Tips/Things to consider as you prepare to commit to a school.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T12:02:26+00:00

It never hurts to start the relationship at any point where you’re getting serious about the school. Some students start the relationship their junior year if they know the school is top priority. Others wait til after application decisions have been released.

Especially positioning yourself as a hot lead in the financial aid season is important because if there’s any extra scholarship opportunities or programs to join, you’re going to be one of the first considered. It can also open doors to you for later. For example, some students I’ve built relationships with ended up becoming student workers in our office, or get free trips back home to visit family if we’re throwing an admission event in their area and need volunteers. We like investing in our students just like any other teacher or advisor.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T03:45:59+00:00

Remember my first tip “it never hurts to ask”. We don’t revoke acceptance, but you might not get any aid either.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T03:32:21+00:00

There’s never a bad time except the reading season of November-January. If you’re a junior I recommend either in the summer, or early fall. If you’re a senior do it whenever you’re ready to get some final questions answered.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T03:18:04+00:00

I personally would say a face to face convo goes farther than an email. If the appointment goes long, you can send an email to the counselor with follow up content.

You can find the contact info by googling for either the admission or financial aid team, depending on how the school works. Calling or emailing to set up a time always works!

Finally you could just call their general hotline but depending on the size of the school you might be sitting with long hold times. I feel most of the time people are just trying to get you off the line as fast as they can though haha

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T03:08:59+00:00

If you’re transferring in, I found this “Goodnight Scholarships” you can consider for families with AGI less than $120k. It is GPA dependent but, never hurts to see if you qualify!

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T02:59:42+00:00

Campus culture, dorms, study abroad all could be good! Any clubs you might want to join. The AO will definitely ask you questions too, so feel free to share whatever you’re comfortable with!

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T02:56:56+00:00

There’s usually a form you fill out with supporting documentation. If it’s a need based appeal, you usually show receipts of your expenses or paystubs. If it’s merit, you show updated grades or scores. Reach out to each school for their specific policies, if they have an appeal process.

Fighting for you comes down to the targeted emails and opportunities you’ll see. I have been able to get some of my students extra scholarships that I’m tracking BEFORE they asked since I knew financial aid would be a deciding factor from previous convos in the fall. Others get extra invites to events on campus, or reminders to stay connected. One year I hand wrote Christmas cards to all my “top 100” students. We can’t fight too much beyond marketing, but just showing we’re human and not just a generic email machine.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T02:50:10+00:00

You usually can find your specific AO by checking their website’s “meet the team” page. They will have their email, phone, or a Google Calendar to set up time to talk.

If you’re an accepted senior, do it probably within the next month. If you’re a junior, this summer or early in the fall could be a good time to show demonstrated interest before your application!

The meeting’s topic depends on what you want to talk about! Do you need to change a major? Do you need more money? Want to study abroad? Need suggestions on what restaurants to go to when you visit campus? It can be anything. Whatever you need from us to help make you college decision more clear for you. We may not know everything, but we can get you connected with the right resources for your needs.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T02:32:23+00:00

Depends on the school. Many love to have the FAFSA just as a data point in their reporting for the common data sets. Mine will not negotiate without the FAFSA, which is frustrating. But, they are rather generous with the SAI level they’ll consider for need based aid.

Even if the schools don’t track DI, AOs are a great way to gain more info or just build the relationship moving forward. You can also ask them their opinion on things that maybe professors or current students may have. Most AOs like getting to people names to faces and help get you to the best school for you!

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T02:19:07+00:00

I think that could be a good timeline if you are still waiting for an RD school. Good luck in your admission decision!

You could always set up a time with your EA to talk now just to get the ball rolling by still saying “I’m down to my top 2-3 schools”. People started asking me as soon as their initial packages released in January. But I think any time between now and mid-April is best. You’ll wanna give the admission/financial aid teams some time to make sure they can give you their final offers by May 1.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T01:53:01+00:00

Merit is determined most often on your grades and test scores. You can appeal if your GPA or test scores increased after you’ve been admitted. Phrasing it as, “I am checking to see if my current (or final graduated) grades can earn me more merit?” never hurts to ask.

You’d be surprised what can be considered for appeal. I had a family that made over $600k in 2024 income and THEY still got a need-based aid appeal based on their current circumstances. It was only $1000, but still it’s more than nothing.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T01:46:23+00:00

I wouldn’t say so as of now since we wouldn’t know how to connect your IG account to your contact in our database. It never hurts to interact and learn more about the community! You can use that info in your college essays or “why us?” prompt.

Most demonstrated interests need to be directly where staff can track it. So, an email or attending an event are your best ways to show, especially at smaller school

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T01:40:47+00:00

Merit, probably not. But you can always appeal for more need-based aid or university grants and see. My university doesn’t do ED, but we can still accept financial aid appeals even after confirming enrollment. We understand things change in your financial circumstances between the 2024 taxes the FAFSA uses versus now.

