We have received post cards touting a financial aid search service; should we enroll in such a service, or is it a scam?

I generally advise parents to stay away from any financial aid or scholarship service that charges a fee for their services. Although the service in question may find several scholarships your student qualifies for, they cannot guarantee your student will actually win these scholarships. He will still have to apply, meet the requirements, write the essay, etc.

What these services do is provide a list of possible matches, but there is no increased chance or guarantee of your student being awarded the scholarship(s) found. It’s just as easy to use one of the many free resources available to conduct your own search.

You may also run across a service that will try and charge you for filling out the FAFSA. If so, run the other way! You are most definitely on the wrong website! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is just that…FREE. I once had a parent fill out the entire form online, get to the end, and then was charged a $50 “processing fee.” When she told me this and I went to the website she mentioned, it was clear she was not on the actual FAFSA site. The website she was on was trying to take advantage of her ignorance. The real site FAFSA site will never attempt to charge you; as I mentioned before, it’s free.

Lastly, check out the public library. They will often carry books that list many obscure scholarships which your student may qualify for, but are relatively unknown.

Parents ask me this all the time, and the good news is “yes,” it is possible, but it may take some work from both you and your student to achieve. Just the other day a parent emailed me the following question:

What types of financial aid are available for my student and how can we keep up with all the application deadlines?

There are many resources available, and the first one that every financial aid department will suggest you check out is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is a Federal form used to determine the amount of state and federal aid a student qualifies for, based upon need. There are grants, loans and work-study programs available through this service. Federal Pell grants and Stafford loans are two of the most popular. There may also be state aid available, depending on your state of residence. The priority deadline for the FAFSA is March 1st, so be sure it’s submitted well before then.

Since Federal and state aid can have strings attached, some parents choose to forgo this type of financial aid, opting instead to look for other ways of financing their child’s education. Some private resources to look into are the following:

• fastweb.com

• scholarshipexperts.com

• collegenet.com

• scholarships.salliemae.com

All of these sites offer free financial aid and scholarship searches. If a website are business tries to charge for this type service, run away, as it’s either a scam, or simply trying to make a buck off of something that’s already available for free. Either way, your student will not have any better chance of receiving scholarships or other aid than if you did the search yourself.

One way to keep up with the financial aid and scholarship deadlines is My College Calendar, a free online resource that tracks time-lines and deadlines for the college admissions process. I have been very impressed with the information they provide.

Last March, Heidi Fletcher of College of Notre Dame of Maryland wrote a fantastic article on financial aid, which can read here.

To learn more tips on financial aid, scholarships, and deadlines, download your free copy of my 10 Step Guide to Stress Free College Planning.

How do I go about finding scholarships for my child?

First thing to do is go to FastWeb.com and create a profile. See what your student qualifies for. Do the same at ScholarshipExperts.com. These sites list outside scholarships given out by companies and organizations which don’t come from the individual colleges your son or daughter is applying to. It’s quite possible that your student will not meet the requirements for a good majority of these non-institutional scholarships. Even so, with the thousands that are available, he or she will most likely be in qualification for several. The requirements are all different. Some are academic based. Others are need based. Still others required you to be a female of french decent living in Oklahoma. These obscure ones can be hit or miss. It never hurts to apply for any of them, sometimes the committee who decides who to reward them to will choose someone who doesn’t meet all the requirements, but only if no one else does either.

Your local public library is another good resource. Most libraries have numerous books on scholarships.

Make sure to fill out the FAFSA form to see what federal and state aid you qualify for. Although not technically “scholarships,” there are many grants available that don’t need to be paid back. Usually these are based upon academic merit or need.

Lastly, check with each school your student is interested in applying to. They will usually have a scholarship list on their website or course catalog. Look into this and see what you qualify for. You never know, you just might get the whole thing paid for!

When should we start visiting colleges?

Although it’s never too early to begin visiting colleges, I probably wouldn’t start until at least freshman year of high school. Make a list, along with your student, of the potential schools interested in, and try to attend as many open houses or preview days as possible at these schools. If you’re going to be vacationing or traveling somewhere near one of your potential universities, stop by to check out the campus. Meet with the admissions office to take a tour. make a list of your likes and dislikes. By senior year, hopefully the list will be narrowed down enough to be able to make a good decision.

What are the five most important things that colleges are looking for, i.e. extracurricular activities, leadership, etc?

Now this is a tough question, and the answer can change based up certain variables. Is the student applying to an Ivy League school or a local community college? Does he want to go into computer science or pursue a liberal arts degree? The answer to these questions are vital in determining what the individual schools are looking for. However, all that aside, there are certain things that every student can do in order to best prepare himself for admittance to the top colleges and universities.
1. Grades. No matter what school or program a student is applying to, his grades will matter.
2. Test scores. Since most colleges and universities see home-schooled students as not taking an objective curriculum compared to their public or private schooled counterparts, standardized test scores are even more important than grades.
3. Public service. Schools want to see that a student has been involved and is giving back to the community.
4. Extra-curriculars. Just as important as the others, colleges want to see that a student is well rounded and not one-dimensional. Whether it’s sports, music, 4-H, Scouting, etc. extra-curriculars are extremely important.
5. Letters of recommendation. Most universities require 2-3 letters of recommendation from a non-family member. Remember those extra-curriculars and public service activities? That’s where these letters should come from.

What is the easiest way to find out about scholarship money and apply?

Each school has their own institutional scholarships, so it’s best to check with them to see what they offer and the qualifications. Fast Web is a great resource for outside scholarships and grants. Also, filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the best option to see what your family qualifies for in both federal and state aid.

Any other suggestions? Please weigh in if you have other suggestions or resources.

Today’s list of questions comes from Dayna. She asks:

Which entrance exams should be taken and when? Do test prep courses help improve scores?

Students should plan on taking both the ACT & the SAT exams their junior year of high school. Depending upon what area of the country you live, or which school your student is applying for, one test or the other may be preferred. For example, in the Midwest, most schools push the ACT. However, on either coast, the SAT is preferred.

Studies have shown that most students scores tend to improve by a couple of points each time they take the tests. Because of this, the earlier a student begins test taking, the more likely his scores will be in the higher ranges needed for scholarship levels come senior year.

Test prep courses most definitely help. There are quite a few good ones out there. The Princeton Review is one of the most popular. Grockit.com is an online resource for test prep that is free of charge.

What is required to qualify for the Tennessee Lottery & Hope scholarships?

The requirements for the Tennessee Lottery & Hope scholarships are the following: Tennessee residency for minimum of one year; 21 or above ACT score; 980 or above SAT score; 3.00 GPA or higher. For further information, check out their website.

I’ll answer more of her questions tomorrow. Got any other suggestions? Please comment if you do!