Tag: college application

Financial Aid for College

Everyone is rightly concerned about the costs of post-high school education. I often describe college costs as “funny money” because it can be quite unsettling to hear statements like “community college is only $1,000 a semester” or “public school is pretty inexpensive compared to public universities at $25,000 a year”.

There are so many things to take into consideration when considering the costs of a college education. As you begin researching colleges and universities, you first want to count the cost.

What are the costs associated with your student’s school choices? The total cost generally includes the following: tuition, fees, books, living expenses, food expenses, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses. A couple of places to do research and compare costs is to look at Niche.com, USNews&WorldReport.com, and BigFuture/CollegeBoard.org. Each of these resources has a Net Calculator and basic cost charts for you to compare each school.

I suggest considering both private and public colleges and universities. Private schools can be more expensive, but they also provide more scholarship opportunities. As you explore your options, one important factor to consider is the percentage of students receiving financial aid. Some schools have rates as high as 99%, ensuring that nearly all attending students receive some form of financial assistance, such as grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans. Another crucial figure to examine is the Net Price, which reveals the average expenses after accounting for scholarships and awards.

In the fall of your student’s senior year, you will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In Texas, all public school students must complete the form before graduation. Even as a homeschool student, most colleges and universities will require the FAFSA for the student to receive financial aid. Below are links for the FAFSA and other relevant forms.

FAFSA – federal and state grants, work study and loans

CSS Profile – non-federal institutional aid for participating universities

TAFSA – state of Texas grants and loans for non-citizens and non-permanent resident students

Your next source of scholarships and academic awards come from the institution themselves. These can be based on many factors and are unique to each college and university. There are numerous scholarships even for 2-year colleges and technical schools. With some state schools, the scholarship applications are built into the ApplyTexas and CommonApp application. I recommend meeting with a Financial Aid officer from all the schools your student is accepted to review their many scholarship opportunities.

The time students spend looking for and applying for college scholarships is very valuable. It’s like having a job that pays $500 per hour. It’s really worth the effort. There are a lot of resources available online for finding scholarships. The more specific you are in your search, the better chance you have of getting a scholarship. For instance, you can look for scholarships that match your ancestry, your college major, or the area you live in. Here are some of my favorite search engines for finding personalized scholarships:

Going Merry      

Raise.me

Bold.org

SallieMae.com

Find Your Christian College/Financial Aid

FAFSA Checklist: ICanSucceed.org

For additional and more in-depth assistance, I can recommend Yorkshire College Planning.

Looking for in-depth guidance on assisting your student in choosing a major, researching colleges and scholarships? Explore the different opportunities I offer to meet your family’s needs which include Aptitude and Interest Advising, College and Career Classes, Finding Financial Aid Workshops, and Completing the College Application Workshops. I thoroughly enjoy meeting families for personalized consultations to devise the best high school and college plans for your student(s).

Reach out at my Contact Me page or email me at sharianne@ccctoolbox.com

The High School Transcript

The purpose of the high school transcript is to create a legal document detailing courses taken over the last four years of a student’s high school education. It may not be “required” if your student never attends a four year university, but it is the legal documentation proving a successful completion of their education that supports the awarding of his/her diploma.

At any time in the near or far future, your child may be asked for his/her high school transcript for college application, tech school, private school, employment, or even scholarship awards. Better to be prepared and ready!

There are two designs for transcripts: one that details all the courses by school year and one that details all the courses by subject matter. Either is acceptable and recognizable in the college admissions process. Here are two examples:

Sample Transcript by Year

Sample Transcript by Subject

Items that must be included in the transcript: Full name according to birth certificate, date of birth, name of school, parents’ names if applicable, student contact information (email, cell phone or both), address, completion year of individual courses, letter and number grades, amount of credit for each individual course, grading scale, notations if courses taken as dual credit or with a co-op, grade point average, graduation date (once completed), parent (or admin) signature and date, and notary signature and date. Adding official entrance exam scores like SAT, ACT, or CLT are optional, yet sometimes helpful to the process.

The key to building and creating a thorough transcript is keeping sufficient records. For each year, it is best to keep a list of courses taken, curriculum used, grades acquired, and time spent. These all play a part in determining course names, credits and grade point averages.

In the Building the High School Transcript Workshops, we will work together to plan, organize and create the high school transcript for your student. This workshop is now available ON-DEMAND.

If you are looking for more individualized assistance in producing a professional transcript ready for college applications, feel free to contact me: sharianne@ccctoolbox.com.