Financial Aid Applications

Hi- I have a daughter attending college next fall. I know that our school district has meetings for parents to come and learn more about the whole application process. However, even with that, and with my husband and I being relatively savvy parents regarding this topic, I found the entire college preparation and application process to be extremely overwhelming and sometimes confusing. What if you called a parent after each meeting with a student and had a follow-up meeting with them (at a time when they wouldn't have to miss work)? What if you sent a follow-up letter to parents explaining in layman's terms examples of how students from all different backgrounds and financial standing have been able to attend college? Just some ideas. If you'd like to talk about this, let me know offline.

2 moms found this helpful

Students can fill out their own applications. They just need to print out the signature forms for the parnet to sign and their mom or dad s.s.# to do it.

1 mom found this helpful

Maybe it's not the parents at all. The student may be embarrased in front of you and is saying what he thinks you want to hear. Maybe the parents can't afford to send the child to college and has told the student they will have to get scholerships to go to college. Parents also may not want the school to know how much $ is coming in their house. I worked for a high school 15 years...it was like Peyton Place! Everyone knew everybodies business.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi, J.,

I'll bet a lot of these kids have divorced parents who don't get along and nobody understands that only the residential parent/parent who claims the deduction must provide financial aid info. That's typically the parent who is more involved/invested in the child's education anyway, don't you think? If you can make a point of telling the divorced ones that only one parent's info is needed, that might help. Also, if you have a lot of first-generation college-bound kids, foreign-born parents are often distrusting and suspicious of providing any $ data, so they may need reassurance (though if they and/or the kids are illegal, forget it). Finally, the online process can be confusing and frustrating, and a written ap is surely no better. Are you offering a workshop at the high school for parents? I attended one before my oldest started on this path and it did help a little.

Good luck! You are an angel for those who accept your help!
S.
mom to 2 in college and the oldest just made Phi Beta Kappa!!!!! with plenty of financial aid!

1 mom found this helpful

That really is sad, but I have to say I had very little help from my parents and pretty much did it myself. I didn't even know there was an option to go to college until my school counsler told me. HE was like you're an A student, you should be applying for scholarships. I think my Mom didn't like disclosing info either but so what? No one is going to hand you money with no information or proof that you need it. HELLO! Anyway, I basically did it myself and got the info off my parents tax return. I realized it was very important for the rest of my life! So it's too bad that some kids have parents that are so selfish but these are the kids that, if they can be focussed enough to overcome it, will have real character when they grow up.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi J.,

I too have the same feeling that you have regarding this issue. I am an Associate Director of Financial Aid for an online university and have found that parents are the most uncooperative in the entire procss. What school do you volunteer at?

1 mom found this helpful

Well, let me tell you, I have done all I could to encourage my daughter to apply for financial aid and scholarships. I started bugging her before the end of her junior year. She's now almost out of school and to date has only filled out 5 scholarship apps. I've given her lists and lists to apply and nothing. She has said that some require specific things and she really didn't qualify, but I'm sure out of the hundreds that I have given her, more than five were appropriate for her. Now she's been accepted to school and I'm trying to figure out where the money is coming from.

T.

1 mom found this helpful

I am just starting to look at colleges for my oldest son. I would like to know about where such applications can be found. You can bet I will be filling them out!!! Thanks.

L.

1 mom found this helpful

Tell them to ask their parents for the tax forms so they can fill it out. Maybe even suggest that you sit with the highschooler at their home or suggest a meeting at the counselor's office with the parents to fill out the forms. Ask the counselor to call the parents to encourage them to meet to fill out the forms.

Some parents might not do it because they can't figure the forms out. Some parents might be evading taxes so they don't want to be exposed. Maybe some are lying about their taxes and the application for aid would expose them. Some kids might not be asking their parents to fill out the forms.

It could be a multitude of things....some parents might be lazy. It is frustrating though. Not really many reasons that all kids can't go to college these days with all the programs, aid, and work programs available to kids today.

1 mom found this helpful