1. Information for Juniors
How To Get to College
Information for Juniors

2. Don’t I Have to be Accepted First? A Brief Timeline
Summer 2016
Visit college campuses and gather applications
Apply for early decision
Work and save money for college
Begin searching for scholarships
Volunteer!

3. Fall of Senior Year
Check with Counselors to verify graduation eligibility
Begin working on college applications; note deadlines.
Set up your college applications filing system; keep track of all correspondence with colleges.
Register for any additional ACT or SAT exams
Look for scheduled visits of college representatives.
Fill out scholarship applications
Attend Financial Aid Workshops, given by the Guidance Department. Watch for the announcement.
October of Senior Year – Complete your FAFSA

4. Winter of Senior Year
Finalize and submit applications: most are due around December
Complete community service requirements.
Start looking for summer work or internship opportunities.
Continue looking for scholarship money.
Receive Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Federal Student Aid Program, and review for accuracy.
Respond to requests from colleges for any additional information needed.
Maintain high level of academic performance.

5. Spring of Senior Year
Begin receiving financial aid award letters from the colleges you have applied to, and make comparisons.
Investigate payment options with each college.
Accept all or part of the financial aid offered; sign and return acceptance letter.
Don't commit if you have not yet received all of your award letters from the colleges to which you have applied. Call the college admissions offices and ask for extensions.
Don’t let your grades slip; you want to graduate in good standing.

6. Spring Cont.
Notify the college you plan to attend and send final transcript. Send deposit to college.
Make loan arrangements. Report any private scholarship to the financial aid office of the college you will be attending.
Notify the colleges that you will not be attending. This is very important.
Send thank-you notes to teachers who advised and assisted you.
GRADUATION

7. Post Graduation Work during the summer to save money for college
Attend orientation sessions and prepare for Fall

8. College Can Be Made Affordable
Learn about financial aid
SAVE, SAVE, and SAVE
Talk to experts
Apply for financial aid
College can be made affordable! Here are four things you can do:
It takes knowledge to pay for college; learning about financial aid is a continual process. Take advantage of any free financial aid workshops or seminars your high school or local college might offer. Visit informative websites geared toward college planning and financial aid. Read free college planning information that your high school makes available.
Even if you haven’t begun to save, there’s no time like the present. Also, don’t be misled. Many families are led to believe that they’re penalized so much for saving that they’d be better off if they didn’t save at all. The bottom line is that the more money you save, the more options you’ll have--the less you’ll need to borrow.
Talk to the right expert. Don’t rely on any one person for the answers to all of your college planning and financial aid questions or you may not get entirely accurate information. For instance, your questions on educational tax incentives are best handled by a tax advisor. Financial aid questions might be best addressed by the financial aid office of the college you’re considering attending.
Be sure to check with each institution you’re interested in about their application and filing deadlines. Don’t let anyone discourage you from applying for financial aid. You can’t qualify if you don’t apply!

9. What is Financial Aid? Gift Aid Self-Help Aid
Money given, paid or loaned to help pay for college
Gift Aid
Grants and Scholarships (free money)
Self-Help Aid
Work-Study (job opportunity to earn money)
Loans (money borrowed that must be repaid)
What is Financial Aid?
Simply defined, financial aid is any money given, paid or loaned to help pay for college.
GIFT AID is financial aid in the form of grants and scholarships which do not need to be repaid (free money).
SELF-HELP AID is financial aid in the form of student employment and loans.
Work-study lets the student work to earn money to help pay for school.
Loans are a type of financial aid which must be eventually repaid, usually with interest.

10. Categories of Financial Aid
Need-based
Aid based on your financial situation
Merit-based (or non-need)
Aid based on your grades, test scores, hobbies and special talents (artistic, athletic, etc.)
There are two basic categories of financial aid:
NEED-BASED, which is aid based on your family’s financial situation.
and
MERIT-BASED, which is aid determined not by financial need but by your grades, test scores, hobbies and/or special talents (artistic, athletic, etc.).

11. Financial Aid Myths Students with highest GPAs get all the aid
Income is too high, so don’t bother to apply
Sibling didn’t qualify, so neither will I
Attend the college that offers the most aid
Cost is the only way to compare colleges
1) Students with the highest GPAs get all of the aid students are not the only students who receive aid. Many scholarships and grants, such as talent scholarships or need-based grants, do not focus on GPA alone.
2) Our income is too high to qualify, so why should I bother to apply? -- Financial aid isn’t only for the poor. College costs are high enough these days that even families with higher incomes may qualify for aid.
3) My sibling didn’t qualify, so neither will I -- Never assume that you won’t qualify for financial aid. The only way to find out whether you qualify is to apply. In fact, if that sibling who didn’t qualify for aid is still in school, both of you may have a chance for financial aid now. The formula the government uses to determine your eligibility gives a break to families that have more than one student attending school at least half-time.
4) Attend the college that offers the most aid -- Don’t just look at the bottom line -- the grand total of aid awarded. It’s important to compare the ratio of gift aid to self-help, the potential for renewing grants and scholarships, and the amount of out-of-pocket money you will need to pay toward any outstanding balance after all awards are applied.
5) Cost is the only way to compare colleges -- Many students have a misguided notion that only big-name, expensive schools provide an outstanding education. It’s perhaps as significant to consider a school’s ability, curriculum, and contacts to prepare its graduates for the best jobs. Often there are very few differences in the quality of education provided by Harvard or MIT and by a less well-known school.

