I took the Lifetime Learning Credit (not AOTC) for tuition costs for dual enrollment. I don't have the IRS guidance for this at my fingertips but I researched it thoroughly at the time and found specific examples from IRS pubs to support this. Also, Turbo Tax led me through the process to include the LLC. It specifically asked if DD was still in high school. I'll try to help find the language from IRS and post it when I have time. Oh, one difference between AOTC and LLC is that you can use textbooks as QEE for AOTC but not LLC. Plus, once a student starts full-time college, they CAN include costs for dual enrollment from the spring semester in with their costs for college in fall semester for that first year to claim AOTC.

I wonder if we could get that list of scholarship tips pinned to the top of the college board. It is a keeper for sure. Thanks, Lori!

First, the 1098-T forms are often wrong, so be sure to call and ask if something doesn't make sense. Second, if box 7 is checked, this means that the school included the amount billed for Spring 2016 in box 2. This is common. Third, box 5 includes only the scholarships actually applied to the account in 2015 (so, probably just Fall 2015 unless your student also got a scholarship for Spring 2015). Scholarship amounts are usually applied in January for the Spring semester.

We really enjoyed the geography course we put together. It combined earth science with mapping and added in more cultural geography resources. Here is the description and resources we used: World Geography (1 credit) - This course provided an overview of the political, physical, and cultural aspects of world geography. Political groupings on each continent along with the major physical features were studied with an emphasis on map skills and the identification of major countries and bodies of water. Resources: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Geography by Brenda Runkle Material Word: A Global Portrait by Peter Menzel Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World by Amir Aczel Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel The last book was made into a film in 2000, also worth watching.

Yes. The admissions office makes the acceptance decisions and THEN the financial aid office determines the aid package. Add in any departments that need to make scholarship decisions and it can be a long drawn out process before you have the full picture. It can easily be well into the spring before you have everything you need to make a decision. You generally have until May 1 to make a decision and notify the colleges.

True merit aid isn't affected but many scholarships combine financial need with accomplishment criteria. The Federal direct loan would have a portion of it be subsidized (meaning the interest doesn't accrue) when there is outstanding financial need; 2) Perkins loans go only to students with financial need but typically funds run out before all eligible students receive it. American citizens who fill out the FAFSA can get the Federal direct loans. They don't have to have need but the total of loans and financial aid and merit funds can't exceed their COA. For dependent students, amounts are limited to $5,500 for freshmen, $6,500 for sophomores, and $7,500 for juniors and seniors. If a parent applies and is denied a parent plus loan, the student is eligible for another $4,000 in direct loans.

Usually the acceptance letter comes first and the financial aid/merit awards come later. Be sure to keep an eye on email and the online student portal. Not everything comes by USPS mail these days!

Anyone have a student who has participated in the One Year Adventure Novel (OYAN) summer writing workshop? DD16 wants to attend this summer and I'm trying to get a third party review. The cost of the workshop itself seems reasonable but with travel, housing, and meals, it adds up fast. Thanks.

He's not ready to start making the decision to eliminate these schools as possibilities. The schools give him until May 1. No reason to rush him.

It's pretty confusing but the grants and scholarships that do not go to QEE are added to earned income to determine if an individual needs to file a tax return, However, grants and scholarships that are taxable income (in excess of QEE) and NOT reported on a W-2 are considered unearned income when filling out form 8615.

Keep in mind a few points: 1. FAFSA is primarily a form to determine if a student is eligible for federal aid, like a Pell Grant. The cut off in family income/assets is quite low so really only helps the very low income. 2. Most FAFSA-only colleges do not have the funding available to make up the difference between a family's EFC and the cost of attendance. This means that family would have to pay their EFC plus make up this "gap" in funding to attend. So, do NOT envy very low income families. Very few are getting a full ride somewhere and many students simply can not afford to attend a 4 year university, even with the Pell grant and federal direct loans. CCs tend to be affordable with these benefits. 3. Schools with more funding to provide financial assistance usually require a CSS Profile which asks for even more detailed financial information than the FAFSA. The individual school gets to define what the financial need is. It may very well NOT be what your family would define their need as. 4. Finally, families are not expected to pay all of their college costs out of current income. A family is expected to need to use past income (savings), current income (by cutting back budget items in other areas), and future income (via loans). Overall, yes, I agree. The cost of higher education is shocking.

I had just renewed the magazines from this publisher for my DDs when I found that they are available FREE digitally through my public library. Argh! Be sure to check!

Wow. DD16 is jealous. Awesome job!

