Video Post: Questions to Ask about Financial Aid

VIDEO: What Questions to Ask Financial Aid Professionals

What Questions to Ask Financial Aid Professionals —powered by eHow.com

 In this video, a university financial aid officer goes over a variety of questions that students should ask. In addition, just below the video screen you may explore other helpful videos in this series on student financial aid.


QUICK THOUGHT:  Education and training beyond high school is expensive, even at public institutions. These days, in fact, a public university education can cost more than at some private colleges and universities, where financial aid is more plentiful. During tough economic times, it is even more important for anyone seeking education and training also to seek help in paying for it.

This video post is up to help you, if you plan to attend college, to find ways to finance your education. The video suggests questions that you should ask your college’s financial aid officer, and leads to other helpful videos on financial aid directly below the video screen, as well as below-right.

READERS, WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Do you know the current amount you will receive from KEES, HOPE, or other similarly state sponsored funding to further your education beyond high school?


What other sources have you looked into to help pay for your education?


 Have you filled out the FAFSA form so you will qualify for financial assistance yet? Why or why not?

Website Pick of the Week

Corresponding Post: I Don’t Want to Apply for College Scholarships… but I Must!


Website: http://www.zinch.com/scholarships

Reason: Zinch is an interactive Web site that lets you create a profile and that connects you to schools and scholarships that fit your interests. Students win scholarships by giving creative, Twitter-length answers to unusual questions that reveal their personality.


Readers: In a world of increasing costs and a poor job market, the decision whether to attend college is becoming more difficult. Many students don’t know if the college debt they will accumulate will be worth it in the end, as they might not be able to get a good paying job after graduation. Scholarships are available, but many students aren’t aware of them. We need to provide teens with more information on how to apply successfully for college applications without feeling overwhelmed.


Try Me: Look up a scholarship Web site, such as http://www.fastweb.com/ or http://www.scholarships.com/. Do any of the scholarships offered fit your needs? If they do, sign up for the Web site. They will send you an e-mail when a scholarship you might be interested in becomes available.

I Don’t Want to Apply for College Scholarships… but I Must!

Feeling pressure to apply for college may be frustrating and it might seem unfair that you have to worry about this while still in high school. Besides that, colleges are becoming more expensive and more difficult to get in to. So what can you do to help pay for a good education? Apply for scholarships.

You might find college and scholarship applications a boring task; however, if you want to go to college, someone has to pay.On average, college now costs around $10,000 per year at a public university when you include your dorm room, meals, books, and fees, to as high as $50,000 per year at a private school; but there are many Web sites filled with scholarship offers, all with different qualifications. You may not think you are suited to any of them, but you probably are. Take advantage of them!

Don’t worry; there are some things you can do to help with the application process. If you do a Web search for scholarships, thousands will come up; BUT be careful! Not all scholarship sites are trustworthy, so make sure you read everything carefully and ask your parents and/or a guidance counselor to check it out before applying.

You may be thinking, “I’m just a sophomore, so I don’t have to worry about this until senior year”. Don’t cut yourself short. You can still apply and, the more applications you submit, the more chance you have of getting money for college. Plus, you don’t want to be swamped filling out so much paperwork during your senior year. Get a head start.

Another tip is to check out scholarship options close to home. Often local businesses, churches, and other organizations offer scholarships that you never knew about. Check with your school guidance counselor to find out where to look.

Watch out because, once you begin making applications, you might get bored. A lot of the questions and essays are similar, but don’t take shortcuts. Spelling and grammar count toward your chances of earning money. And recent news stories show that many colleges are including more unusual questions in their applications in order to get at who their applicants really are. Be creative in answering these questions, making sure you are showing your greatest strengths. (Discuss how to answer all applications with your school guidance counselor, who will have a better idea what colleges are looking for.)

Be sure to keep your grades up and stay involved in school activities. Although it was mentioned earlier that even the average student can get a scholarship from somewhere, doing all these things will only add to your chances and help you get more scholarships than you would otherwise.

So don’t be freaked out by scholarship applications! With a little effort, you can tackle them and you will help save yourself or your parents a lot of money in the long run.

READERS! We want to hear from you...

 Do you feel that it’s important to search for other scholarships, or are you counting on getting them through the college you plan to attend?

What places in your community do you think might offer scholarships?

How would you plan to pay for college without any scholarships?