LUCY THE VALIANT: a thread for your looking for "best scholarship research tips" in middle/high school

[Lori D.]

Okay, questions . . . (I *have* started researching, but I need to take breaks now and then because it's truly overwhelming) . . .

 

1. how early can I enter our numbers into FAFSA to even begin to find out EFC?

 

2. ........never mind, some of my questions are more personal than I am comfortable posting here, but I you people encouraged me, and I *WILL* start a folder and start asking my IRL trusted advisors

 

3. For those of you who have BTDT - bright kids (not genius, but bright & test well), limited savings & low-ish income (actually median income but in a high COL area, which equals out to low-income in practical terms), what is the ONE THING you did right or wished you had done regarding scholarship research while the kids were coming up through middle & high school?

 

I love WTM Forums, seriously.

 

Hi Lucy the Valiant,

Hoping you will forgive my boldness, but I'm taking the liberty of using your post to start a new thread so your question gets more eyeballs, rather than getting lost at the end of a thread on a different topic. ;) I know others will jump in with their scholarship experiences, but I'll get the ball rolling.

 

I think I'd suggest learning about college costs and financial aid in the first two years of high school, so that you can be realistic about the costs and how you plan to handle them. For example, I'm seeing that families in similar situation as what you describe tend to land scholarships that cover about half the cost of tuition, and sometimes another partial scholarship; that usually leaves the family having to find a way to cover 1/4-1/2 of tuition, plus $8-10,000/year in room & board (if the college is out of town), plus books ($500-$1500/year depending on the major), plus other expenses (transportation, laptop and phone, personal items, etc.) ...

 

Researching these topics in high school also gives you time to learn about possible alternatives and work-arounds to start seeing what might match up for each student's goals and to cover those other expenses, because the solution for each student is likely to be very different. These two past threads are a helpful starting point:

 

Preparing for college: what scholarships/grants to apply for? -- walks you through the scholarship search process

s/o cautionary tale: high costs of college -- a brainstorm $$ ideas thread! -- alternatives and work-arounds for college costs

 

 

I also think it would be a really good idea in the middle/high school years to start having discussions with spouse, and eventually the student, about the realities of debt -- how it may be necessary and if so how much is reasonable to take on (i.e., that would not be onerous to pay back), and the fact that college debt does impact -- sometimes even limits -- future choices as far as marriage, children, home-owning, etc. While these threads can be a bit stressful, there is a ton of great, specific, real-life situations and solutions in these lengthy threads:

 

How are YOU managing to pay for college?

College debt crisis

Newbie Q[uestion] about college costs

 

 

And it would be esp. good to be having discussions about whether college is even the right choice for a particular student -- perhaps direct to work and work your way up, or earn certification at a trade school, or a 2-year Associate's degree would be the much better fit for a particular student. So career exploration would be a very good idea in the middle/high school years. Here are some threads to get you started in that direction:

 

How to help with career choices

Transcripts, Credits... Career Exploration -- past threads linked here! -- bottom of post #5 has more linked threads and resource ideas

 

 

And there are lots more great past threads on lots of all of these related topics in the big pinned thread at the top of the high school board: Transcripts, Credits, NCAA, College Applications, First Time at College, Scholarships, Financial Aid, Career Exploration -- past threads linked here!

post #1 topics

planning/scheduling; transcripts; credits; grading & GPA; course descriptions;  record keeping; diplomas; accreditation

post #5 topics

college prep/guidance counselor; NCAA; choosing a school; admissions/Common App; Freshman Orientation/First Time at College; Study Abroad; Financial Aid; FAFSA/EFC; Scholarships; Alternatives to 4-year College; Career Exploration

 

Probably the best thing I can share is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy motto -- "don't panic!".  :D Take it one step at a time. Post whenever you have a specific question. Realize that the path will probably be very different for each child. Wishing you all the best as you embark on your exciting new career as "college and guidance counselor" -- lol! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Lori D.