Planning for college next year? Listen up!
You owe it to yourself to not waste your chance to qualify for federal financial aid or great government-backed student loans. So repeat the following mantra after me: "I will file my FAFSA to get my
free money for college. I will file my FAFSA to get my free money for college. I will file my FAFSA to get my free money for college."
Okay, now that we have our affirmation out of the way, let's focus on the details:
* Filing your FAFSA is a bit like filling out your tax returns. You have to pay attention to all the details. Making mistakes and submitting corrections cost you time and, more importantly, money. Simply put, while you are going round and round fixing errors, other FAFSA applicants are scooping up the available funds. Federal financial aid is awarded to applicants as they apply- you snooze (or goof); you lose!
* In a perfect world, your parents or the people who support you financially will have already filed their taxes for 2008. But, if not, they most likely have their W2's,
paycheck stubs and bank statements. If you have these financial documents, you can start NOW. You can update your application information later, if necessary.
* Be sure to have a short list of colleges where you may enroll. You will need to put in the "school codes" for all of the colleges that should receive your student aid information so they can make you a financial aid offer as well.
Click here to look up your school codes.
* When we say "hurry", we mean don't drag your feet: File your FAFSA as soon as possible. However, when you are actually filing online, slow down! Read every question thoroughly. Sometimes, you will be submitting your own information, and other times the form will request information about your parents or others who support you financially. Just goofing up on your
Social Security number or leaving required fields blank could be high dollar mistakes.
Like I mentioned in my
previous FAFSA post, print off the requirement checklist and set a date with your financially supportive folks to file online (if at all possible). Remember, most students get some sort of aid, so submit a form no matter what you think your chances are!