by Hannah
(Hill)
When you plan for college you must look at a few different factors like: Would I want to live there? Is it too close or far to home or family and friends? Does the Campus look inviting? Is it a College or University, private or public? How am I going to pay for it? Believe it or not you must pay all of your college expenses every semester or they will not let you enroll or graduate the following semester and I didn’t know that when I started.
by Emelly Almontaser
(Brooklyn, NY, USA)
There are several key factors to receive maximum financial aid as a high school graduating senior. These helpful tidbits of information will undoubtedly make any student an outstanding applicant. This advice can be categorized into Family, School, and Outside Services, respectively.
Every financial aid application requires information about the applicant’s family members, and household income which can only be proven with sufficient documentation. Be sure to collect those items prior to applying to ensure success. With just this information, anyone, regardless of their academic achievements, can receive benefit from the Federal government. Examples of this are FAFSA, and TAP which is aid supplemented by the government.
To attain even more financial aid, there are a multitude of Merit Based Scholarships which reflect a student's academic achievements. By maintaining a high GPA, upholding a high class rank, and excelling on exams such as the SAT and ACT, this guarantees a student aid from merit based programs. Said programs can be found online easily as they are endorsed by large, and popular businesses.
Lastly, extra curricular activities and volunteer services is icing on the cake for many applications, specifically community based grants. I personally recommend volunteering as early as possible in order to have a lot of hours under your belt. Be sure to document this information and possible photos for validity of your service.
While some applications are very appealing, they can be fraud or a scam. Do not apply for aid by any organization that requires some sort of down payment. Be wary of sites that ask for personal information such as credit card information and/or passwords to secure accounts. To ensure maximum security, research the program and review its certifications. Finally, start early! It does not hurt to review applications months in advance as you are ahead of your competitors. Do some research on prospective schools as they too may have scholarships based upon categories aforementioned. By following this advice it is very likely that you will receive financial aid. Best of luck.
Read more College Planning Tips from other students and parents who have been through process.
by Belem Escamilla
(Tucson, Arizona, USA)
Planning ahead in high school - When I was a high school senior I never really knew how easy it was to sign up for college, and I thought my counselors would make it easier for me but that’s not what happened.
My counselors helped their favorite students who were constantly in counselor’s offices missing class time. These students who were in counselor’s office are now attending a University rather than me attending a community college, when my whole life I wanted to go to the University of Arizona. A community college is a good start, but I wanted the University for me.
Maybe I was waiting to look up to someone but I never had my older sister to put a good example for me, instead I wanted to be a good example to my younger sister.
In the counselors office during high school, I would have liked for her to help me find scholarships but all she did was tell me to write an essay, and I did right away. I felt like it took a very long time for my counselor to have a scholarship essay for me to write. My essay writing felt like it was strong at the moment and I could have written essays for scholarships my whole senior year. Frustration hit me many times during my senior year because I looked for scholarships on all the websites given to me at my high school, and it felt like no one was helping me get something I wanted badly.
As a senior I counted on my counselor to help me find a way to pay for college. I had my family to push me but my parents went to college in Mexico, and their advice was not equal to the advice I needed. The advice that my counselor gave to me was not pushy or motivated; I motivated myself more because I felt no one in my high school cared were I would be the following year. Here I was truly lost, full of confusion whether if I had to work harder to pay to attend college.
Within a month I had won a scholarship for college. Right before graduation that meant my time looking for more scholarships was over because I would be focusing on graduating and feeling what it was like. The scholarship that I was blessed with paid for my first semester at Pima Community College, I was very proud of myself and I even accomplished my mom’s desire of me getting a scholarship in high school. It fulfilled a moment in my life, like that last minute hope that I could only appreciate.
Many other students did an excellent job during their senior year, by always talking to their counselor, my counselor was not the same as theirs, she did not care for me. I feel like students should take advantage in high school because all the work done their pays off when you get awarded. In high school it is easier to find advice because staff who went to college will find you information. Many students played sports and got scholarships, others had good GPA standing, I was just lost.
Read more College Financial Aid Tips from other students and parents who have been through process.
Scholarships for 2024 - It is never too early or too late to work on your scholarship searches. If you are part of the high school class of 2024, you should work on your scholarship and college search now. See our list of Scholarships for High School Seniors
FAFSA - The official 2024 - 2025 FAFSA will be available in December. FAFSA.
Scholarship Lists An overview of the different types of Scholarship Money for College.
Grants Learn more about grants, the other free money for college.
Need Tuition Help? Reduce the cost of tuition with these college Tuition Assistance Programs.
Tax Credit Claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
College Savings Plans Save money for college with these College Savings Plans.
Need a Student Loan? Yes, you qualify for these college Student Loans.
Scholarships for High School Students