10 Things Students Need To Know About Applying For Financial Aid

You've slogged your way through the Common App. You've spent more time on Naviance than you have on Facebook. And those blue transcript request forms in the guidance office are no more than a distant memory.

If you're a senior, or the parent of a senior, the last thing you might want to do right now is fill out another form. But that's exactly what you should be doing, says Guidance Secretary Rachel McNellis and her co-workers in the Daniel Hand High School Guidance Office. There are 47 local scholarships and awards that will be given out at the end of the year, and to be considered, you need to submit your completed applications into the guidance office no later than April 12.

In order to get them in by April 12, you need to start now, if you haven't already, because some of the scholarships require letters of recommendation. You can apply to 30 of the 47 with a general application, but the remaining 17 require separate applications. All of these are available in the guidance office.

Here is what you need to know about those local awards, and financial aid in general.

1. The deadline is April 12 at 3 p.m. Mrs. McNellis wanted us to be sure to be clear about the deadline. She said this deadline is particularly important because there is a lot of work to be done before the scholarships can be awarded. "So the kids have to get going on this."

2. Madison is lucky to have so many organizations who want to support local students. "We are fortunate to have these, and we are very grateful for the generosity of the scholarship donors," Mrs. McNellis said. "Lions Club, Lenny and Joe's, Booster Club, MEA, Roberts, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary. And those are just a few."

3. The 47 different scholarships all have different criteria. Some are just for a member of the graduating class who will be attending a vocational school. Some are just for hockey players or soccer players. Some seek poets, others prefer law enforcement types. It's well worth perusing the list to see if there is a good fit for you.

4. Some of the scholarships are renewable for four years.

5. The application will ask you where you are going to school. If you don't know yet, that's fine. Just put down your top choices and get that application submitted. But be sure to let the guidance office know when you make your final decision.

6. The local scholarships vary in size. But, small or big, they're well worth applying for, Mrs. McNellis says. "Gathering money for college is a little like picking fruit," she said. "You're generally not going to get a big basket all at once. You have to pick a little here and a little there."

7. The winners of the scholarships will be announced at a school assembly a week before graduation. Graduation will probably be on or around June 23 this year, meaning the assembly will be the week before, Mrs. McNellis said.

8. As for juniors, on Thursday, April 28th, there will be a college fair at the high school, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the gym. More than 100 colleges and universities are scheduled to attend. If you can't make that, there is one at Haddam-Killingworth High School 2nd on Thursday, April 14th, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

9. Additional information about scholarships and financial aid can be obtained at the sources listed below, provided by the DHHS Guidance Office.

10. Did we mention that the deadline is April 12 at 3 p.m.?

• FastWeb:fastweb.com
• College Planning:collegeplan.org
• College Scholarships: www.college-scholarships.com
• Connecticut Family Education Loan Program (CT FELP):www.chelsa.org
• Connecticut Student Loan Foundation www.cslf.com
• CSS Profile On-line: www.collegeboard.com/finaid/fastud/html/proform.html
• Department of Education Home Page:www.easi.ed.gov/index.html
• Electronic FAFSA:www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/
• FAFSA on the Web: www.fafsa.ed.gov/
• Fastaid:www.fastaid.com/
• FinAid!: Financial Aid Information Page, www.finaid.org
• Mini lesson in College Financial Aid:www.emich.edu/public/coe/nice/cfaid.html
• Student Loan Funding:www.studentloanfunding.com
• The Scholarship Page www.scholarship-page.com
• Wired Scholar: Paying for College:www.wiredscholar.com/paying/content/index.jsp