Financial Aid

The 6 steps for applying for Federal Financial Aid

Before you get started, keep these tips in mind:
*If one or both of your parents have lost their job and you've already filed the FAFSA, contact the financial aid office of the colleges you applied to and ask for a "professional judgement review." The change in your household income could mean an increase in your financial aid.
*There's plenty of free help. You should never have to pay for the FAFSA or have it completed for you. 
*Even if you think your family has too much money to qualify, you should still apply for financial aid. You may not receive need-based aid, but you may qualify for low-interest federal student loans.

1. Collect your information
-Your Social Security Number
-Your Federal Student Aid PIN and one of your parents' PIN's - Go to www.pin.ed.gov to get your personal identification number (PIN). You will use this to e-sign your FAFSA.
-Your financial records - Includes you and your parents W2's, current bank statements, 2011 federal tax returns, and other income information.
-An e-mail address
-Your driver's license number

2. Fill out the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet
This way, you'll have all the information you need in front of you when you're ready to complete the FAFSA. The worksheet is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov

3. Complete the FAFSA online
www.fafsa.gov
-Complete the 2014-2015 FAFSA by June 30th 2014.
-Schedule an hour if you have your FAFSA on the Web Worksheet in front of you
-Read all the instructions, work through each step and review your answers carefully.
-Be sure your name matches your name as it appears on your Social Security card. 
-Keep a copy of your FAFSA for your records, also keep copies of the financial records you use to complete the FAFSA, your college may ask to see them.
-E-sign your FAFSA using your PIN
-If you provide an e-mail address you'll get an instant confirmation that your FAFSA was received. 
-Use your PIN to check on the status of your FAFSA

4. Submit any other applications
Some colleges use the FAFSA as well as additional applications. Ask the financial aid office of each college you're considering what forms are required to apply for financial aid.

5. Review your Student Aid Report
If you submit the online FAFSA correctly, you'll usually receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) within 72 hours. (Paper applications take up to two weeks). It lists your expected family contribution (EFC) for the school year. Colleges will use your EFC to dtermine your eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work-study, and possible state or institution based funding. Check to make sure the information you provided is accurate.

6. Evaluate your financial aid offers
The financial aid office at each college you list on your FAFSA will provide you with an evaluation of your eligibility for fiancial aid if you submitted the required financial aid applications and met the deadlines. If your college asks for additional information, be sure to respond promptly. 

Your offers may vary from college to college, so you may want to wait until you've heard from each one before making a decision where to attend. 

Keep in mind that you don't have to accept your entire student aid package but can pick and choose the aid you want. 

Senior Year: College Planning

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There are a number of things that a busy senior must do! The following list is designed to help a senior keep track of some of these important things.

All year long

• Research and apply for scholarships.
• Keep up your grades! Colleges look at your senior grades. This is no time to slack off after so much hard work.
• Take advantage of after-school tutoring in the Career Center for academic help.

September

• Review graduation status and college plans with your counselor.
• Begin to prepare your senior resume.
• Attend the College Tour held at Sky View for all seniors.
• Sign up to take or retake the ACT or SAT. The ACT is required for colleges in Utah while the SAT is required by some out-of -state schools.
• Attend your Senior exit interview in the Career Center and once again discuss the Regents Scholarship and NCAA requirements for athletic participation in college.
• E-mail or send letters to colleges asking for admission applications forms and financial aid information.

October

• Final administrations of the ACT or SAT tests with results available in time for most Utah schools scholarship deadlines
• Think about taking the residual ACT test @ USU if that is where you are attending for sure
• Get your own personal copy of the scholarship book from the Counseling Office.
• Checkout the Career Center for Scholarships and  due dates.
• Check out Sky View’s scholarship info blog:  Skyviewscholarships@blogspot.com
• Continue to research scholarships and write for applications.

November

• Get college admission applications. Applications available for all Utah colleges in the Career Center.
• Ask for letters of recommendation from teachers or a counselor who know you well.
• Provide resume information to those who are writing recommendations for you.
• Checkout the Career Center for Scholarships and  due dates.
• Check out Sky View’s scholarship info blog:  Skyviewscholarships@blogspot.com
• ·Reapply for the ACT if you want to take it one more time.
• If you need to write an essay for admission, start now!
• Apply for on-campus housing if desired (fills up early at some schools).

