Look for scholarship opportunities. Some employers
offer scholarship money to children of employees. Sometimes local
organizations have scholarship programs for high school seniors.
Meet with your high school counselor to get information on scholarships.
Check the local library and search the Internet to see if you
can find other scholarship opportunities, and tell everyone you
know to send scholarship information your way.
Request
applications and financial-aid information from colleges you're interested in.
Register to take the SAT or ACT and enroll in an
SAT or ACT preparation
course-- test scores
are often among the
criteria used to determine
scholarship winners.
Although it's too early to complete a FAFSA,
or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, use an EFC
calculator to get an early read on your eligibility for financial
assistance.
October
Attend
college fairs and financial aid workshops. These might be sources of additional
information about scholarships, grants and other types of financial aid.
"Early
action" or "early
decision" applicants applying
for financial aid usually
are required by this time
to complete aid applications
using estimated income
figures.
Visit college campuses. Compare costs
of colleges so you get an idea of how much money will be needed.
Buy a college-planning calendar, and each time
you find out a scholarship or financial aid deadline, schedule
it.
Continue to contact prospective colleges and find
out their deadlines for scholarship and financial aid applications,
as well as any paperwork you'll need to submit. Also, request
application forms from them, and schedule deadlines on your calendar.
November
Request a PIN, or personal identification number,
from the Department of Education. Your PIN will significantly
reduce processing time on your FAFSA.
Work
on applications for admissions, scholarships and grants.
Complete applications for early decision programs
first.
Request
transcripts and letters of recommendation, which are often needed to complete
applications.
Continue
looking for additional
sources of money.
December
Start getting
family financial information in order if you plan to apply for financial aid.
Among the items you'll want to gather are bank statements and records of benefits
from government agencies such as the Social Security Administration.
Make sure you get a FAFSA application from your
high school counselor's office before school closes for winter
vacation. The FAFSA
of course, can also be filed online. If you're planning to file
online, visit the site and begin to familiarize yourself with
the site and the application.
