Searching and planning for their college future is one major challenge that seniors nationwide face every year. The daunting task of finding financial aid may leave some on an endless search for the assistance that they require. A December 2004 issue of Campus Life, a college guide magazine, was devoted to articles on how to pay for college and useful information that seniors everywhere should remember. They give basic steps on how to get started.
?Your guidance counselor is a good place to begin your search. Find out all you can about the two broad categories of financial aid: need-based aid and merit-based aid. Financial aid will not come looking for you, it will require some effort,? writes Ed Hollinger in an article titled, “Your guidance counselor can point you in the right direction.”
Finding money for college is a major part of getting ready to go. Many websites offer potentially eligible students applications for scholarships. Fastweb, a scholarship database website, may be helpful in the process. The website does most of the work. After entering basic information about academic achievements, interests and hobbies, the site finds the scholarships that correlate to those criteria.
In the face of proverbial mountains of paperwork and forms to fill out for scholarships, deadlines appear near.
?Scholarship deadlines have either passed or are coming up quick,? Jon Endicott, campus vice principal said. ?Other then Fastweb, I would recommend that students contact the colleges that they have been accepted to and they may have information on scholarships and other financial assistance that you are eligible for.?
Along with finding financial assistance, creating a budget can be a great way to save money that may have been used previously in other places. Simple planning and budgeting may provide extra cash “out of thin air” that can be spent on previously unknown college expenses.
?Try to come up with a budget because there will always be extra expenses that you have to pay for and if you spend all your money on pizza and movies, it is going to be hard to pay for books and tuition,? Endicott said. ?Once you get to college, credit card companies want to offer you all kinds of credit and students often spend this free money and find themselves lost in the interest and the payments that they have every month.?
These basic budget-affecting tips may stretch one’s finances much farther than what might be expected.
For more information on scholarship opportunities or other effective ways to help lessen the burden of paying for college, contact Endicott at (559) 297-1695, ext. 5 or visit www.fastweb.com. Or visit the campus college counseling website at counseling.fresnochristian.com for more help.
