Date: August, 2020

Dear Parent(s),

I hope you are able to enjoy the summer in spite of the restrictions we are all trying to live with. Normally, August is a huge vacation month, and I thought I'd share some fun facts about it:

In the original Roman calendar, the month of August was called Sextilis. This was because it was the sixth month of the year. Later, after January and February were added to the calendar, it became the eighth month of the year. The month was later renamed Augustus in honor of the first emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus.

August has two birthstones: peridot and sardonyx. Peridot is among the oldest known gemstones, and is green in color. Sardonyx, which is lesser-known, is a white- and brown-banded gemstone once believed to have mystical powers.

The official flower for August is the gladiolus. These vertical-growing flowers were named from the Latin gladius, meaning a sword.

Fans of Elvis Presley mourn each Aug. 16th, the day the famed singer died in 1977.

Although civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., is honored in January when he was born, he is best known for his famed "I Have a Dream" speech, which was given on Aug. 28, 1963.

The month of August is often referred to as the "dog days of summer," but not because of pet pooches. It has to do with the star Sirius-- also known as the dog star-- which rose at the same time as sunrise during the month of August in ancient Roman times.

Happy Birthday to some notable folks born this month: Martha Stewart, Martin Sheen, Jeff Gordon, Deion Sanders, and Halle Berry.

Rising High School Seniors and the Unknown

Each day, colleges are adjusting their plans to reopen for the Fall Semester. Whatever colleges decide to do: online only, freshman/seniors only, or a hybrid model, high school seniors should plan to be able to be on campus in Fall of 2021. So, for now, we must prepare as though classes will resume normally, and also be aware that there are no guarantees.

Covid-19 has turned this year's college application process into chaos. With so many changes to the college admissions process, the customary to-do lists can't be relied as a template of how to proceed. As a parent of a rising senior who plans to apply to college this fall, here are two things to consider doing:

1. Have your student investigate how their top-choice colleges have altered their ACT and SAT policies.


2. If your student has taken AP and IB courses, they need to find out how those top-choice schools now view AP and IB scores.

Senior Year Grades are Important

A topic that concerns many of our client families is just how important are the grades a student earns in the senior year of high school. While first semester senior grades are not quite as important as junior year grades, they're still worth caring about. Many of the more selective colleges will require a mid-year report.

A mid-year report is a transcript of first semester grades sent out by the school counselor. On the Common App, students can see which schools require a mid-year report under the "School Forms Required" section. For all other colleges, a visit to their website will tell you.

Also, first semester grades are included in final transcripts that are sent to the college your student will attend. Bad senior grades could negatively impact the admissions decision. Some colleges will actually rescind offers!

Each month, we provide you with tips on your best ways to pay for college regardless of your financial situation.

If you're the parent of a rising high school senior, the last thing you want to find out next Spring is that you could have received free money-- but didn't. Not knowing how to properly value properties and investments can cost you. When it comes to determining eligibility for financial aid, income counts for quite a bit, but assets are a big part of the formula, too.

You may not be able to do much about your income, but your assets can be re-assessed to a much lower value or repositioned as a non-reportable asset!

As professionals, we know how to legally and ethically reduce the equity in your home and other properties or assets. The difference in paying the college's asking price vs. getting a fat tuition discount can be significant, especially if you are "land rich and cash poor".

Don't make the irrevocable mistake of overvaluing your properties. Keep in mind that often the first financial aid package your student receives will mostly likely be the same for all four years. Accepting an inferior award package is like breaking something in a store: you break it, you own it!

If you aren't a client already, please contact us at 208-639-1330 to schedule a consultation to discuss your personal circumstances to learn ways you may be able to reduce your college costs.

Well, I guess that about does it.

'Till next time, enjoy the rest of your summer!

Stuart P. Siegel,
Founder, College Tuition Solutions, Inc.
Creator of FAFSAssist
Financial Aid Management Software
208-639-1330

PS The next time you're with a friend with college-bound children, please tell them about us and share this email with them. As you know college is becoming unaffordable to far too many families. Anything we can do to help them I'm certain they will be highly appreciative.

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