the College Corner the College Corner

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1 the College Corner 1 the College Corner

2 2 The FAFSA Why it is important for you to complete the applications for the FAFSA and for PHEAA, even if you do not think you will qualify for aid One of the most important pieces of preparing for college is completing the FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA indicates how much money your family will be expected to contribute towards paying for your education, and also makes you eligible to receive Federal financial aid. Even if you apply and do not receive federal grants, you may be able to receive federal loans, which can be more beneficial than private loans. Federal loans have fixed interest rates and you will not have to start repaying the loan until you graduate from college. Private loans cannot guarantee these benefits. In addition to completing the FAFSA, you should also complete the PHEAA application. The PHEAA application is the Pennsylvania specific aid form, which will make you eligible to receive aid from Pennsylvania. No matter how low or high your family s income is you should still apply for financial aid. You never know how much you may receive unless you apply! Last year, in Pennsylvania alone, there was over $100,000,000 of financial aid money that was not given out because students did not apply for the FAFSA! DO NOT BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! Continues on page 4

3 3 Completing the FAFSA: 14 Tips and tricks for making sure you get it right the first time The FAFSA can be somewhat overwhelming when you first look at it. However, there are many ways that you can make completing the FAFSA feel like a walk in the park. 1. Make sure both you and your parents have a pin number: Doing this will make signing/completing the FAFSA much easier and will save you a lot of extra hassle. Come to a FAFSA pin workshop if you are not sure how to register for a pin number. 2. Make sure you have all of the necessary information and paperwork before you start: You will need your social security numbers and/or alien registration numbers; most recent federal tax returns, W- 2s, or other monetary records; bank statements and investment records; records of untaxed income; and your pin number. 3. Do not pay to complete the FAFSA: The FAFSA is a FREE application. If you are on a website that is charging you money to do your FAFSA, you are on the wrong website. Make sure you are on in order to complete the official and free application. 4. Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool: If you have your most recent tax returns completed, you can use the IRS data retrieval tool. This will automatically input information straight from your tax return into the FAFSA so you won t have to. 5. If you have not yet submitted your taxes this year, you can use last year s tax returns as estimates: If you do not yet have taxes done for this year, you can use the previous year s tax returns as estimates. Once you have filed your taxes for the current year, you will need to go back and update your FAFSA. 6. Read each question carefully: It is important that each number you enter most accurately represents your current financial data. Read instructions carefully to be sure you have entered the right data for each question. 7. Double check the numbers you enter: Always double check the numbers you have entered to make sure there are no glaring mistakes. Otherwise you will have to go back and re- do those parts of the FAFSA. 8. Know your deadlines: Each college you applied to may have a different deadline for the FAFSA. Check on each college s financial aid website to get the most accurate deadline. The PHEAA application is due May 1 st for 4 year colleges, and August 1 st for community colleges. 9. Complete the PHEAA application: After you complete the FAFSA, there will be an option to also complete the PHEAA application. It is highly recommended that you do this right after the FAFSA or you may have to wait several weeks or months in Continued on Page 4

4 4 Continued from page 2 The Importance of the FAFSA Continued from page 3 More Tips and Tricks for the FAFSA When it comes time to paying for college, every last dollar can make a difference. It is free to do the FAFSA, meaning that your only expense in completing the FAFSA is to give 20 minutes of your time. Despite being a daunting task, the FAFSA is relatively simple to complete. To apply for the FAFSA, go to There you can complete the FAFSA, and if your family has already completed the taxes for this year, you can use the data retrieval tool (more about this later). You will also be asked to complete the PHEAA application just after the FAFSA, so be sure to complete this as well! Completing both applications in one sitting will be the easiest way for you to get federal and state financial aid and not have to worry about any cumbersome paperwork. The benefits of completing the FAFSA are innumerable. It will not hurt you one bit to submit the FAFSA and PHEAA applications and will likely give you plenty in return for your hard work. Be sure to read over the tips and tricks for completing the FAFSA found on page 3-4. There are some excellent suggestions for how to approach the FAFSA in the most efficient and painless way possible. order to get an application to submit. 10. Do not be afraid to ask questions: If you ever become confused while completing the FAFSA, do not hesitate to call or chat online with a representative from FAFSA or PHEAA. They are here to help you. You can also go to the Guidance website for more information and other tips on the FAFSA. 11. Remember, this is not saying who will pay, just how much will need to be paid: If your parents are hesitant to fill out the FAFSA, remind them that it is not an obligation for them to pay for the cost of college. It is only an indicator of how much the cost will be. 12. Always say you are interested in Work Study: Work- study is an excellent way for you to earn some spending money during the school year. While this money may not always go directly towards paying for college, it will provide you with some extra cash. 13. Have the FAFSA codes of the colleges you have applied to: Have a list of the colleges prepared that you would like to send your FAFSA to. This will help to streamline your application process. 14. Relax: The FAFSA is only as hard as you make it to be. Follow the directions and you will be just fine!

