Seniors |
Scholarship deadlines are near
By Sarah Wampler & Ashton Butler
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FAFSA |
Websites |
Seniors! The year is coming to a close, and as it does you are being faced with beginning your preparations for college. One of the many preparations that lies ahead is applying for FAFSA.
So, what exactly is FAFSA? FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Basically, it is an application that you fill out to see if you are eligible for student financial aid. If so, you will be given various amounts of money, all depending on how much you need it. Applying may take some time, but it definitely isn’t hard. First, you must go to fafsa.ed.gov. You are going to want to make sure that you have all of the required documents on hand. These would be items such as your social security number, 2015 federal income tax returns, W-2 forms, bank statements, and records of your investments. If you are at the website given above, you are going to start filling out the application. You will be asked which colleges you may attend at some point in the application, so make sure you have it narrowed down to a few select ones. The application from there on out is very self explanatory. All you need to know is the basic information about yourself that most other scholarship applications would ask for. If you are awarded money, you will receive a financial aid award letter from each college that you have been accepted to. Then you are free to accept the money, if you wish. You do not have to take the money, even after you have been awarded it, but it is recommended that you take the aid from FAFSA before taking out any loans. This is because loans come with a price tag, and you will eventually have to pay them back. FAFSA is a great help to anyone. Even if you do not feel you will be eligible for the financial aid, it doesn’t hurt to try. If you do end up applying, know that the deadline for the 2016-2017 school year is on March 10, 2017 by midnight. If you do not submit your application by that time, you will not be able to receive any financial aid until the 2018 school year. Good luck, too all seniors as they begin their journey to college! |
With our first college semester vastly approaching and our bank accounts drained from much-needed nights out with friends, scholarships of any amounts can certainly come in handy. Here are the four best sites for searching for scholarship cash — along with one scholarship from each to get you started!
Zinch is a college student’s one-stop-shop for scholarships that are creative and fun to apply for and win. To apply for scholarships via Zinch, you’ll have to create a username and profile that will help the site find scholarships that are specifically relevant to you! One of Zinch’s most popular awards is the Weekly Three Sentence Essay Scholarship, where applicants must generate a 280-character essay while vying for $1,000 of cold, hard cash. Fastweb is another terrific, resource where you’ll find thousands of scholarships. Not only does Fastweb offer award, it features helpful career planning services and learning tools for its registered users! One of Fastweb’s most recently featured scholarships is the “Natural Disaster” PSA Video Contest, a $3,000 scholarship offered to creative undergrads with an eye for cinematography and knowledge of the consequences of natural disasters. You know how you always seem to receive a new, complimentary gift after so many purchases at that favorite beauty counter of yours? ScholarshipPoints works the same way! The site’s users rack up points through a rewards system, making them eligible for different scholarships according to how many points they have earned. ScholarshipPoints offers a rolling, monthly $1,000 for its members and a quarterly $10,000 scholarship. Scholarships.com is a wonderful resource. If you’re looking to transfer to a school that is dying to recruit you and offer you scholarships, this is the site to visit. The site allows you to pinpoint specific scholarships by your major, year in school and location, increasing your chances for receiving awards and saving you tons of time. For meticulous proofreaders and aspiring editors, you may want to check out the Proof-Reading.com Scholarship Program featured on Scholarships.com! Although an essay is required, the $1,500 you could earn is definitely worth the time spent behind the keyboard. |