12. Sources of Financial Aid
Federal and State Grants
Federal Work-Study
Federal Loans
Institutional Aid
Private / Other Government Aid
If you’ll refer to Funding Your Education* included in your handouts, you’ll find brief descriptions of the various federal financial aid programs.
The Federal Pell Grant and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant are grants available through the federal government.
The Federal Work-Study Program provides an opportunity for a student to earn money to help pay for school expenses.
The Federal Perkins Loan, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans and the Federal PLUS Loan are made available to students and parents through the federal government.
Most campuses have individual grants, scholarships or other student aid programs. You should check directly with each school to which you’re applying for further information.

13. Scholarships Use free scholarship searches
Portable, private-sector scholarships
Apply for private local scholarships
Lions, American Legion, Jennifer Evans, Western Educational Association, Academic Boosters, Wirebaugh, Henline, Sigmund, etc.
Pursue institutional scholarships
Academic, performance, entitlements scholarships
Pursue company scholarships
Companies such as Wal-Mart and UPS offer scholarships to employees and their families
Here are some additional financial resources and options for you to consider:
Be sure to use any free scholarship searches to seek portable, private-sector scholarships. Most of these scholarships do not take income and/or assets into consideration.
Don’t overlook local private scholarships. Often your chances of being selected for one of these awards is much higher than they are for national scholarships. Check with your high school or Chamber of Commerce. They may have a list of local scholarship opportunities.
Find out what institutional funds the schools you’re considering might be able to offer you. These include academic, performance, and entitlement grants and scholarships.

14. Utilize WHS Scholarship Tools
Scholarship Calendar -
Announcements
WHS Website
Career Cruising
Google classrooms

15. Application Tips (Making Your Efforts Count!)
1. Find out application requirements and deadlines
2. Fill out forms completely, accurately and legibly
3. Make copies of all completed forms
4. Comply with all information requests
5. Meet deadlines (obtain proof of mailing!)
Here are some application tips to make the most out of your efforts. It’s an unfortunate fact that many students lose out on aid, because they failed do one or more of the following.
1) Find out the application requirements and deadlines for each school you are considering. Application requirements and deadlines can vary greatly from school to school.
2) Be accurate, complete and legible when you fill out your financial aid applications. Use proper school codes when you list schools on your FAFSA or PROFILE form. The FAFSA uses special Title IV code numbers to identify schools, while the CSS PROFILE uses separate CSS school codes. Sign and date all forms. Missing or illegible application information can cause your award letter to be delayed. Worse yet, you may lose out on certain types of first-come, first-served ‘free money.’
3) Make photocopies of all forms and applications you complete.
4) Respond quickly to all requests for additional information. Requests may come from your school, someone offering a scholarship, or even a state association. You may be asked to submit copies of your tax returns, W-2s or FAFSA worksheets. The sooner you submit the needed items to the school, the sooner the school will be able to confirm and process your aid.
5) Pay careful attention to and meet all application deadlines. If you’re applying to several different schools, be sure to meet the earliest deadline stated. Missing deadlines can be the costliest mistake you can make. If it’s a postmark deadline you’re trying to meet, be sure to take your form to the post office and ask for a certificate of mailing. A copy of your form and this certificate may pay off should your form become misplaced or lost in the mail.

16. College Planning and Financial Services
Services Offered:
College Selection Service
Educational Consulting
College Aid Advising
Education Credit Company
College Financial Services
Scholarship Searches
Provided by:
College Aid Advisors
Admissions Consultants
CPAs
FA Consultants
Financial Planners
FA Brokers

17. Scholarship Searches “Billions of Dollars Unclaimed . . .”
Several warning signs of a possible scam
Guaranteed winnings
‘Free seminars’ on financial aid
1-900 telephone numbers
Earlier on we talked about financial aid myths. This is the granddaddy of them all: “Billions of Dollars Unclaimed.” I’m sure you’re familiar with the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Scholarship search companies would love for you to think that large amounts of financial aid go unclaimed each year. Unfortunately, these companies prey on the anxieties of students and parents who are scrambling for additional financial resources by charging them $50 to $350 or more. To date, no scholarship search service has provided proof of unclaimed private sector scholarships equaling anywhere near this amount of money.
Here are some characteristics of a possible scam:
Money-back guarantees or promises. Many students have experienced great difficulty and frustration in trying to get companies to make good on their commitments. What was that old saying again?
An invitation to attend a ‘free seminar’ on financial aid. I highly encourage you to attend informational sessions on financial aid but these companies use time-pressure (much like the old ‘time-share’ tactic) to get you to sign up for their services. These companies are out there for one reason: to part you with your money.
As a rule, if you must pay money to get money, it most likely is a scam.
CAUTION: As a general rule, if you must pay money to get money, it might be a scam.

18. Free Scholarship Searches Via The World Wide Web
careercrusing.com
scholarships.com
CollegeNet.com
FastWeb - fastweb.com
Google

19. Additional Financial Aid Information
FREE School Searches
And More…

20. Something to Think About . . .
“Education is one of the best financial investments you can make. A bachelor’s degree yields an increase in lifetime earning potential of nearly a million dollars according to Census Bureau data.