Online Resources - General/Financial Aid

General/Financial Aid

Mapping Your Future
http://www.mapping-your-future.org/

FAFSA on the Web
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

PIN Registration
http://www.pin.ed.gov/

U.S. Department of Education
http://www.students.gov/

The Financial Aid Information Page
http://www.finaid.org/

NCAA Guide for the Student Athlete
http://www.ncaa.org/cbsa

Black Excel: The College Help Network
http://www.blackexcel.org/

Hispanic Scholarship Fund
http://www.hsf.net/

When Should I Apply to College?

Too many times, students wait too late to apply to their college or university of choice. So when should you apply? Here are some tips.

* Talk to the school as early as possible to get all the information you can.
* Many schools only consider your grades cumulative through your junior year for admission. They look at your final grades to decide whether or not you can still attend.
* Apply early. The application itself is usually the most extensive process for both you and the school.
* Take your ACT and/or SAT in your junior year of high school. Due to deadlines, the October administrations (during your senior year) of the exams may be your last chance at certain institutions.
* Do not miss the final deadline. College application deadlines are non-negotiable.
* Make sure you have submitted ALL applications and required documents to your college or university.
* Keep copies of everything you submit - including the dates that transcripts were mailed by your high school.
* GET THE INFORMATION FIRST-HAND! So many things are different from one school to the next and even from one year to the next. In other words - DO NOT ASSUME.
* The application process is different at different types of schools. Not all schools require essays, lists of activities, or interviews for example.
* Above all else, do not be afraid to ask questions. This is your first time going through this process.

Try to take steps one at a time and get an early start on gathering applications and information on your colleges. Beginning all of this in October of your senior year is WAY too late.

Balance and Prioritize

Part of going to school is to make sure you learn how to balance your school activities and your club or athletic activities. Knowing how to manage your time will make it easier for you to handle other areas of your life as well, especially when you finally enter the “real world.” Here are simple tips to help get your life organized:

Decide early on, even before the start of the school year, which activities you would be involved in – such as clubs, varsity teams, or if you want to work part time somewhere. This will help you prioritize activities – but remember, the most import thing should always be your studies.

Try not to have too much on your plate. Be realistic about what you can and what you can’t do with your time. Sure, you would like to do all the stuff you want, but there is such a thing as spreading the butter too thin. You might end up not giving 100 percent of your abilities, or you might compromise one activity because you have to do another. There might be some stuff that you can postpone for another year. Again, the key here is to learn how to prioritize. Do stuff that would benefit you long-term.

Once you’ve decided what you will be doing for the rest of the year, make a schedule of your schoolwork and your extracurricular activities as you get them. To help with this, it is always best to keep a calendar, or a daily planner. You can even utilize a corkboard or a white board in your room. Write down important deadlines and dates. Remember to check these every day.

Top College Fears and How to Conquer Them – Part 2

I'm can’t make myself get started on my college applications.

Are you afraid your application won’t be impressive? For 95 percent of colleges, you needn’t be a star to get in. Really B- grades, 1000 SAT scores (21 ACT), and, if required, a decent essay (see below) will get you into many, many good colleges, even if you don’t have great extracurricular activities. Just keep reminding yourself how great it will feel to get our applications done and to get those fat acceptance envelopes. That’s not motivating enough? I’m sure that if you ask your parents (and even if you don’t), they’ll be glad to keep nagging you. Maybe you can even get them to agree that if you get your apps done by the deadline, they’ll get you a car…or something. But why not just sit your butt down and start. Chances are, once you start, you’ll keep going. If you get stuck, ask your parent or friend for a little help.

I can't think of a topic for my college essay.

Most essay questions boil down to “How will you contribute more to the campus community than other applicants with similar grades and SAT scores?” You ask, “How can plain ol’ me contribute to the campus community?” One of my clients wrote about his tendency to ask the teacher probing questions. His essay consisted of an introduction and then three paragraphs, each telling the story of an anxious question he asked the teacher, and how the teacher and class responded. Another client wrote about her love of tutoring other kids. A third wrote about being one of the kids in her school who doesn’t drink. What’s something about you that would contribute to the campus community? Many, if not most, college essay questions will allow you to write about that. Be sure to devote most of your essay to giving examples and anecdotes that prove you have that desirable characteristic.

Oh, remember to avoid the Deadly Three Topics. So many students write about these topics that they make many admission officers roll their eyes: 1. How important my parents have been to me. 2. How sports taught me the importance of sportsmanship and leadership. 3. How my trip to another country helped me appreciate diversity.

I worry that my parents can’t afford to pay for college.

Don’t let the college’s sticker price fool you. Most colleges jack up the sticker price so only the rich can afford it, and then offer discounts and low-interest loans to everyone else. Sure, you’ll probably have to take out a hefty loan, but nearly all students can find a good college that – with financial aid – is affordable. Just get your financial aid applications in on time. (Check on each college’s website to learn their deadlines.) If, even with financial aid, your family can’t afford your first-choice college, try to negotiate with the college. They sometimes “find” extra aid, even for average students. And don’t forget about community colleges. Not only are they a bargain, they often have better teachers than at universities because they’re hired and promoted mainly on how well they teach, not how much research they crank out.

I worry that college will be too hard.

If a college admits you, it believes that, if you put in the effort, you’ll succeed there. Also know that, in some ways, college is easier than high school. For example, if you hate foreign language, in high school, you’re stuck. It’s required. But at most colleges, you’re given enough choice that you can usually avoid a dreaded subject. Plus, if you’re falling behind in a course, professors have office hours to help you, and in common killer courses such as calculus, there usually are free or low-cost tutors. The main reason kids fail at college is not that it’s too hard. It’s that they didn’t put in the time. Do that and I’ll bet you’ll do fine.