The Dreaded FAFSA!!!
It was nice to have a break from college stuff over the Christmas holidays but as the days came closer to January, I began to fret over this next hurtle. Questions began circling around in my head. Should I wait until I had filed my taxes? Should I do an estimate and then revise once our taxes were done? How bad is this really going to be? Will I really want to go back and revise once I had taken the time and effort into completing this form the first time?
LOL
I really shouldn't have worried. Normally, my dh's W2 form comes in very early, but this year he received notice that it wasn't going to be ready until the end of the month. We decided to go ahead and complete the FAFSA and then revise once we got the offical W2. You CAN complete it without your W2, if you can get a hold of your last paycheck statement for the year. Now here's the kicker though. You'll have to pretend to do your taxes first anyway.LOL Could we have waited? Probably but to get the most money from your favorite colleges, you need to get that form in as early as possible. We're on a tight budget and can use all the money that we can get, so we took the chance and filed the FAFSA first.
It only took us about a day to pretend file our taxes, pretend file Allison's, and then complete the FAFSA. Once it was complete, we submitted it and now we are playing the waiting game again. Eric did end up getting his W2 form last weekend and we completed our taxes and then I revised the FAFSA to reflect some minor changes that needed to be fixed. Today, Allison received her W2 form and we filed her taxes. In a few days, I'll revise the FAFSA for the last time and we'll be done. Revising the FAFSA is easy, so don't be afraid of filing early and revising later.
In other news...
Allison completed her classes last semester and received all A's. We're very proud of her and are hoping that it will make a big statement to the colleges that she applied. She is now in her second semester and these classes are much harder for her. We believe that she'll rise to the challenge and leave her senior year with a 4.0 average.
We've also been invited to participate in a local homeschool graduation ceremony. That's another blessing since we weren't sure how we were going to celebrate her graduation. She'll get to walk down the aisle, wear a cap and gown, and celebrate with friends that she made at her college, that are now a part of the church that we're attending. They are also going to do a group order for diplomas and cap and gowns so I'll get to save on shipping. Pretty neat!
Well, I guess that's it for now. The next installment will be about graduation and the final results from all the hard work that we've accomplished this year. Will she go away to college or stay home? Will she get enough money for a 4 year college or go to the local CC? Was the FAFSA worth it or not?
I know that no matter what, that God is in control and that whatever happens next will be His will for Allison. I am thankful that I'm not the one who has to make the decisions. I have done my part, so far and will be glad to see what God has in store for our oldest next year.
Blessings,
4 comments:
Good job, Lisa! I'm glad you're paving the way for us. :) I'm contemplating having Landon take all the SAT subject tests just to be safe after your news regarding Jon. The only one he'll even need to study for is the Latin test. I'm contemplating arguing that one with UF (if we're still in FL and he wants to go there) since he had Latin II at FLVS (an accredited public school in FL). What do you think?
Linda,
My opinion? Just do it.LOL Let's just say that you fight UF or whatever other college that Landon decides is his top choice, how will you know that you'll deal with the same person each and every time? Every time that we've spoken to a college, we've gotten a different person. One may say that it isn't needed but THE ONE WHO MATTERS may decide otherwise and this is the real kicker, you'll never know! You'll just not be accepted. So, as I said, if he can pass the SAT II's have him take them. Call it insurance.
Blessings,
Lisa
Great post. I sat with Holly last week and requested info from a few local colleges. She was a little nervous, but I know it's time to start somewhere.
Awesome that Allison's hard work paid off with those great grades, wow!
Sounds like this new church is an answer to prayer. What a blessing that Allison will graduate with friends.
* * *
And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11
:)
Yikes, without the media to remind me I forgot about taxes. ::snort::
I've not heard a word from the kids about FAFSA...I'm assuming they are filling them out - they did last year. LOL
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