It’s helpful for students just starting their college search to understand how financial aid works. Without that knowledge, you risk making faulty assumptions about which schools you can and cannot afford, how much aid will be available, and when to apply for it. I always appreciate when a knowledgeable source makes a complex idea easier to understand, and that’s what Sean Ashbury, admissions officer at Tufts, has done with his blog post, “An Admissions Officer’s Guide to Financial Aid.” Just grasping the ten terms he defines so clearly will make you a savvier college shopper.