Be sure to also contact the drug manufacturer directly. They will sometimes provide large discounts as they have a vested interest in keeping a patient using their brand name meds. Edited to add: Looks like Shire Pharmaceuticals does have a program to help: Intuniv Shire Cares is dedicated to assisting patients with limited financial resources. If you don’t have prescription insurance or are having trouble affording your Intuniv® prescription Shire Cares may be able to help. Offer provided by: Shire For information about Shire Cares benefits and eligibility, please call 1-888-CARES-55 (1-888-227-3755).

I agree with the need to tailor the degree to the career goals of the student. If he wants to pursue academia and/or research, he should plan to ultimately pursue a PhD. If he wants to seek a career in the commercial industry, then a B.S. is fine - he should be sure to use any course choices to select the more applied/engineering type, which it sounds like this degree is tailored for anyway. I'd also encourage the student to hit the career center early and often as well as talk to professors/admin in the physics department. Who is hiring the graduates and what level is their degree? I wish him the best of luck.

:iagree: This is the answer. I had so much major dental work performed on me that I was asking for sealants for my DDs when they just had baby teeth. The dentist explained that their baby teeth were in great shape and he didn't foresee any need for sealants until they got their adult molars. He could have easily humored me and sealed all those little baby molars and pocketed quite a profit. I'm definitely a fan of the sealants as neither DD has had a single cavity whereas DH and I both had a mouth full of fillings by their ages.

DD has had repeated issues with her cashier/financial aid account having errors. It usually takes DD several emails, phone calls, and in-person visits to the office to get things resolved. I find it unusually frustrating for the following reasons: 1. They seem content to give students non-answers, such as "we'll look into it, keep checking your online account." DD got this response several times as she continued to check back for a resolution. The account finally DID resolve before their payment deadline and we breathed a sigh of relief. Then, DD got a call yesterday stating that she had a balance that needed to be paid. They went back and monkeyed with LAST semester's financial aid and have now messed that up. 2. The actual financial aid officers that have the power to actually make changes to the account hide out behind doors. Students trying to resolve issues must first be "helped" by a student worker who can only log into their account and view what is there. When their limits are reached, they then turn the student over to a staff person whose main function seems to be giving "non-answers" to avoid bothering the financial aid officers. Twice now, I've had to go with DD and continue to push for explanations/plans for resolution until the staff person would engage one of the financial aid officers. Even then, the staff person would act as a go-between, walking back and forth between the officer and us. Most of this could easily be resolved with a 5-10 minute conversation with someone who understands the various aid/scholarships and has the power to make corrections in the system. However, they have set up the system with several layers that prevent this?

We did a social science elective on current events this way. DH or I would assigned articles to read from papers and magazines we subscribe to and then discuss. We gave 0.5 credit for 4 years of discussing current events.

If math regularly took my students more than 1 hour a day, I'd change something. If the program is otherwise working well, then I would still cut back the work to an hour a day and do math over breaks or just extend the time to finish the program. Of course, we were happy with a "lite" program. :laugh:

Math U See focuses on teaching to understanding. So, no, they do not just teach the process and move on. They want the student to understand WHY the process works and the reasoning behind it. I'm sure some students find this to be "too much" but it provided many "Oh! Now I understand!" moments for DH and I (with 3 university degrees in technical fields between us). If you are going to be hopping between MUS and other programs, geometry would be the one least tied in with the sequence (easier to use geometry in a different program than jumping between programs for algebra, for example).

If he is within the drop/add period, he may be able to drop the course without the instructor's signature. I think a polite email to the instructor would be sufficient and more than most students would do. No need to attend again.

Take a look at EPS Writing Skills. These are workbook style so everything is laid out, open and go, and has 4 different skill levels so you can choose the one you think would be best. I wouldn't hesitate to use an earlier one if needed. I credit these with helping to get my very reluctant writers actually writing. They needed everything broken down into tiny bites to start with. This program is not exciting so they won't get your student to love writing but it can get the job done!

Unless you have cake mixes that you just want to use up, why not bake them from scratch? With the effort needed to jazz up the box, you could just as easily make them yourself and you have endless recipe possibilities. DD and I made a spice cake for her birthday just a couple days ago. (and don't get me started on canned frosting. . . )

By this logic, she has a "one-car family" and he has a "two-car family". :huh: :confused1: :confused1: :confused1:

I've only ever had manual cars. I was still a little rusty on driving them when I bought my first car (drivers ed class used automatics) but I specifically looked for a used manual. I had to have my brother drive it home from the car lot. My thinking was that if my first car was a manual, I would always know how to drive a manual. My future husband coached me through the trickier maneuvers (e.g., stopping and going on steep hills, etc.) Last time I bought a car (2009), the manual was still cheaper than the automatic version.