Financial aid
Financial aid helps students, and their families pay for college. Financial aid covers educational expenses including tuition and fees, housing and board, books and supplies, and transportation. There are several types of financial aid, including grants and scholarships. How do you get financial aid? First, you should call the college financial aid office to ask about the appeals process for students, which is just calling and talking to the financial office about applying. After you get a hold of the financial aid office you should identify the exceptional circumstances that affect your ability to pay for college like you are unable to provide parental information, you’re at risk of being homeless, or you are seeking an unsubsidized loan only. Then write an appeal letter and wait for them to get back to you.
“At first, I did not have to worry about a car payment, but I was also getting financial aid for my first year of college so that helped a lot. But after the second year, some things happened in my family where I had to pay for my sister’s things before, she was in the hospital for quite a bit. That made it harder to save for college because I already was not making enough at work to pay for a car payment and these other bills. Plus, I was not getting anything from financial aid in the second year,” Des Moines Area Community College student Taylor Wick said.
College classes in high school
Many community colleges allow high school students to take certain classes. Sometimes high school students are only able to enroll in introductory classes while in high school, and they may also be required to submit their high school transcript or a teacher recommendation as proof that they can handle a college-level course. By taking college courses in high school, it boosts your chances of qualifying for more scholarships and can improve your odds of graduating from college on time or early.
“We 100 percent recommend that students take college classes while in high school if they are academically able. These classes will help prepare them for the classes they will take when they go to college. When you go to college you have to PAY to take classes, or you can take some of them in high school for FREE! It gives you a head start once you get to college, helping you graduate from college early or take more classes of interest,” TRIO Educational Talent Search (ETS) Coordinator Sarah Clark said.
Setting up a Budget
By creating a realistic spending and budgeting plan, you can keep track of your spending’s and plan financially for the future. The average high school student pays around $42-$55 going out to eat per week. When you are wanting to save money for college but need to go grocery shopping instead of going out to eat. Fill your fridge with some healthy or snacky foods. Here are a couple of cheap snack items you can buy,
•Cheese sticks- these are good on the go snack if you are in a hurry
•Fruit- fruit is very healthy and can be good breakfast foods
•Trail mix- this snack has lots of nutrients and a good amount of fiber.
Using a budgeting notebook or a normal notebook you can plan out how much rent, bills, etc. will cost for the month and you can add in your paycheck and see how much you have left after bills to save or spend responsibly.
Educational Talent Search (ETS)
ETS is a program for kids six through 12th grade to help them better themselves for college. Educational Talent Search (ETS) is 100% funded by the U.S. Department of Education. They split students up by grade level and do meetings to talk about budgeting, different ways to get into college, and different types of colleges. To be in ETS, students must always keep a GPA of 2.0 or higher. This program helps kids understand how colleges work and to be ready for the future and is offered all over the United States.
“I have been in ETS for two or three years and it helped me prepare for the future. It also helps me learn about college and how to get into college. Some of the things that I learned in ETS is how to budget your money and the different types of collages there is,” ETS student Caitlin Taylor said.
Finding different ways to save money and find programs to help you get into college is important because having a college degree can help you find your dream job.