A s school counselor Mike Cam- panelli takes the 45-minute train ride from his house to Urban Assembly Green Careers High School in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, he thinks through what the day might bring: transition plan- ning for the next school year, a few meetings, schedule planning for stu- dents, and something new — chronic FAFSA hiccups. Since the soft launch of the new FAFSA form on Dec. 30, 2023, school counselors and admission profession- als have been dealing with a series of unforeseen challenges: the FAFSA was only open during limited win- dows of time; periodic maintenance
issues locked students out while others remained on hold; the U.S. Department of Education didn’t send student records until the first half of March, much later than in a typical admission cycle. As a result, the traditional National College Decision Day on May 1 has been postponed at numerous institu- tions and, as it stands, first-year stu- dents across the country have yet to commit to a school. Coast to coast, school counsel- ors and professionals at colleges and universities have struggled with what messages to send to students and families; how to help students make the right college decisions; and
overall, how to ensure they are put- ting those who matter — students and families — first. Here, professionals in college admission counseling share their experiences with the FAFSA rollout, plus the tools and solutions they’ve utilized, and continue to utilize, along the way. With a shake of his head, Campanelli said that financial aid is a huge determining factor in where his students go. “The school I work in is a public school in New York City with first-gen- eration college students; 85 percent NEW YORK
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