Financial Aid for Freshmen
Well you’re going to be a senior in high school. Your parental unit (I use this term to include parents and guardians) sits you down one day and asks you what you’re going to do to pay for college. And you…. Have absolutely no idea.
There’s good news! There is so much
Fill out that FAFSA! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available to fill out in January. All that you need is for your parental unit (or whoever supports you) to have their taxes done, and for you to have yours done as well. You also should have an idea of what school(s) you are considering. It’s a very simple application. The earlier you fill it out the better; some state and federal aid is awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Want to know more? Go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.
Search for scholarships! The single biggest mistake that I made when I went to college was NOT doing this. I was lazy, even though I had endless amounts of resources available to me. Are you involved in an organization like Girl or Boy Scouts? Are you involved in a local church that is a member of a national denomination/organization? Do you have an odd talent or hobby? What about a disability? Are you a member of a minority, are you related to someone in the military, have you lost a parent to a deadly disease? I know these all seem like random questions, but these are legit. All of these circumstances have some sort of scholarship tied to them. Search the websites of organizations related to your circumstances and check out websites like http://www.fastweb.com to see all different kinds of others you can apply for.
Apply… early? Do you know where you want to go to school? Then apply as soon as you can. First off, many schools offer an application reduction or waiver if you apply before a certain date. Then, much like the FAFSA, many universities consider you for scholarships on a first come, first serve basis.
Talk to people- Your guidance counselor has lots of information for you, and if they are good at what they do, they will be able to find you everything that you would need. If you know someone in the field you want to go into, ask them for opportunities for aid for that field. Your options are endless, you just have to put a little extra effort in; the benefits are worth it when your loan payments begin to come in after you graduate.
