College Planning: Better SATs = Better MONEY

With SAT season in full swing for Juniors, one of the areas where you should step-up your efforts is preparation for standardized tests!

If you want to pay less for college, your standardized test scores become CRITICAL because they are relied on much more in determining financial aid versus admission. Yes, it counts in admissions decisions, but the admissions folks will look at “the whole package” to make an admissions decision.

Financial aid, on the other hand, relies on your stats much more. The better the stats, the better the offer tends to be! Your GPA and your SAT or ACT score are the keys to the financial aid vaults. If you don’t study and/or take a prep course in between test dates in an effort to get the best scores possible, then you are running the risk of NOT getting admitted to colleges on your list. Even if you are admitted, higher SAT or ACT scores can get you MORE money to help you pay the bill!

Standardized test scores are used heavily in the financial aid packaging process. 50 SAT points or 3 ACT points might mean the difference between $5000 in scholarship money and $10,000 in scholarship money.

That is why it’s worth spending money preparing for the tests. Let’s say you invest $400 on a standardized test prep course and increase your scores on the SAT by 100 points (or the ACT by 2 or 3). As a result you get $1000 more in scholarship money freshman year from a school, you are now ahead $600!

BUT wait, there’s more. If that money is renewable for four years, that $400 has actually gotten you $3600 more in financial aid! Are you with me?

If spending $400 now gets you $3600 more in scholarship, does it now make more sense as to you why you should invest the time and money?

The choice is yours. You can be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

You can save money now only to spend THOUSANDS more later

OR

Invest some money now and PAY THOUSANDS LESS on the college bill later

Bottom line if a higher score makes you eligible for more money, than it is worth the time and money investment.

Your Smart Plan For College Assignment:

Juniors: You should be preparing for SAT and/or ACT tests next Spring.

Study 2-3 hours per week!

Even if your student is only a sophomore, it’s not too early

Don’t be like the countless of families who aren’t even thinking about the mo.ney part of the process.

They won’t start thinking about how they’ll actually pay the college bill until February or March of a student’s senior year, when most families file the financial aid paperwork.

And then it is way too late! They (and you if you don’t do things differently) will have missed out on CRITICAL opportunities that are available right now to maximize their chances to pay THOUSANDS less on the college bill.

Fail to plan this properly and make the necessary decisions — you WILL leave money on the table.

Hey, if you’re not sure how to go about creating a plan to get the most money possible, then it’s time to take action and invest in a step-by-step program that will make this easy for you. Be absolutely certain that you’ve left NO STONE UNTURNED when it comes to looking for money to help pay the bill.