I need assistance with financial aid/scholarships, what are my options?

Question

My son will be a senior this fall (in high school) and I would like to start applying for financial aid for college.

He is a talented basketball player and artist so he is also interested in financial aid as well as scholarships for Art schools as well.

Whatever detailed information you can provide me with, I'd very much appreciate it.

I just want to get a jump start on things if possible.

Thank you all.

Answer 1

Look online for sites like www.fastweb.com, I know there's more but I can't remember the names. Also make sure you fill out the FAFSA forms. They will help a lot too.

Encourage him to do community service as well. I got my biggest scholarship ($50,000 to be used over 4 years) because of all the service I did. It also looks GREAT on his applications because he would look like a good, well-rounded person.

Find all the scholarhips you can and apply for everything you can! And the earlier you apply, the better! Even $50 will help when it comes down to paying off those loans. Even if it involves writing essays and stuff. Just get him to do it. It will save you so much frustration in the future. Take loans if you need to, but get them early and try to get the lowest rates you can. Search around for the best ones. Many colleges also offer specific loans like the Perkins Loan or Stafford Loan which are much lower interest and are provided through the school. Your local bank should be able to help you with all the details on other loans. Don't worry too much about the money though. Let him go where WANTS to go and where he knows he will get the best education for his money.

And don't shy away from private schools! Even though they might have a $50,000 price tag, they typically give out MUCH more financial aid than the $10,000 state schools. I go to a private school and it ended up costing thousands less than the two state schools I was looking at because they provided so much additional aid. Look into every college you can! You never know what they might have to offer!

Encourage him to go to college in-state if you can. Then you automatically get a state grant. You also get a cheaper tuition if it's a state school (same tuition if it's a private school).

Good attendance is also a huge plus. College do look at attendance and if they see he is always in school, that will also help his acceptance rate. Also focus on tests like the SAT, ACT or other standardized tests. They're not a sole factor on acceptance or anything, but also make you look like a good student and they might offer extended financial aid.

Have him take honors classes if he feels up to it. Don't push too hard, because it's NOT true that a C in an Honors class is equivelant to an A in a regular class. He can also take SAT II subject tests. I think there might be additional aid involved if he does well on those tests. It also make him look like a better student. The tend to cost around $100 each though.

Have him talk to his art teacher(s) and basketball coach(es) about possible scholarships as well. And if he's planing on playing at the college level, definately have him contact colleges and invite them to come watch him play. (Make him do the contacting though, it makes him look more mature and independent if he does it himself instead of you doing it). Many college coaches would love to see him play so they can get an idea how he would play on the college's team. If he has any art work hanging up in an art show or exhibit, also contact schools and invite them to come. Assuming they're not too far away of course. I don't think they'd fly across the country for a two hour basketball game or anything.

Have him work hard on his application!! Don't let him leave it go until the week before the due date! The earlier he gets it in, the more money the school has to distrubute for financial aid. Take a couple weeks doing it, proofreading it, perfecting it, and definately re-reading it. He would also less likely to forget stuff. If you wait too long, the money is already all given out. If he decides what school he definately wants to go to, no doubts, have him apply for early enrollment. It's basically a guarantee that he WILL go to the school and he gets tied into it, however they offer additional scholarships and grants for early enrollers. But that means he needs to have his application in by August I think. That determines how much money is left to be distrubuted among the regular admisisons.

Encourage him to join and be involved in as many clubs and organizations as possible. National Honors Society, Spanish Club, Leo/Key Club, etc. The National Honors Society offers a pretty hefty scholarship to it's members, and many other clubs are willing to give other small scholarships. Make sure he goes to his guidance counselor as well and asks about his options. Many high schools have a whole book full of possible scholarships that students could get.


That's all I can think of right now. Good for you on trying to get a jump start on this!! It's never too soon to start looking!

Answer 2

I would contact the colleges that he is most interested in for basketball scholarships. If he is a good student, you can also ask about academic scholarships. As for financial aid, you won't be able to apply for that until late spring/early summer before his first semester of college starts. However, if you have a low income and could possible get government grants, you must file your FAFSA by March 10 (give or take a day, it could change from year to year) to be eligible for any aid from the government. Even if you file your FAFSA after that deadline, you will still be able to apply for student or parent loans. Once he gets accepted into the college, they will send you information on all of this. Good Luck!

Answer 3

First off, fill out the FAFSA. This will determine how much you are expected to provied him with. Buy him some prep books for the SAT and ACT if he has not already taken them yet so he can get the highest score possible. He needs to go scholarship hunting, you cannot do that for him. He needs to start getting used to doing more things for himself and only he will know which scholarships he will have the best chances of getting.

Answer 4

First apply for federal aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov

Then apply for scholarships at www.fastweb.com ------ you can find many different scholarships here.

Also each school should have their own scholaship offers. Ask for an application if they do.

It's a good thing you are applying way ahead of many others since there are limited funds to help meet a student's college expenses.

Answer 5

Check out www.fafsa.gov and apply for federal financial aid. Call his counselor and ask if they can recommend any specific scholarships to apply for. Never apply for anything that asks for an application fee or asks you to pay for them to find scholarships for you to apply for.

Answer 6

Also, look at what the Army Recruiters can do for you. Not only do they recruit for the Army, they offer college and career counseling. Take a look, see what they have to offer.

Answer 7

http://www.daylon.com/scholarship/

that might help.