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STARTING EARLY TO GET THE MOST AID
by the student editors of GETTING THROUGH COLLEGE WITHOUT GOING BROKE, a Students Helping Students® guide
The sooner you start looking for money for college and filling out applications and forms, the better off you’ll be. No question. If you and your parents fill out taxes early in the year, instead of waiting until April, you will have the most up-to-date information about the state of your family’s finances for the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) and PROFILE forms. Writing scholarship essays early will let you be more relaxed, and will give you time to have your mom, your little brother, your English teacher, and anyone else who’s willing read them over and make them better. Some scholarships also have early deadlines, and you don’t want to miss out on extra cash just because you didn’t find out about it in time.
You should start learning about all of the available financial aid options during your junior year and be ready to write your scholarship essays and submit applications by the first semester of your senior year. It’s not a bad idea to write a few scholarship essays during the summer after your junior year, and if you’re working on your college essays at the same time, you can probably re-use some of the material. You’ll fill out your FAFSA and PROFILE forms at the beginning of your second semester, and will get your financial aid offers around the same time as your college acceptance letters in the spring.
As long as you're starting early, check in with students who graduated the year before you. Find out who won the biggest scholarships and ask them for advice and perhaps even to look over your essay. Not everyone will want to help, but it can’t hurt to ask, and any advice you can get is useful.
I can’t say that I was always on top of the game. I can’t say that I didn’t procrastinate as much as the next guy. But I can say that I wish I’d been more efficient and hadn’t prolonged the process the way I did. It would have made everything go smoother and saved me and my parents a lot of stress.”
Freshman,
Brown University
Copyright © by NATAVI GUIDES.
For more student advice like this, buy GETTING THROUGH COLLEGE WITHOUT GOING BROKE!
Check out more student advice on financial aid and money management...
• FINANCIAL AID MILESTONES
• GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINANCIAL AID PAYS OFF
• ACING YOUR SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY
• NAVIGATING THE COLLEGE LOAN MAZE
• FINANCIAL AID AND EARLY DECISION
Go to >>> Getting Through College Without Going Broke - Home
For more helpful tips and proven strategies from students and recent grads on applying for financial aid, understanding and comparing financial aid packages, maximizing your offer, managing your money at college, staying out of credit card debt, and much more, buy the Students Helping Students® guide titled GETTING THROUGH COLLEGE WITHOUT GOING BROKE, available at bookstores and online stores, such as Amazon.com.
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