5 5 The Graduation Project What needs to be done in February? February is the month of reflection, and no, not reflecting upon resolutions that you may or may not have done. You will be writing your personal reflections about the path you are choosing to take in your post high school life. You will want to start with the pre- writing web to get a better idea of how to shape and construct your reflection. Each of the four sections of your web should be represented in your reflection. You should also be referencing your previous research both on colleges and careers. Both of these pieces are vital to making an honest reflection. It is in your best interest to take this seriously as it will be helpful for both you and Mr. Norcross when it comes time to decide what your post high school plans are. It is also important that your reflection be high quality writing, as it will count for a grade in English. In addition to counting as a grade, Mr. Norcross will also read each of your reflections and meet with you individually to discuss your reflection. It is required that you meet with Mr. Norcross in order to complete the Graduation Project, so make sure you schedule a meeting!

6 6 College Profiles Check out these College Profiles to see if any are of interest to you Shippensburg University is one of the Pennsylvania state schools located in Shippensburg, PA. Ship has around 7,000 undergraduate students with a student to faculty ratio of 19 to 1. The campus has many state of the art and convenient facilities for many majors, such as an elementary school right on campus for education majors to access. Some of the most popular majors are Business, Criminal Justice, Communication Journalism, Exercise Science, Biology, and Psychology. Shippensburg has NCAA Division II athletics with 20 varsity level sports teams. Widener University is a small private university of around 3,500 students located about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia. Widener creates an academic and social environment constructed around the foundations of experience, engagement, and leadership. This is evident in the fact that Widener has been recognized as a finalist for the President s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Presidential Award for the past 8 years and is one of 76 colleges in the nation with the community engagement classification. Widener has over 40 different majors and programs of study. Some of the most popular majors are Business, Criminal Justice, Education, Engineering, Nursing, and Psychology. Widener is a NCAA Division III school. Dickinson College is a small liberal arts college of around 2,400 students located in Carlisle, PA. Classes typically average 18 students. Dickinson has a very strong global education focus paired with an emphasis on active learning. Dickinson believes that everyone in the world is connected as a whole and their curriculum reflects this. In addition, over 60% of students spend a semester abroad. International Business and Management is the largest major, followed closely by English, Psychology, Economics, Political Science, and Biology. Dickinson s campus promotes the development of individual ideas through the IDEA fund, and also emphasizes sustainability. McDaniel College is a small liberal arts college located in Westminster, Maryland. McDaniel celebrates the diversity of their campus, not just in terms of race, but also economically with 24% of students considered a minority, and 34% of the new freshmen class are the first in their family to go to college. There are around 1,700 undergraduate students with an average class size of 16. McDaniel is a Division III school with 25 different sports for men and women. Some of McDaniel s popular majors are Business, Speech Communication/Rhetoric, English, Health/Physical Education, Psychology, the Social Sciences, and Visual Art. The University of the Arts is one of the leading visual and performing arts institutions in the nation and is located in Philadelphia. There are around 1,900 undergraduate students in the University s three main colleges: College of Art, Media, and Design; the College of Performing Arts; and the Division of Liberal Arts. Students work very closely with their professors with classes averaging around 15 students. There are 22 different undergraduate degree options ranging from Dance to Illustration to Photography. Being located in Philadelphia gives ample space for performances and galleries run by the school to show student art and talents.

7 7 The Senior Checklist Completing all pieces of the puzzle Upcoming Dates FAFSA Pin Number Workshops February 11 th and 18 th during Resource period FAFSA Completion Night - February 19 th from 6:00 7:30 pm HACC Financial Aid Night February 19th from 6:00 7:30 pm Penn State Application Q&A session Tuesday, February 24 th time to be decided HACC School Visit Wednesday, February 25 th at 10:00 am College Summit February 25 th during the school day HACC Criminal Justice Discovery Day Friday, February 27 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Scholarship February Deadlines Check the scholarship listing on the Guidance website for full list of scholarships and deadlines ü Get FAFSA Pin Number both you and one of your parents will need one. ü Submit the FAFSA and PHEAA applications. ü Finish and submit any remaining college applications. ü Give Mr. Norcross a pink sheet for EACH SCHOOL you have applied to. ü BRING IN ALL ACCEPTANCE LETTERS Even for the schools you will not be attending. ü Schedule a meeting with Mr. Norcross if you have any questions. ü Create a spreadsheet to keep track of schools you have applied to, their deadlines, financial information, and any other important information you need to keep track of. ü Keep visiting schools If you are on the fence about a school, go take a look around campus. It will make a difference in your decision process. ü Search and apply for scholarships check with Mr. Norcross or Guidance if you need help finding scholarships. ü If needed, ask teachers for recommendation letters. Be sure to ask in advance of any deadlines. ü Do not be afraid to ask questions of colleges. Call the Admissions or Financial Aid Offices with any questions you may have. ü Come to Guidance or see Mr. Norcross if you have any questions or need assistance.