw, but that may just be an undergrad thing since the only thing FAFSA gives off the bat to grad students are unsub loans).

I do agree with your other point and that's how I did it personally. . . but at the same time, whatever they wanna do is fine by me as it wouldn't hurt and may make them feel like they have a little bit of control over something during the crazy application cycle.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Once FAFSA is transmitted, there is no value to "saving" schools, and you can delete and add more, which will then be sent. Again, the more important point is that this is very pointless, since it is not reviewed unless and until you are accepted. So, sending to 20+ plus schools when at most only a small handful will ever look at it is pointless, as opposed to only sending as you receive As. JMHO, but I wouldn't waste my time.

sorry to refresh this old post. how sure are we that schools dont check fafsa until you are accepted? i was doing some research and apparently schools arent all 100% need blind in admissions.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

sorry to refresh this old post. how sure are we that schools dont check fafsa until you are accepted? i was doing some research and apparently schools arent all 100% need blind in admissions.

i am worried that if i submit my fafsa, they may see my financial situation and not want to let me into their school. any thoughts on this? i've done extensive research and apparently this is correct, at least for undergrad admissions.

 

[deleted1079620]

i am worried that if i submit my fafsa, they may see my financial situation and not want to let me into their school. any thoughts on this? i've done extensive research and apparently this is correct, at least for undergrad admissions.

Since almost everyone takes out federal student loans for medical school, I don’t understand how your financial situation would affect admissions. Also, even if schools could see your FAFSA ahead of admission, it’s the financial aid office that would be seeing it, not the admissions committee.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

Since almost everyone takes out federal student loans for medical school, I don’t understand how your financial situation would affect admissions. Also, even if schools could see your FAFSA ahead of admission, it’s the financial aid office that would be seeing it, not the admissions committee.

i was reading this article a little while ago that said something along the lines that schools may actually prefer students who can pay in cash and that a good chunk of students come from families who can pay in cash. Idk, maybe I am overthinking it.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

i was reading this article a little while ago that said something along the lines that schools may actually prefer students who can pay in cash and that a good chunk of students come from families who can pay in cash. Idk, maybe I am overthinking it.

it also said something about how "need blind" admissions are a myth.

 

[deleted1079620]

i was reading this article a little while ago that said something along the lines that schools may actually prefer students who can pay in cash and that a good chunk of students come from families who can pay in cash. Idk, maybe I am overthinking it.

Medical schools wouldn’t have very many students if that were true. Think about the logic: there are right around 200 medical schools in the US. Multiply that by 150 students (more in some schools) times let’s say $60k a year COA. How many students do you think are walking around with a quarter of a million dollars in the bank or in their parents bank accounts?

 

[deleted1079620]

it also said something about how "need blind" admissions are a myth.

I’ve worked at a graduate school admissions office. We had zero access to financial aid info of students, and it would have been pretty suspect if we had shown up in the FA office asking for a students’ info.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

Medical schools wouldn’t have very many students if that were true. Think about the logic: there are right around 200 medical schools in the US. Multiply that by 150 students (more in some schools) times let’s say $60k a year COA. How many students do you think are walking around with a quarter of a million dollars in the bank or in their parents bank accounts?

true, i mean i am sure there are least 1/3rd of students who's parents have that kind of money. however, its doubtful that all of those parents are planning to drop their funds to their kids. This is just my guess based off looking at parental income quartiles for students in med school.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

I’ve worked at a graduate school admissions office. We had zero access to financial aid info of students, and it would have been pretty suspect if we had shown up in the FA office asking for a students’ info.

this is good to know. Im just skeptical that all schools will follow a totally need blind admissions process though.

 

[NoEyeEyeGuy]

this is good to know. Im just skeptical that all schools will follow a totally need blind admissions process though.

edit: however after thinking about what you said, you are probably right.

 

[deleted1079620]

true, i mean i am sure there are least 1/3rd of students who's parents have that kind of money. however, its doubtful that all of those parents are planning to drop their funds to their kids. This is just my guess based off looking at parental income quartiles for students in med school.

Probably has more to do with higher SES applicants having access to more resources in high school and undergrad...tutoring, ACT & MCAT prep courses, better undergrads. Also physician parents do tend to have physician children, but that’s not because medical schools are only accepting students who can pay cash or have high incomes.

 

[KnightDoc]

sorry to refresh this old post. how sure are we that schools dont check fafsa until you are accepted? i was doing some research and apparently schools arent all 100% need blind in admissions.

You are not overthinking anything, but you ARE confusing UG with med school!!!

Other than the very top schools, many private UGs are indeed strapped for cash and not need blind in admissions. The availability of federal loans for needy students is very limited (relatively low borrowing limits), and needy families are often not eligible for private loans due to credit score issues. It is therefore pointless for such schools to admit students who cannot afford to attend without aid that isn't available to them.

The same cannot be said for med schools. The profession is very lucrative, and loans are widely available for everyone. For this reason, in addition to LCME and AAMC standards, admission is absolutely need blind. Some schools are very generous with need based scholarships. Others less so. But, since all schools can filled their classes many times over, without giving scholarships to anyone, ability to pay is not a metric used in making admission decisions. No school wastes time reviewing thousands of FAFSAs in order to get a head start on the hundreds that they will eventually have to review. They like to have it filed ASAP so that it is there when and if they want it, but no school wastes time reviewing it before you are accepted, or, maybe, WL.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

i was reading this article a little while ago that said something along the lines that schools may actually prefer students who can pay in cash and that a good chunk of students come from families who can pay in cash. Idk, maybe I am overthinking it.

It is definitely true that some undergraduate institutions will allow less qualified students in, if they are able to pay in cash. You may be misunderstanding the scale of this process. It’s not systemized. Applicant files don’t include a place for financial situations. More like, there may be a post it note on the file if the student is from a wealthy alumni donor family. There may be more of these “post it notes” at some institutions than others. Basically it may work in the favor of a handful of students if it’s known that they’ll pay in cash but it doesn’t (directly) work against the other 99% of students. There is a systemized process for giving admission advantages to students who are first generation to go to college or have faced significant financial hardship.