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As we begin moving through the New Year one of the top priorities regarding your child’s college future is applying for financial aid. Over on the Zinch blog More Than a Test Score, a recent article was posted about managing the high-price tag of many universities, but a number of questions still manage to arise regarding the subject, especially concerning federal aid and government established programs.

Fortunately the New York Times’ college admissions and aid blog The Choice took the time to address some of those lingering inquiries in a seven-part Q & A series with questions submitted from REAL parents. This is a great resource for those of you concerned about issues like unsecured debt, divorcée status, the expected family contribution (EFC), or any other number of topics unaddressed at your local PTA meeting.

For a full listing of the entire series, click here.

For most parents, having their child enter the college admissions process is an exciting time. As you watch them submit their transcripts and file their applications you hope all their efforts will wind up in the right hands, and a whole new world of opportunities will soon lay before them. Often times though parents, especially of first generation college students, wonder how their child will stack up against the competition.

A recent article by The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that analyst Michael Hurwitz examined just how “legacy students”—students whose parents, siblings, or other family members also attended a desired college—fare in the admissions process.

Not surprisingly the numbers show legacy students are accepted at a higher rate than non-legacy students, but in terms of overall admissions legacy students only account for a small percentage of students brought into the fold, so realistically they wouldn’t be a presence that would exclude your child from admission. While this finding has definitely raised some eyebrows, it also sparks another interesting question—how much influence does a parent have over their child’s educational career path?

For more information on the study and to read the Chronicle’s full report, click here.

Illustration courtesy jscreationzs.