December

• Apply for admission to the college(s) and technical school(s) of your choice. (Most institutions require admission applications before, or at the same time as, scholarship applications.)
• Check out Sky View’s scholarship info blog:  Skyviewscholarships@blogspot.com
• Request an official transcript from the counseling office to complete the application process.
• Mail applications, transcripts, and recommendations. (Even if school's deadline is later, applications received early are read more carefully.)

January

• Apply for Financial Aid. Apply for FAFSA (fafsa.gov) on-line (or get the proper financial aid forms from the Student Center.)
• Find out if your college has separate forms for financial aid. If so, fill out these forms.
• Yes, you guessed it, check out Sky View’s scholarship info blog:  Skyviewscholarships@blogspot.com
• Call admission offices of schools to verify your application has been received.
• Verify that all parts of your scholarship application have been received, including letters of recommendation, transcripts and grades.

February

• Follow up on any remaining step required for admission or scholarship application processing.
• Once again, check out Sky View’s scholarship info blog:  Skyviewscholarships@blogspot.com

April

• Receive notification of admission decisions from colleges.
• Carefully select the college you will attend next fall.
• Once you have made a final decision, write other colleges and decline their acceptance.
• Evaluate scholarship and financial aid offers and accept or decline them in writing.
• Let your counselor in on your decisions concerning college and scholarship choices. (We want to know, and will "officially" present your scholarship at the Awards Assembly.)
• Watch the Scholarship Board for new scholarships and check due dates.

May

• Take the Advanced Placement test in the courses/subjects you have been studying this year.
• Notify the counseling office of scholarships you have received. We would like to honor you in the Awards Assembly.
• Remember to invite your parents to the Awards Assembly.
• Watch the Scholarship Board for new scholarships and to check due dates.

May-June

• Pick up your cap and gown.
• Graduate!

Note: College Planning
One of the biggest mistakes that students make in planning for college is not starting soon enough. Don't wait until your senior year to take tough classes. Don't wait until your senior year to become concerned about your grade point average. Don't wait until your senior year to get to know your high school counselor. Don't wait until your senior year to take the ACT or the SAT test. Don't wait until your senior year to decide to go to college. Don't wait until your senior year to become aware of the resources in the Career Center.

Scholarship Application Materials

Do you have scholarship application materials ready to go?

Some applications require one or more of the following:

1. Letters of recommendation – Choose people who know you best and will write a well-written letter.  You want to ensure the recommender matches the qualifications requested on the application. This means that while your neighbor may think very highly of you, it may be more appropriate to ask a school official (Teacher, Counselor, Principal), to write the letter.

Most people who write letters of rec. find that a written list of your strengths and accomplishments helps the process go more smoothly. You should offer to provide such a list when you ask for the letter to be written. Also, be sure to give the letter writer a couple of weeks advance notice, where possible.

For more helpful info on letters of recommendation, see the website links below:

• Scholarships.com - Letters of Rec. Info
• ScholarshipHelp.org - Letters of Rec. Info

2. Personal statement and/or Essay – Demonstrates why you are the perfect match for the scholarship. Might include future goals and plans, talents, accomplishments, etc. See the links below for more detailed information, along with a few examples.  

• CollegeBoard guidelines for writing an essay, including sample questions and essays 
• ScholarshipNet.info - Writing a Personal Statement
• ScholarshipHelp.org - Writing a Personal Essay  

3. Résumé - Some scholarship applications may request a resume outlining your strengths and accomplishments. In other cases, they may like to see a resume outlining your work experience. Heather Berentzen in the Career Center can help you with your resume. There is also a great resume tool on UtahFutures. See the links below for help with scholarship resumes.

• GoCollege.com's tips for Scholarship Résumé's
• eHow.com's instructions for Scholarship Resume's

For help with employment Resumes, see Heather Berentzen in the Career Center.

   

4. Official Transcript(s)  - You can get these from Kathy Fishburn, the counseling secretary, in the counseling office. 

5. Nominations by a school official – Some scholarships can only be applied for if you receive recommendation by a school official. In this case, be sure to notify Jennifer Hartman in the counseling office. 

6. Interviews  - Some scholarship committees may choose to interview their applicants. You will find a link listed below that offers some excellent tips when it comes to scholarship interviews.

• GoCollege.Com's Tips for Scholarship Interviews