With Easter behind us and the weather (finally) warming up, children across the Village have begun the countdown to the last day of school For high school seniors, the envelopes are in, and it's time to decide on the next phase of their education. Unfortunately, this year that decision is even tougher due to the uncertain economy.

As parents of a high school junior, we have begun the college tour process, and are surprised at how things have changed since we were that age. It appears that getting in to the most prestigious universities is extremely competitive, with some schools having single digit acceptance rates. On the other hand, it is now very common for students to apply to ten to fifteen schools, partly due to many colleges now using a common online application process.

It also appears that even though the prices of top schools have sky rocketed, more and more schools are offering financial aid even to those in the "upper middle" income categories. At a tour of MIT this weekend, the admissions officer told the (huge) audience that over 90% of their students receive some form of aid.

We have also learned that even though the federal financial aid form does not consider the equity in the family home as an asset, many private universities do consider it. Obviously, this hurts students from high property value places such as Garden City. However, just this week several colleges announced that due to problems in the housing market, they will not factor home equity as highly when deciding what each family should pay.

Locally, Assemblyman Tom McKevitt recently urged consitituents to use the New Yok State financial aid agency HESC's web site for assistance in applying for financial aid, ranging from loans to outright grants and scholarships. The web site is www.hesc.org

Even if you don't think you will qualify, you should apply because you may be pleasantly surprised.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher