'Tis the season to fill out the FAFSA, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la... That's what high school seniors and those enrolled in college programs sing every New Year. You'll do yourself lots of good by applying those same festive feelings to your own College Financial Aid process. Erin Korsvall, a representative from Sallie Mae, an education-funding provider, offers up some tips to help you fulfill your resolution to successfully master your College Financial Aid confusion.
Fill It Out!
"In many cases, families don't complete the FAFSA because they think they won't qualify for any financial aid," says Korsvall. "Apply no matter what -- $143 billion was awarded to students last year."
Don't Rush the Process
Do you want to be like those parents who frantically rush around the mall on December 24, scrambling to get whatever the year's hot toy is? Probably not. It works the same with college financial aid. "You have 13 million students applying for money every year," explains Korsvall. "You want to be at the front of the line, because many types of financial aid and scholarships are first come, first serve."
Resolve to Read More
Sallie Mae just published "How to Pay for College," the perfect addition to your college prep reading list. "There are chapters that go over everything from saving money to financial aid packages," explains Korsvall. "One chapter goes through the FAFSA line by line, explaining everything in extreme detail. It's very helpful."
Apply Online
Face it: You're on the Internet spending those holiday gift cards anyway -- you might as well skip over to www.fafsa.ed.gov and fill out the form electronically. "Not only is it faster to fill out and automatically submitted," explains Korsvall, "but the site will send you prompts to take you through the process, and let you know if you've skipped something or made a mistake."
About the author:
http://www.collegesurfing.com/content
Paul D. Rosevear is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.
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