Don't bame me for your poor planning!

Don't get me wrong, I wish I could do more for you, but when you wait to apply for financial aid until the last possible minute, don't apply for private scholarships and have not saved any $$ towards your education...why would poor planning on your part be my responsibility to fix??? IT ISN"T! 

Here is the scenario, Joe Blow from Idaho wants’ his son to come to my college.  My college is expensive, he can possibly get state grants, private scholarships, Vocational rehabilitation funding, and we also provide very generous scholarships...we don't cover the whole bill.  We are not a charitable foundation; we are a college that needs to make sure we have enough cash flow to keep us going... You waited until mid-June to apply for aid; -our priority deadline is March 1st!  You want a full ride, we can offer you half.  You think I am not being generous enough and call the President.   Will you ever learn that old saying "early bird gets the worm?"  Will you ever teach that important trait to your kid?? Not likely but I have hope.

So here goes, for all of you out there sending your little kittens off to college for the first time, here are the rules.

1. Know the deadlines, stick to them ~ they are not suggestions; if you had a deadline at work would you blow it off?
2. Review the financial aid website for your school, get to know what the steps are for aid and follow them.  If you had a task handed to you to complete and given a manual...would you just wing it?
3. Contact the financial aid office to make sure you've completed what you need to do, Don't HOUND your financial aid office by calling every day.  If your boss gave you a list of task's to take care of, would you follow up often to get the list again?
4. You've received some paperwork from the financial aid office and it looks like someone made a mistake, you should call and check with the office to find out.  The office either confirms that it is correct or confirms that it is an error and corrects it.  You do not then call every other office to complain (unless you actually get horrible customer service).  If you received a polite apology and immediate corrections are made, thank the person for helping and leave it alone.  The financial aid office is staffed with people, not robots.  Errors happen on occasion ~ we are all human, if you call and continue to harass the staff after they have fixed the issue ~ that makes you a problem that they do not want to deal with, and when future opportunities open up, you will end up on the bottom of the list!   (You catch more flies with Honey, vinegar makes you stink!)
5. Even with all the extra effort, you find that you still have a gap in funding and it looks like you won’t be able to send your child.  Call the financial aid office, tell them exactly how much you still need to come up with and ask them if they can point you in the right direction to find the funding.  If they still have scholarship funds available and the amount is reasonable, they will add it  If funding is not available, they will let you know about private scholarships, loans etc.  (look at #4, if you gave them vinegar the last time you called ~ you are out of luck!)

Happy hunting

Don't Pay for Financial Aid assistance

Sadly, companies are springing up all over the place lately offering to assist you in finding scholarship and financial aid for a small fee....DON"T DO IT!!!!  Many of these companies are just scamming you and will not be able to provide you with any additional assistance if any at all-They are taking your money and running.  Other companies will assist you, however all of this information is available to you already ~ you do not need to pay them to get the funding to pay for college.  Start by learning about the federal funding available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/  There are additional links available to you through the Department of Education like http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/  Both of these websites are direct sites for Federal aid and you can rest assured especially if you check that your using a .gov site which indicates that is is indeed a Government site and note a fake.  You should also check with your local librarian for scholarships through the community ~ many will have listings available at the Library.  You can use the world wide web to also search for scholarships ~ but always be careful when entering your information that the site you are using is reputable http://www.fastweb.com/ is a good search engine to use and it allows you to search for scholarships using a selection of criteria that you choose.  I strongly suggest casting your net wide when it comes to private scholarships! 

Again, have to state that you NEVER should send in any $$ for financial aid ~ No application fees, no service fees ~ NO FEES.  If they are asking you to pay a fee for a scholarship, they are NOT a reputable scholarship organization.

Good Luck in your funding search, and remember that your financial aid office at the college of your dreams wants to ensure that you come to their college. ~ they are your partners in this process.

Re-thinking this Blog Thing...

OK, I love shopping and all that but have to say after talking with families and students about financial aid all day and then hearing from friends and families about their Financial Aid questions at night...got me thinking.  Why am I fighting the wave, I need to just stand up and surf!  so here is my informal information on financial aid...  Federal Aid is not going to cover all of your expenses no matter how "poor" you cry.  You need to be looking out for private scholarships, incentives through your work, saving saving saving...and being smart with the money you do have.  Parent's need to start saving for retirement, don't wait until your kids are out of college, by then you have missed your prime opportunity to save.  (Don't you ever listen to Suzie Orman??) Anyway, start looking for private scholarships when your kid is a Junior in High School.  Get to know the deadlines for applying and what application materials are requested.  Become good friends with the local librarian ~ she's the one who keeps a list of scholarships available through the town's local Elks, Lodge, Women's club etc.  Set your net wide, for every 20 scholarships you apply for, your lucky to get 1 or 2 .  Look into borrowing smart, check out the interest rates for Parent Plus loans (right now they are at 7.9%) www.studentloans.gov You may not be able to get a better rate with a private personal loan or re-finance...but who knows, check into it.  If you have a financial advisor, you should be talking with them about your goals including your intent to support your child's education, or not.  Just to give you a heads up on the whole Federal aid thing, at most for the 2012-2013 year you MAY be eligible for a Pell grant of up to $5,550 and your student if under the age of 24 can borrow $5,500 of Direct loans their freshman year.  If your child is planning on going to the state school and cost are low for tuition and fees you could be OK. But, don't forget about the other costs like books, supplies, computer, transportation and they all have to eat, whether they are living at home and commuting or living on campus, these additional expenses can add up quickly.      My advice to you is again.  1. Start Early 2. Find out about the total costs of the school 3. Investigate private scholarships 4. Know the deadlines and complete all the forms required by the schools Financial aid office 5.  Keep your fingers crossed and pray!

Good Luck

What a day!

Oh Dear Blog, I've Missed you!  It's been a long time hasn't it, but I am back!  My husbands birthday is tomorrow and I still haven't gotten him a gift..I know...strange that a shop-o-holic hasn't shopped yet for her hubby.  I have a hard time shopping for him, he's not that easy to shop for.  He never tells me what he want's until the very last second and purchases what he wants/needs as he wants/needs it.  He only likes practical gifts etc...You have met this type of guy...anyway...He cut me a break early, his hammer went missing 2 nights ago...Now I have something to get for him...wonder if he minds if I pick up a pink one with sparkles :)

Just kidding, I am getting a hammer ~ a very normal everyday mans hammer AND new shorts for the summer, I just received an on-line coupon for my favorite store "Label Shopper".  I'm sure I can pick him up something great to wear that is both practical and fits into what I like to buy ~ CLOTHES!

Happy Reading