Financial Aid Scoop!

In my last post, I ran through six tips on finding college money. A brief review:
If you’d like a reprint of that blog, send an email to: info@collegeplanningadvice.com.



Now, let’s look at the rest of the tips.

7. Make sure you get your application in on time. Missing a deadline just means you wasted your time, since most often, you will automatically be disqualified.

8. Don’t assume you don’t qualify just because you don’t have a perfect GPA or perfect SAT scores. During the research process, you can learn what they are looking for and many sponsors are looking for something other than grades, like community service or a religious affiliation.

9. Read the directions. Don’t leave sections blank. I know this sounds obvious, but we see a lot of students make simple mistakes because they didn’t take the time to read everything first.

10. Write a good essay about something you’re enthusiastic about. Put some time into it, then let it sit a couple of days before you come back and proofread it. Make sure it goes in without any blatant spelling or grammatical errors.

11. If required, get letters of recommendation from people who will do a good job for you, not just whoever is handy and can get it done quickly.

12. Start NOW. As in RIGHT NOW. Don’t wait until you’re a senior or already in college.
Lastly, don’t forget to apply for financial aid, even if you think that you don’t qualify or your family makes too much money. This is where over $100 billion each year is available, versus less than three billion for scholarship money. Many parents miss this altogether.

With these tips in hand, I can’t guarantee you that you’ll get anything. However, I can assure you that you will be taking steps that will ‘stack the deck’ in your favor and dramatically improve your odds. Good luck and happy hunting!

Andrew Lockwood, J.D. is co-owner of College Planning Specialists in Weston. He and his partner, Peter Ratzan, M.B.A., offer free, live workshops on topics such as “5 Myths About Qualifying for Financial Aid” and “3 Critical Questions You Must Ask The Financial Aid Office Before You Apply.” For more information visit http://www.collegeplanningadvice.com/