We warned you yesterday on Day 4 that today is the heavy lifting day. While time is definitely not to be wasted while preparing your student’s freshman FAFSA application, it’s like doing your taxes – picking the wrong day to tackle this will be far more painful than picking a day you’re mentally alert.

The good news is, completing the FAFSA application, while intimidating, is mostly just plug and chug. You have two options – using a paper form (PDF), or using a web form.

1. Choose your method (paper or online)

Neither method is right or wrong, both should get you to the same EFC value and get all of the colleges on your list the appropriate information. Some people prefer the online form, because then the skip logic is built right in – that is to say, it only asks you the questions it has decided are relevant. Some people prefer paper forms, because they like to be able to look ahead and to see the bigger picture, or because they dislike online forms. Either way, you can certainly have the paper version PDF available to you for reference.

Use your gathered reference material from Day 3, including the web filing worksheet if you completed that.

2. Enter all of your information. Do not yet submit!

3. Complete the CSS Profile

That is, if your student is considering any of those schools. Start with the tutorial, then go on to the application which is online only, no paper/PDF version available.

That’s enough for today. Pat yourself on the back, and go take a break. Don’t put all of your documents too far away, however, because Day 6 is checking your work, especially for those who did the paper forms.

Don’t forget to check out my other articles about college. I’ll see you again tomorrow for FAFSA application challenge Day 6.