Applying for financial aid: FAFSA and CSS PROFILE
February 13th, 2017Parents of high school seniors have likely already finalized their FAFSA and PROFILE forms, as they are now available on October 1st each year. How nice to have that completed!
Parents of juniors, however, are just beginning to wade in to the process. In today’s blog, we link you to an article posted by Forbes.com. This educational writeup provides a helpful walk-through of what lies in store on the financial aid front.
The first step in receiving federal student aid for college is completing the FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) form. The next step, for many, is the CSS PROFILE, an application required by hundreds of colleges and universities to award financial aid from sources outside of the federal government. This task can be overwhelming and stressful; however, there is a lot of great guidance available online to guide families’ efforts.
This Forbes article provides an excellent, detailed review of the process – one of the best we’ve seen – and we encourage readers to share it with others who may benefit from the information.
Article below published January 8, 2017
Written by: Troy Onink
If you ever wondered how your income and assets are counted against you when your child applies for college aid, and if there is anything you can do to maximize your aid eligibility — wonder no more. Updated for 2017, this comprehensive guide to college financial aid includes new tips and insights to help you estimate how much your family will be expected to contribute toward the cost of college and how to maximize your financial aid eligibility. This guide will help you gain a clear understanding of how the college financial aid system works with straight-forward explanations of expected family contribution (EFC), need-based financial aid, merit aid, and how your income and assets count against you on the FAFSA and CSS Profile college aid forms.
Applying for College Financial Aid
The process of applying for need-based financial aid for college begins by students and parents completing one or two financial aid forms, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and/or the CSS Profile.
Read more at Forbes >>Tagged: College, Financial aid
Rural America: underrepresented in college classrooms
February 6th, 2017For many, college is the equal-opportunity stepping stone to the middle class. However, the opportunity might not come as readily as we’d think to those living in rural America. Students in rural areas are often living in poverty, and in many cases may be the first within their family to go to college. This can leave families feeling uneasy as they chart into unknown territory.
Because I live in Kentucky, the article posted below hits very close to home. Luckily, many colleges have started to notice this underrepresented community and are strengthening efforts to reach and enroll rural students. Journalists like Laura Pappano play an important role in heightening the profile of this issue.
We’re proud to note that a very talented Shrop Ed student was quoted in this NY Times article. She is a leader of a student education advocacy group, and has a wealth of knowledge on this topic. Also a great read is this set of companion profiles, Voices From Rural America on Why (or Why Not) to Go to College, which features another very talented Shrop Ed student now in her first year at Wellesley. Both of these young women are outstanding role models for others and drive home the importance of encouraging all students, regardless of background, to pursue their dreams.
Article below published January 31, 2017
Written by: Laura Pappano
On a late-autumn Sunday, a bus pulled out of El Paso at 3 a.m. carrying 52 sleepy students and parents from western Texas and New Mexico. A few had already driven several hours to get to El Paso. The bus arrived at Texas A&M 12 hours later, in time for a walking tour and dinner. After “Aggieland” information sessions, including a student panel and classroom visits, a stop at the Bonfire Memorial and an all-night drive, they arrived back in El Paso at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
“People don’t realize that Texas is a huge state,” said Scott McDonald, director of admissions at Texas A&M who came up with the idea of bus trips upon realizing that students from remote areas would not visit on their own. “Sometimes colleges say, ‘We don’t get many of those students; it’s not worth our time.’ ” He disagrees. Rural students bring “a unique perspective” to campus, he said. “In terms of diversity, geography is just as important as racial and ethnic.”
Read more at NY Times >>Tagged: College, Local happenings
Stop the Hate
January 30th, 2017Students bullied because they look or act different … students discriminated against because of race or religion … students who know misery because of peers’ unkind words and actions … I’ve been immersed in essays about such things as a reviewer for an essay contest sponsored by the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Ohio. My heart has been wrenched by vivid, distressing details and then uplifted as students described resolution and positive action taken.
The name of the contest drew me in: Stop the Hate. When a colleague put out word that the Museum needed readers, I signed up immediately. Like many of you, I’ve been especially troubled by the vitriol of the election season, by the fact that people with differing opinions no longer seem willing to hear one another, let alone show kindness to one another. Sadly, The New York Times has even seen fit to start a weekly series called, “This Week in Hate.”
Our actions in matters large and small can either push back against what we feel to be wrong, reflect complacency or, worse still, feed the hate. I choose the first. Reading essays for the “Stop the Hate” contest isn’t a big step but a first step for me; in my interactions with advisees and in volunteer mode, I hope to have an impact on people’s ability and willingness to understand one another. As a reader for the essay contest, I hoped to be inspired by the next generation and I wasn’t disappointed. Perhaps my own words and actions can stir others.
There’s no time like the present to think about what matters to us and what we can do to further causes that we believe in. What are you doing to make the world what you’d like it to be? We’ll welcome responses from students and parents alike and may share a compilation of replies in a future blog post.
“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
End note: the essay contest is for students residing in counties in and around Cleveland, Ohio and the deadline has passed for this year’s competition.
Read more at Maltzmuseum.org >>Tagged: Essays, Personal characteristics
Freshman Files: First year at an Ivy League university
January 23rd, 2017In our second installment of “Freshman Files” for 2017, Abigail L. reports in from the University of Pennsylvania, a renowned private research university located in a very lively section of Philadelphia. We were delighted to hear about Abigail’s academic, social, and even political experiences and appreciate her willingness to share so much with the Shrop Ed community.
“Penn has been fantastic so far. I couldn’t really ask for anything more. … Although the classes were pretty demanding, I was happy to find the work load easier than expected. I was left with more free time than I was used to and was able to join … Social Planning and Events Committee, and Penn Dance Marathon. SPEC develops marketing campaigns for student events on Penn’s campus and helps to plan the logistics and marketing for Spring Fling: a multi-day festival event occurring across several venues. Dance Marathon is a club that partners with Children’s Hospital of PA for a fund raising event to support childhood cancer research. These two clubs have kept me pretty busy. In addition to these clubs, I plan to rush this semester and am excited to see what opportunities arise from being a part of Greek life.
I would say that the most challenging thing was getting used to how college professors grade. I was used to my high school teachers not really expecting a lot from their students and not really grading us to our full potential. At Penn, however, the professors really hold you to a higher standard and expect a lot from you. I was a tad frustrated at first for I felt I was giving my all, but my professors helped me realize the mistakes I was making and helped me grow as a student and as a learner overall.
You could definitely say that my world view is changing thanks to Penn. For example, there were many events that occurred on campus after Trump was elected (protests, cancelled classes, the creation of “safe spaces,” etc.) and it opened my eyes to how people react in different ways to unexpected events. Although something I’m not used to, I’m very glad to be on a campus where I am exposed to these types of reactions.
I would have to say that my favorite class was my Spanish class. The main reason was because my professor was incredible. I have never had a professor who exuded so much passion. I could tell he loved teaching and watching us learn, and he was incredibly helpful whenever I had questions. … I also enjoyed the class because of its size. It was an intimate class with only 12 students! This allowed me to participate in class regularly and get to know my fellow classmates on a personal level.”
Best of luck, Abigail, as you continue your studies, your service and your social engagement. We are always delighted when students are so well matched!
Tagged: College, Freshman files, Ivy league
