Guide To College Scholarships, Grants, Loans and Financial Aid
fullerjoe66Like everything else in today's world, getting enough financial aid for college is extremely competitive.
In addition to good grades and test scores, all colleges look for certain experiences and values when recruiting incoming freshman.
This guide will show parents and students how to create the right type of experiences and extra curricular activities beginning in junior high school so that by 12th grade the student will have the right type of background that colleges look for.
The more a potential student matches those experiences and values, the more financial aid they are likely to be offered by a college.
For many years, I have been working with college admissions and financial aid professionals and I know what they look for in high school applicants.
I have also been working with college bound students and their parents for many years and I know all the questions they ask, as well as the questions they to ask about financial aid.
This guide will show you how to get the maximum financial aid for college including many “SECRETS” that the average person doesn’t know about the following areas of financial aid;
• How to find key information about college admissions and financial aid.
• Sources of Financial Aid.
• Paying for college.
• A detailed explanation of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Sources of scholarship information – how to find, apply for and actually get scholarships.
The Financial Aid Office – why it is the KEY PLACE to contact to increase your chances of getting the maximum financial aid for your college education.
• Student loans – the only loan you should apply for.
What if you cannot repay your loan.
• How to find, apply for and get federal, state and private grants.
• How to make yourself the type of student that colleges seek to recruit and offer financial aid.
You Will Learn The Most Thing You Need to Understand About Paying For College
This one piece of advice could mean the difference between having enough money to pay for college and not affording your education or being crushed with debt after you graduate.
If you follow this strategy, it is almost like getting more money out of thin air !!!
In this guide you will learn why your standing in the incoming freshman class is key to getting maximum financial aid
• I explain why you should apply to colleges where your standing in the incoming class is in the top 25% and why that will get you more financial aid.
• You will even learn about web-based tools that will enable you to find colleges where you will actually BE in the top 25% of the incoming freshman class and eligible for more financial aid.
You will learn about web-based tools that enable you to search for colleges by name, location, degree program, housing, tuition, fees and more.
• I did a sample search with one of these tools and easily found colleges that I was interested in and found information about available scholarships, grants, average student loans and the average amount that is awarded for each of these types of financial aid.
• You can also build a list of colleges for side by side comparisons, export search results into a spreadsheet, and save your sessions including search options and favorites.
• You can easily find colleges with low, medium and high tuition, fees and net prices (net price is the price of attendance minus grants and scholarship aid).
• You will learn how to find, evaluate and compare financial aid information for public and private colleges.
• You will learn how to easily find the “average net price” which a full-time undergraduate student will pay per year after need and merit-based aid is subtracted.
• You will learn how to easily find the “net price calculator” for any college to get an idea of what a student like you will pay for a particular college.
One of the Biggest Sources of Financial Aid for College is the Federal Government.
• You will learn all about federal grants and scholarships available from the federal government, as well as federal student loan programs (which are the only loans you should consider as they have the best interest rates and terms when compared to loans from commercial banks).
• You will learn about valuable tax benefits available with federal student loans.
• You will learn about federal programs that offer scholarships, grants and other financial benefits in return for community service and other work in social service areas like education.
• You will learn about financial aid available for military service.
The Best Source for Scholarships
• The best source of scholarships are the colleges themselves.
• You will learn about needs-based and merit- based scholarships, talent-based, athletic-based and legacy scholarships available from colleges and universities.
You will learn how to appeal a scholarship or grant award to increase the amount awarded.
• You will learn how to “stack” multiple financial aid awards that you may receive.
• You will learn how to negotiate with a college, in which you are more interested, and get them to match a better financial aid award you have received from another college.
Student Loans – Borrower Beware !!!
• You will learn about the “Know Before You Owe” program which provides students with a better understanding of the types and amounts of student loans for which you may qualify.
• You will learn how to create a “Financial Aid Shopping List” with which you can fill in the cost, financial aid and loan information for each college to be compared.
• You will learn how to find and evaluate the best loans with the best interest rates and repayment terms.
• You will learn how to avoid getting into trouble with too much debt which will hurt your credit and financial status
• You will learn how to get a reasonable idea of what you will earn in your chosen field once you graduate so you will be able to afford to repay your student loan.
• You will learn what to do if you are not able to repay you loan so you do not hurt your credit or financial status.
• You will learn the best “payment plan” for your student loan which will be affordable as you start your career.
Ways to Lower Your College Costs
• From credit for life experience, to pre-paid tuition plans, we provide more than a DOZEN excellent ideas on how to reduce the cost of your college education.
• Learn why it is a better long term career strategy to spend more on your graduate degree than undergraduate degree.
• Learn the many ways a college or career school will offer a discount on tuition based on your family status.
Work-Study Programs
• We will show you how work-study programs can help pay your college costs and earn valuable experience
• We discuss the Federal Work-Study program is the largest source of part-time jobs for undergraduate students
Future Career Earning Information
• We provide detailed information about resources that can help you project what salaries can be earned in different fields, as well as specific jobs within a certain field.
• For example, we show you what you can earn as a software engineer, a programmer, systems analyst etc…
• We even show you how to determine what you will earn working for a private company, the government, private practice, etc…
Are You and Harvard a Good Match?
• Learn how to determine the different characteristics and issues that a college is interested in, and how to make yourself fit the profile of that college so you have a better chance of getting maximum financial aid.
• Learn the “five step” admission process that many colleges use which is closely related to the financial aid process so you can take the required steps to maximize your chances of getting maximum financial aid.
• Learn how to make yourself stand out in a crowd of applicants.
• Learn the most effective way to show how your high school, extra-curricular, and work experience makes you the best candidate for any college to which you apply.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Learn the right way for you and your parents to complete the FAFSA.
• Learn how issues like divorce, dead-beat parents and other issues can best be dealt with regarding the FAFSA.
• Learn about how the “FAFSA Forecaster” can help you determine what your expected family contribution will be so you can better plan your complete financial aid strategy.
Scholarships and Grants – “Free” Money
• We provide all the major sources of free information that are available so you NEVER EVER !! need to pay for this information.
• We show you the benefits of private vs. public colleges with regard to scholarships and other financial aid.
• We show you the difference between colleges that are “need blind” vs. colleges that are “need aware”.
The Financial Aid Office – Why You Should Make Them Your Best Friend
• We show you how to communicate with the financial aid office and why you should develop a relationship with the Financial Aid Administrator (FAA).
• We show you how to effectively communicate with the FAA via telephone, email and letter.
• We show you the “five things” to ask a financial aid advisor before you commit to a college.
• Learn how to find “unpublished scholarships” and other financial aid that can only be discovered by working with a financial aid administrator.
A Financial Aid Goldmine
• Learn free sources that will tell you how to ask the right questions, when you visit a college, from college tour guides, faculty, admissions and financial aid staff.
• We show you how to find information about affordable four-year schools with good outcomes, colleges that advance opportunities for under-privileged students, affordable schools whose graduates have high salaries and more.
• We also show you how to find schools with students that have trouble paying off their loans and have trouble graduating.
• We show you sources of federal student financial aid that provide videos, publications, fact sheets, online tools and more.
• We show you sources of information for military families, undocumented students, Native American students, foster kids and homeless youth.
• Learn the six questions to ask if applying to a “test optional” school.