52 Weeks to College -- Week 22: Financial Aid: Be Aware and Get It Done!

Guess what? February is Financial Aid Awareness Month! It's true. And for all of you who are planning to start college in the fall, it is definitely the time to think about financial aid. Here are a few things that you should be aware of and do something about this week if you are staying on track with the 52 Weeks to College plan. (A previous posting also talked about Financial Aid so start with that if you haven't been following along week by week.)

1. Get your FAFSA and CSS Profile completed and submitted. You can do both of them online, but deadlines are looming for most college financial aid processes, so don't delay! By the way, if your parents are resisting filling out the FAFSA because they did it for older siblings and it was a big pain and they didn't get the financial aid they wanted, let them know that the FAFSA has gotten much easier and that older siblings in school reduces the estimated family contribution.
2. Research (if you haven't already) scholarships for which you may be eligible. The College Board has a good basic outline for how to go about doing that. Please heed their warning regarding scholarship finder scams. They are real and every year some families get taken in by them and I hate that.
3. Educate yourself about what's going on in terms of changes in the law that will benefit you and your family - for example, new legislation will increase the amount of Pell Grants in the coming years. A good summary (and quick read) has been put together by U.S. News.

Comments or Questions?

Celebrate completing your financial aid applications with a "Wahoo!" posting or get encouragement if you are having trouble getting it done with a "Need Cheerleading" posting!

Alison Cooper Chisolm writes the series 52 Weeks to College. She has worked in admissions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Chicago, and most recently Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School. As part of the Ivey Consulting team, Alison works with college applicants and their families as they navigate the college admissions process. Read more about Alison here.