My daughter has been doing well in school. She had all a's and b's until last year. In her tenth grade year she got a C in math. She has taken high honor classes since junior high, and is now in two advance placement classes. She is in eleventh grade. All her life I have encouraged her if she did well she would be able to get scholarships, maybe even a full scholarship. I think the C took care of that she will no longer qualify for the national honor society. (I think) I am not considered low income by the goverment standards. I am disabled and my husband is a plumber. I have three other children. I just have not saved enough, although I have tried. My daughter is really wanting a law degree. She wanted to go to Michigan State. We live in New York. Any Idea how to achieve this goal? I know there are loans and grants available. How do I find these and How do I go about applying and know which ones to apply for. My daughter is about to give up her goal. She knows we dont have the money.
2006-11-01
02:29:52
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24 answers
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asked by
Anonymous
in
Education & Reference
➔ Financial Aid
My daughter says her school counselor has not been to helpful. We live in a small town. Do you have to be low income to qualify for finiancial aid? P. S. As I said I live in a small town there are no local colleges other than a community college. She really don't wnat to go that route. Help.
2006-11-01
02:37:46 ·
update #1
Also, how do we look it up at the library? Someone suggested this.
2006-11-01
02:38:42 ·
update #2
Also, when does she apply for finiancial aid, this year or next year?
2006-11-01
02:42:15 ·
update #3
ThinkingM You said you were appauled as parents that I and her father are not bending over backwards and exhausting all means. What do you think I am trying to do. I am trying to get information. You dont know my finiancial situation, as well as you said to look at my employment. I said I was disabled. I hope you are never in this situation with your kids. Also I want to thank everyone for their good answers.
2006-11-02
02:38:30 ·
update #4
Before you begin applying for financial aid, start off by listing your scholarship advantages.
Are you a minority?
Does your daughter do community service? (If not, have her begin immediately. Scholarships love community service, and there are few you'll come across that don't have some sort of community service effort as a requirement.)
Have you or your husband ever been in the military?
Does your daughter enjoy art, writing, any particular sports, etc.?
Is your household low-income? (Many scholarships will ask you this question; be sure to mention that you have three children when you answer it, as they will be more sympathetic to people who have more children on their way to college soon.)
These are just some of the most common criteria and categories for the many, many scholarships out there for your daughter to claim. Hard work now will pay off later. Apply for ALL the scholarships you qualify for, no matter how small the reward is. The 500 dollar scholarship you might blow off as not being worth your time will easily pay for two semester's worth of textbooks. The more money you win, the less you will have to borrow or work for-- which leads me to my second suggestion.
Loans suck. As some who's 50k in debt with two more years of school to go, I can attest to this. But they're a necessary part of college life, especially if you can't get enough scholarships and government aid to make ends meet. Citibank, Sallie Mae and Bank of America are just some of the many student loan organizations present in the US today. Most of them have similar terms, but shop around and see what works best for you. Always defer your loan until after you graduate; it will give you time to pay it off in pieces during school without having the stress of a bill coming to you every month. Remember, almost EVERYONE takes out a loan to get them through college, especially for lengthy degrees like law and medical. If I'm not mistaken, lawyers are able to work pro-bono for the government after their graduation for a certain period to get their student loans paid off by the government. I know it sounds like a lot of money to pay back, but it will probably be a drop in the bucket compared to some of the other loans she'll take out in her lifetime.
Work study is nice, but may not be worth it depending on the school. At the one I attend, work study wages are six dollars an hour at 20 hours a week; most kids make more working the same hours waiting tables at local restauraunts. It's also up to the school as to whether or not your daughter will qualify for it, so keep that in mind.
There's so much more I could say, but much of it has been covered in the posts above. One thing I will say is don't force your daughter to go to school in-state just because it's cheaper. If she has a dream school, she should apply for it no matter what the costs; she's paying too much for a college education to settle for anything less than whatever school she thinks will best secure her a future career. It's also never too early to apply for scholarships; as a junior, I'd suggest she apply to at least three a month for the next two years. There's no way she CAN'T make money that way.
2006-11-01 12:24:27
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answer #1
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answered by OodlesofNoodles 3
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She could still qualify for NHS more importantly you want he to take the PSAT/NMSQT as it is the best scholarship in the US for undergrads. The National Merit Scholarship is based on the PSAT scores and, if you do well, just being a finalist gets you some money for financial aid. If you win they pay for all four years at any school including books and living expenses on campus usually. Also, I am appauled that, as parents, you are not willing to bend over backwards and exhaust every possible means of financing her dream. Don't kill her dreams out of your own fears. Loans are great things. Also, call the schools she wants to attend and ask about financial aid, every one will send information about it. Start building a file. Do not let her limit herself to ONE school either. Grades being good does not guarentee a spot in any school anymore. MSU may not accept her you never know so encourage her to apply. Also, community colleges are not bad choices and one thing they can do is help you with the issues you have. Most community colleges have a career center and are very up to date on transfer information to schools. they have connections you do not have and you should USE THAT! She can take courses their at the age of 16 for college credit (that seems to be the standard anyways). Every little bit helps with admissions. Also, look at where you work, where your husband works, was anyone in the family a veteran, etc. Have her get a part time job at walmart, mcdonalds, etc. they all offer employees scholarships.
don't let her give up.....
great place to start is the financial aid office of the schools she wants to go to, the community college can help, and fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can after your taxes are complete the spring of the year she will attend college.
