|
Back Issues |
|
Learning & Education
Need
Help with Financial Aid? It's a brand new year. The holiday season is behind you. Your tax forms have come in the mail. ... And someone in your household is planning on starting or returning to college next fall. But now's the time to begin the often labor-intensive task of applying for financial aid. Think it's too soon? Think again. ... Get Started Now ... At it's web site, VSAC -- the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation -- has a Monthly Planner to help step you through the financial aid process. For January, VSAC lists the following tasks for students & parents:
The point here is simple:
Being Resourceful ... With applications to the feds, to VSAC, and, in most cases, to the college, too, many students, not to mention their parents, find the financial aid process cumbersome, confusing, and time-consuming. Programs change -- in the amounts they provide or offer, and even their names. Some are phased out. Others are phased in. ... VSAC is there to help, as are the guidance offices of most high schools, and even the college financial aid offices. All do a decent job, and you should definitely contact each of them if you haven't already ... and stay in touch throughout the process. ... But you are the one who has to gather the info, fill out all the forms, meet the deadlines, etc. And in this world -- where, especially if you have more than one child who'll be going off to college, you can end up with more debt than your mortgage -- it pays to be as informed and self-help oriented as you possibly can. It also wouldn't hurt to save time where possible. ... That's where going on-line comes in. ... What's Available On-Line ... Once upon a time, financial aid help was limited. There was the guidance office, government pamphlets, Peterson Guides, eventually VSAC, and, if you were lucky, a friend or relative who went through the process the year before. Now, however, with the advent of the internet, there is more information, and more tools -- including scholarship searches and forms -- to help you find and apply for financial aid. In this month's Links to Learning & Education On-Line, we decided to forego the usual format of reviewing 3 quality links in favor of providing you with as many quality links as we could to We scoured the net for sites we found useful. And, not for nothing, with a combined thirty-five-plus years of higher ed experience between two of us on the staff here at DownStreet, including some fifteen years in Student Support Services, we have a pretty good idea of what's useful and what's not. ... So, we invite you to take advantage of our efforts and check out some or even all of the links. After all, it's financial aid time, and you can use all the help you can get. ... lmc & lbw . ******* ******* If you would like to submit something for our Learning & Education section, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at learn@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.] ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* . |
|
*******
******* ******* ******* For more information, contact DownStreet Magazine by ...
Phone
(802) 453-5124 All
material copyrighted © 2000-2001. All rights
reserved. |
