Find Funding for College 20: Get Help or Do This in Groups

This continues our series about how to find funding for college

Completing all the work we’ve discussed in previous posts requires a lot of work. Finding all the sources of grants, scholarships, work-study, and even loans takes time. Preparing reusable master applications, essays, and letters of recommendation intimidates most potential college students—youth or adults. Doing it all by yourself increases anxiety and can cause you to quit. So, build a team of people who support and assist you.

Several People Will Help…

• High school guidance counselors (if you are still in high school or recently graduated) can help you find financial aid and prepare your reusable materials. Ask the one who maintains the scholarship information on your high school’s web page.
• College financial aid counselors will help you with money specific to their school, but usually not outside sources. For-profit, proprietary colleges generally do not receive a lot of scholarships, but they will help you apply for grants and lots of loans. They help with your FAFSA.
• English teachers can help you prepare reusable essays and other reusable materials—if asked appropriately. They will review and edit your essays and master application 2-3 times to make them perfect.
• Parents share a great motivation to help you find funding for college. The more you find, the less they pay. Let them help. Don’t fight them.
• Friends can work together to find and apply for financial aid. Frequently, your friends share some of the same themes and experiences. You can help one another remember and prepare home run statements. Stay focused. Don’t just play.

…If You Ask Nicely

We expect teachers and guidance counselors to do more work than possible, with huge caseloads—and for tiny, inadequate salaries. They will work hard for serious students. So, we suggest you use ask for help using the following script:

“Mr. or Ms. Smith, I’m going to apply for more than 100 grants and scholarships. Would you help me make sure my master application (or essays, or letters of recommendation) are perfect?”

Friday we will summarize all the steps and put them together into an efficient process