College Counseling
Newsletter
October 18, 2021

Dear Upper School Families,

Financial Aid and cost of attendance are two topics that frequently come up in my college counseling meetings.


  • Another tool commonly used is the CSS Profile. Some schools have a preferential deadline for completing these application.

Seniors should check the Financial Aid offices for each university they are applying to, as often each institution will have different requirements.

I'd also like to highlight some resources for finding scholarships and financially planning for college.

When looking at the cost of college, it is important to recognize the two amounts you will find.

  • One is what we call the sticker price. This is the full amount: tuition plus room & board, plus fees.

  • The net price is the amount that a student pays to attend an institution in a single academic year after subtracting scholarships and grants the student receives.

There is a resource available to help called a net price calculator on a college's website. Net price calculators can help prospective students get a better handle on what they will be expected to pay. Students enter information about their family’s financial situation to learn what similar students paid to attend the institution in the previous year.

These net price calculators are a great tool as they give you the best idea of what you'll pay for a particular college. It also helps make comparing colleges easier. It is always important to remember that these calculators create an estimate and the actual cost may end up being higher or lower than the estimate provided by the net price calculator.

Here are links to a few net price calculators:


Finding the right fit in a college for a student involves many different areas to consider: academic rigor, religious community, location, size, and affordability.

Below I have listed some additional resources for finding scholarships.
As always, I use the OakcrestConnect groups to post any scholarship opportunities that are sent to me directly.

All the best,

Randa Johnson
Director of College Counseling
Senior College Application Day!
Wednesday October 20: An entire day dedicated to working on college applications!

Seniors: remember to bring your laptop or let me know if you do not have one by end of the day Tuesday
BigFuture: CollegeBoard's Scholarship Search
Who: Seniors
What: Find scholarships, other financial aid and internships. Enter as much information as possible to find the most matches. Scholarship information is based on the College Board's Annual Survey of Financial Aid Programs.
Paying for College
Resource Page
Who: Rising 10th, 11th, & 12th grades
Where: NACAC Website
What: NACAC has compiled this list of trusted, up-to-date sources to help your students and their families navigate the financial aid process.
Reminder: Scholarships & Summer Opportunities on OakcrestConnect
Who: Juniors & Seniors
Where: OakcrestConnect College Counseling Groups
What: Any scholarships opportunities or external summer programs that are sent to me will be posted on OakcrestConnect. Please check it weekly for any new opportunities!
Junior College Counseling Meetings: December 1-11
Who: Junior Students & Parents
What: Your first College Counseling meeting will be scheduled for the first week of December. This is an important initial meeting as we begin to plan out the college application process for your daughter! Be on the lookout in November for a Questionnaire that helps prepare for the meeting, as well as the sign up link.
College Visit Days
Who: Juniors & Seniors
What: Students have 5 days to visit colleges over the second semester of their junior year and all of senior year. These excused absences are for visiting a college campus in-person. Students must speak to Mrs. Johnson about the visit before they leave, in order to get the absence excused.
Upcoming Deadlines and Dates
10/20 - Senior College Application Day
10/28 - Deadline for Seniors to move Nov 1 Applications to “Applied” in Scoir
11/1 - Common Deadline for Early Action & Early Decision Applications
11/17 - Deadline to sign up for Virtual Mock ACT Exam. Find more information here.
11/20 - Virtual Mock ACT Exam