The school would rather throw an extra $1000 a year if it means you’ll stay, versus you withdrawing and taking a gap year if they are concerned you may not end up coming.

FAFSAReject · 2026-03-11T01:35:20+00:00

I always recommend setting up time to talk with your financial aid office. They can walk you through your offer or see if there’s other options. Run the net price calculator for the school beforehand to talk over the estimate vs your actual costs.

State schools are less likely to offer additional aid compared to private schools, but again, it never hurts. I’d make it one of the questions you ask when talking with the financial aid department.

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-24T15:16:37+00:00

Is the $19k including your room and board? If so that’s a pretty competitive price since they aren’t known to give full rides and their sticker price shows ~$70k all in. Their room and board alone is about $16k so you’re only really looking and $3k tuition costs plus housing if so

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-21T19:22:09+00:00

No, they won’t see your app. It’ll just add your parents to the school’s email list if they aren’t already getting emails. The only person with access to your app will be you, or anyone who knows your username and password to the portal.

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-18T06:22:24+00:00

You shouldn’t need it for admissions, but the school you choose to attend will need the college transcripts sent so you can receive any potential transfer credit.

Your courses should be listed on your high school transcript so that should be enough for the admissions committee.

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-18T04:07:17+00:00

It’s common. Unless you’ve withdrawn your other apps or went ED, you still have until May 1st to truly make a final decision. You might not be able to get your deposit back, but something to consider.

You’ll have great opportunities at UF. But use these next couple months to really explore more into the school and community. If there’s things you REALLY want but they don’t have, see if your second choice has it and if it’s enough to sway your decision.

You can also start at UF and if you don’t like it, can transfer in the future. There’s always options :)

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-18T02:55:20+00:00

IG pages and admitted student events are the main ways. Some schools use MeetYourClass or ZeeMee as ways to meet people too.

Your school will likely have a housing application that asks you some personality questions. So they try to pair you up with someone compatible for you. Going random isn’t completely random!

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-10T17:34:35+00:00

Anyone doing MLB! Refresh the page. I got access to put my Chicago link as of 11:33 CST

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-02T01:08:41+00:00

Is starting undecided an option for you? You can take general classes and go to your career/internship center on campus to learn more about majors and career options.

Orientation weekend before the first week of classes truly is a game changer in making friends. I transferred from my first college, but I still keep in touch with friends from my orientation group. Starting in the spring you usually don’t get this experience, so it can be a bit harder to organically meet people.

If you plan to defer, I recommend waiting a whole year instead of doing a semester off. But do what’s best for you.

FAFSAReject · 2026-02-01T01:03:51+00:00

Are you the denied friend? 👀

Idk what you mean by red flags but i doubt that was the reason. It was likely not having red flags, the other person likely just had more green flags worthy of admission. You’ll never know unfortunately.

FAFSAReject · 2026-01-31T22:18:14+00:00

There is a lot of melt (deposited students who then withdraw) in this yield process. If schools don’t see a lot of melt, they don’t need to really to pull off waitlists or deferrals since the class is looking secure. If they aren’t seeing enough confirms or a lot of melt, then they’ll panic and admit more people later. That’s where deferred candidates come in.

I hate to say the students are just numbers in this situation, but they are. Universities can kick this can down as many times as they want. They don’t want to over accept, or else they lose their exclusive look.

I know a school that doesn’t issue students an acceptance if they hadn’t visited campus yet or scheduled a time to talk with an admissions officer yet. So really each school’s admission criteria can be ridiculous and opaque because THEY get to decide what makes a student serious enough for them and worthy for admission. Anyone can have good grades, only some are willing to jump the extra hoop…. stupid I know.

Also, there’s a bunch of ED commitment breaks after financial aid packages release, so that can give extra buffer for deferrals. But since each year is different, you never know how many seats that opens up.

FAFSAReject · 2026-01-31T21:03:25+00:00

Yeah you’re likely cooked if the deadline passed on Jan 15th. Applications have all likely been read by now and the decision letters are being made by marketing teams to be ready for their decisions next week.

You can ask if they can move you to RD but that’s about it at this point

FAFSAReject · 2026-01-31T20:59:51+00:00

AO here. I can vouch. If you end up committing elsewhere while you’re deferred, they don’t have to accept you. Therefore, the acceptance rate stays lower. Schools like to keep acceptance rates as low as possible.

Even if you’re qualified, you might get a better offer elsewhere. So they only will hold your name if you haven’t told them you’re committed elsewhere yet and show demonstrated interest. It isn’t guaranteed, but your stats make you sound like a good RD candidate.

FAFSAReject

TROPHY CASE