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This
special report tells you how to get the financial aid funds you may be
entitled to when you attend college. Written by a former college employee (Financial Aid Clerk),
it is full of helpful hints on acquiring government grants from 2009 federal
funds, in particular, money for college and school tuition.
DON’T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS REPORT –
IT CAN REALLY HELP YOU!
Begin Reading Report
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SPECIAL REPORT:
“How
To Get Your Student Funds”
Will you or someone you
know be attending college this Fall, or the near future? If so, it will
be necessary to complete the Federal Application Financial Student Aid
(FAFSA) form for the 2009/2010 school year. Even though they may
actually be eligible to receive funds, many students miss out on those funds
for the smallest, unbelievable reasons. Most application errors and
omissions that typically lead to denials, are mistakes that could have been
avoided. Incomplete, or failure to provide documents have prevented
many a well deserving student from receiving needed school funds. The
information contained in this report, although simply written, is essential
to succeeding in the financial aid process. The material is written so
that it helps the applicant understand the whole application process better.
Knowing these facts will also add to the applicant’s chances of success in
receiving federal funds.
THE APPLICATION
Whether
you are submitting the form online, or you will be completing an actual
printed copy of the FAFSA, the first thing you will need to know when filling
out the application is your DEPENDENCY STATUS. A common mistake
individual make when completing the application, especially parents, is to
assume that the DEPENDENT Student has a better chance of receiving funds
because they are dependent on their parents or guardian for support.
The truth is actually the opposite! Because dependent students
rely on their parents for support, any funds they may be eligible for will be
based solely on the parent’s income. This will, in most cases, reduce
the amount that the student will be eligible for. The INDEPENDENT
Student, on the other hand, will have any eligible funds calculated based
solely on their income, alone. This will usually be a smaller income,
and, more than likely, from a part –time job. This means that the
student will in receive a larger monetary award.
While in some cases, a student may have to
submit a statement indicating any additional outside financial “help” they
receive from parents (or whomever), as an independent student, only their own
financial documentation needs to be submitted. Simply put, the
smaller a student’s income, the more eligible the student is for funds.
- COMPLETE FORMS ACCURATELY
It is Important to take your time and make sure to fill out the
application and all required forms completely and accurately. The
application will specify how to document fields that don’t apply, such as
responding with: “Not Applicable” or “N/A” . This way, there are NO
BLANK SPACES on the forms that could be misinterpreted as an incomplete
answer, rather than information that does not apply to the student.
Also, make sure that the information on all the forms is consistent. If
there is contradictory information, this could hold up the process, or make
the student appear to be ineligible for funds.
YOUR FINANCIAL AID OFFICE VISITS RETURN
TO TOP
- ESTABLISH
A RAPPORT WITH STAFF
One of the major reasons I wrote
this report is because of my previous employment as a Financial Aid
clerk. When I worked at a busy financial aid counter for one of the Los
Angeles Community College’s, I dealt with hundreds of students, and assisted
them in completing and submitting a myriad of forms and documents.
Although the majority of them were young, and often fresh out of high school,
there was a fair share of middle-aged and older adults returning to school to
complete degrees, or even train for new careers. When it came to the
whole financial aid process, no matter their age, or school status, the
students all had one thing in common. They all needed help in order to
receive the funds that would allow them to succeed in school. Working
closely with those students helped me realize how important financial aid
really is to a student in college, and how detrimental it can be to their
academic future if they don’t receive those funds. I was able to see
the sad results first hand, whenever students that failed to comply with the
requirements were denied assistance. I made it my business to stay
on certain individuals that I had been working with, and worked
diligently to help them get their financial aid paperwork together and keep
their file intact. I took a special interest in those who made it their
business to establish a rapport with me. This point is not to be
underestimated or taken for granted.
Establishing a good rapport with at
least employee in the financial aid office will be more of an advantage
than you realize. The financial aid clerks and student workers can be
an undeniable source of help, especially when they begin to know you on a
first name basis. They may be instrumental in gaining knowledge about
check disbursements, form completion and deadlines, as well as other
important issues.
- KEEP
APPOINTMENTS & DEADLINES
Mostly everything you do that is associated with
receiving financial aid is time sensitive. This includes getting your
application in before the posted deadline for the school year you will be
attending in. You should also be aware of any priority deadlines which
may result in access to additional school funds. It is equally as
important to keep all appointments scheduled by the financial aid
office. BE
ON TIME AND BE PREPARED! This means bringing any documents
or additional information that they may have requested.
HAVING AN ORGANIZED SYSTEM RETURN
TO TOP
The best way to keep appointments
and deadlines and help make sure your information is consistent is to
maintain a Financial Aid Folder of your own (the FA office will have one as
well). It should contain
copies of every form, document, and piece of information you’ve submitted.
It should also include a calendar that lists important, related dates, along
with a phone log of related conversations. The log will show the times
and dates of calls to the financial aid office, as well as the purpose of the
call, and who you spoke with. This lets you keep up with the status of
your case and know how things are progressing. It also never hurts to
place an occasional call (perhaps to your confidant that you have built the
rapport with), just to make sure there is nothing else required for your
file. There were many times, in my past experience as a clerk, that I’ve seen students miss important
deadlines, and doing so resulted in them becoming ineligible for assistance.
Imagine being denied simply because your file is lacking a document you
hadn’t even been notified that you needed. Human error happens. STAY ON TOP OF YOUR OWN CASE!
YOUR ACADEMIC
PROGRESS
Keep a strict watch on your academic
progress. This point is truly one that should NOT be taken
lightly! The whole purpose of student financial aid is to assist the
student financially during the school term, so they can concentrate on their
academic goals. If
you allow your grades to slip, you risk being put on
Academic Probation, which may cause your financial award to be suspended or stopped
altogether. To prevent this from happening:
- MAINTAIN
GOOD SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
- LEARN
AND IMPLEMENT GOOD STUDY HABITS
- KEEP
UP WITH YOUR GPA (Maintain the FA Requirement)
- DON’T
DROP CLASSES WHEN NEARING A CHECK DISBURSMENT PERIOD
Little do some students realize, the
College Work Study Program (CWS), is a form of financial aid, and will cause
your CASH AWARD to be limited by the funds paid to you through the CWS
program. Many students choose to work CWS, and find that their academic
progress begins to slip. The sad thing is, they don’t realize that they
could probably quit the CWS job, which would afford them more time to
actually study and improve their grades. In most cases, they would even
receive a HIGHER
CASH AWARD! When deciding whether or not to accept
CWS (it is your choice, not mandatory), make sure you’re not cheating
yourself in this way
CONCLUSION
Following the
basic guidelines outlined in this report should assure your success in
receiving Federal Financial Student Aid, but only you can make sure the funds
are properly applied. While you may be tempted to use the funds in a
frivolous way, remember, the money is designated for school.
Prepare your mind (before you see the check) to receive your award and use it
for the purpose intended; BOOKS, SUPPLIES, and other related materials.
Get the things you really need. When you receive the student
financial aid you’re entitled to, SPEND IT WISELY!
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