The Extra COVID Question and Time for Financial Aid Forms

Many, although not all, college applications have added an extra question to their applications inviting you to explain how the global pandemic (or another natural disaster) has affected you.

The question on the Common App is fairly typical of the questions most of you will encounter:

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces. For more information, check out our COVID-19 FAQ. Do you wish to share anything on this topic?

So how are you supposed to handle this question? After all, it IS a global pandemic and pretty much everyone has been affected somehow, right? RIGHT.

So then everyone should write something, right? RIGHT, BUT…

And the “but” is what makes this a tricky question. This week’s Tips and Tricks are how to handle the “but” part of our advice.

It is also time to get to work on financial aid forms. We recommend that all U.S. citizens and permanent residents complete the FAFSA and other college-specific forms because even if you don’t have “need” as defined by the college where you are applying, you will still be eligible for some other financial aid programs, such as unsubsidized Stafford Loans (a loan program through the federal government). And some colleges require the FAFSA in order to eligible for merit scholarships.

If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, check the financial aid policies at each college on your list. Some have financial aid for non-U.S. citizens and others do not.

WEEK 41 TO-DOS

THIS WEEK

• Draft your answer to the extra COVID question if you decide to write one.

• Begin working on your FAFSA, CSS/PROFILE forms, and any other college-specific financial aid applications.

• Revise any additional information or required explanatory essays. You can find our tips in last week’s post.

• Continue working on the rest of your essays. If you’ve been on the three-week writing cycle since Week 33, you should be really cranking them out and should have no problem finishing them all well before the deadlines.

• Finalize all of your really short answers. Do a happy dance at getting these done.

• Revise your second set of short answers and finalize your first set. Draft the rest (unless you have more than 2-3 to do) after checking your Writing Map to figure out what you have left to do.

• Finalize your third set of Why College X/Why Major X answers and celebrate being done with these! If your template is working well, you should be able to get them all done in three sets. If you need to tweak your template, go back to Week 36 for tips.

• Keep checking for virtual college events hosted by the colleges on your list and add those to your calendar. See our tips and tricks in Week 31.
  
  

EVERY WEEK

• Check your email, voicemail, texts, and snail mail for any communications that relate to applying to college. Read them and take whatever action is necessary.

• Update your parents about what you’re doing. This regular communication will work wonders in your relationship with your parents during this stress-filled year.

TIPS & TRICKS

1. DO write a full-blown essay IF the pandemic imposed considerable hardship on you and your family. Considerable hardships are things ****like: ****your family lacked reliable internet access and you had to take exams in the McDonald's parking lot so that you could use their free wifi. Or you live with four other family members in a one-bedroom apartment and had to do all your work in a closet so that you could have some peace and quiet. Or you have been seriously ill and had to miss school, or a close family member was seriously ill and that consumed your attention and time. Considerable hardship is NOT: you couldn’t see your friends regularly, or you had to work from your family's second home, or you found it challenging to take classes over Zoom. (Zoom. Oof.) If there's anywhere in the application you should be "checking your privilege," this is it. You are given 250 words in the Common App to describe the impact these hardships had on you. For most of you, this will be enough because you want to give a straightforward description of the circumstances and the impact. Be sure to include specifics about the impact on your school work and activities. But if your story is complicated and you need more words, put your answer to this question in the Additional Information section, where you’ll have more word count available, and simply answer with “I’ve addressed this elsewhere in my application” in the COVID section.

2. DO write a 50-75 word description (3-5 sentences) about how school and activities have operated for you during the pandemic IF you are NOT writing a full-blown essay. The purpose of this description is to give the admissions officer some context for how things were working for you (or not). Your school counselor can also explain that in the School Report, but don't assume they will do that. Instead, be proactive and do it yourself. No whining or excuse making, just a factual description, for example: "In 10th grade, I went to school two days a week for in person classes and did the rest via Zoom. All extracurricular activities either moved online or were suspended." If you reevaluated your educational goals during the pandemic, it's also fine to talk about that. Remember, though, that this is not supposed to be another full-blown essay. And it is NOT the place to showcase how you undertook new academic challenges or activities. That is not what they are asking. Do not try to "spin" the pandemic into some kind of positive achievement here.

3. Collaborate with your parents or guardians in the financial aid effort. Unless you are declaring yourself financially independent from your parents for financial aid purposes, your parents or guardians will be key to filling out these financial aid forms, and you will need their input to secure the best financial aid package possible. It helps if you're all rowing in the same direction when you're working together on these forms.

4. Don’t delay when it comes to submitting your financial aid forms. If you are applying Early Decision, your financial aid forms also need to be completed early. For Regular Decision, it is still important to apply sooner rather than later, because much financial aid is given out first-come, first-served. So the sooner you get your financial aid applications submitted, the more money is left in the pot to distribute.

5. Take advantage of all the resources available to guide you and your parents through completing the financial aid forms.

• Finaid.org is a wonderful all-inclusive resource for answering basic questions about how financial aid works. It should be your first stop for educating yourself.

• All colleges will require the FAFSA for domestic applicants. The FAFSA help page is remarkably helpful (compared to so many others!). Check it first if you are unsure about any aspect of the FAFSA or encounter technical problems**.**

• Find out here if the colleges on your list require the CSS/Profile form.

• Check out the CSS/Profile tutorials for step-by-step guidance as you complete this longer and more complex form.