2006-11-01 11:10:06
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answer #2
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answered by ThinkingMan2006 4
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One C is not an automatic out of the game. Her overall GPA will determine if she can qualify for scholarships. First off when she gets ready for college her senior year in February of her senior year you fill out the FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student aid. Here is the link
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
You include your income etc and than about June they will send you an award letter stating what you are eligible to receive from the government. You send the form back with what you are going to take. This form has to be redone every year she is in college.
Also have her talk to her guidance counselor at school they will be able to give her information about scholarship programs. My guidance counselor had tons of information available. You could do a web search for scholarships.
Once she gets into college set up a meeting with that schools financial aid department. They will be able to give you resources on reliable student loan companies.
Most of this stuff is for undergraduate programs. If she wants to be a lawyer FAFSA is not available for grad students. If she gets really good grade she would be eligible to be part of a graduate assistant program. In short she gets her tuition paid (she'll have to pay for books and class fees) and a stipend. In return she becomes an assistant in which she will either A) teach basic level law courses or B) help out and do work for a professor. This is about 20 hours a week of her time. Student loans are also available at this point to.
There are plenty of financial aid out there you just have to find it. Also if she does get loans as long as she is in school she won't have to pay the loans until six months after she is finished with school.
Best of luck
2006-11-01 10:45:46
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answer #3
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answered by butterflykisses427 5
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Have her stay at home( saves room and board
Have her go to a local state school( tuition is still cheap)
Have her do work study and or work a part time job in addition to going to school.
Have her work every summer and save up her money for tuition or additional expenses during the upcoming school year
Have her research and apply to as many scholarships as she can
Have her take a free career assessment test so she is sure of what she wants to major in( switching majors can be expensive)
If your family does not have the money to send her to Michigan make sure she works very hard on her own. do research on the internet.. there are a lot of stories of kids who got tons of student loans because they wanted to go to a certain school, and then the graduate with like 60K in debt just from undergrad and can only find a job makeing $8/hour. Make sure that she gets her degree and training as cheaply and unburdensome as possible.
2006-11-01 10:39:08
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answer #4
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answered by butterfly234 4
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At every college there are advisors. Your daughter needs to apply for colleges that she wishes to go to, and then she needs to find out where she gets accepted. This procedure will not have anything to do with money (maybe politics if she wants to apply for ivy league-type places, but most schools will look at GPA and perhaps a personal statement).
Once she has decided on a few potential schools, she needs to meet with an advisor. These people are paid to be experts in not only planning a student's education, but also helping with the financial aspects of it. Many, many, MANY college students take out loans/grants and make it through just fine. I did it and so did most of my classmates in both undergraduate and graduate school.
As they say, educational loans are the best loans to have...it's true.
2006-11-01 10:36:30
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answer #5
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answered by . 3
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Make an appointment with the Financial Aid advisor at the school your daughter wants to attend. They will explain everything to you. I live in NY also & I had to take out student loans all four years when I went to college.
I see everyone is telling you about FAFSA - the Financial Aid office will explain that as well.
2006-11-01 10:33:50
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answer #6
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answered by It'sMe23 5
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financial aid can be complicated....there are many aid offices in colleges nationwide. as for scholarships, try fastweb.com which lists the scholarships you may be eligible for..there are also books you can pick up at you local bookstore listing scholarships by degree choice. financial ad is often applied for online at fafsa...a word you will bebome all too familiar with. if you own your home you could take out a ewuity line of credit, which will provide a low interest rate. good luck
2006-11-01 10:33:39
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answer #7
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answered by moluvsmark 4
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Try applying for FAFSA. They will ask for your tax information. She might get scholarships, or grants but if nothing else, she would be eligible for loans that she can pay back after she graduates. I hope she has more luck than I did. My parents absolutely refuse to give me their tax information therefore, seeing how I am under the age of 24 and not in the millitary, I am not eligible for anything. I think my parents are in the same boat you are anyway.
2006-11-01 10:34:58
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answer #8
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answered by Bear 5
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There are literally hundreds of grants and loans that she could apply for. In Ky we have KEES, which gives you money for college based on your high school grades. If there's anything in your state like that, it would definitely be worth looking in to. Let's not forget of course a very obvious option...the military. Depending on the branch and the state they will pay for 100% of tuition, and the only expenses you're left with are books and housing.
2006-11-01 10:35:16
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answer #9
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answered by p_lo25 3
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She can apply for grants, scholarships, and for financial aid at the university. If none of those work, loans are another option.
2006-11-01 10:36:10
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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