College Planning & Financial Aid

Grants, Scholarships or Awards are monies given to students and are not repaid. They may be given for academics, (athletics in Division 1 schools only), demographics or special talent potential. Scholarships, also called "merit aid", are given for academic excellence. Federal government grants, such as the Pell and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, are given based on financial need. There are state grants available based on various criteria. There are specific school grants available based on specific school criteria.

College work-study programs are either federally or school specifically funded. Campus jobs in such areas as the library, food service, bookstore or administrative and academic departments are given to students who will work a limited number of hours.

Completing a review course prior to taking the test will greatly enhance the possibility of initially getting a higher SAT score. The SAT program offers additional services after the taking of the test that should be considered. The student can use the SAT "QAS" feature which will enable the student to get their graded test back to see which questions they answered correctly, incorrectly or left blank. This will help the student to focus their studying to the areas that need improvement before they take the test again. The Feb 2010 price for this was $18. You can go to the College Board website at www.collegeboard.org for more information.

Some examples of essay topics are; Tell us why you want to come to our college?; Briefly describe how you envision your first year in college; Tell us about yourself; How will your presence be known on campus?; Describe your "first experience"; Tell us about an academic or extracurricular interest, activity or idea; Tell us about your contributions to your community; What kind of contribution will you make to our college?; Write a page from your own life journal that reports something in precise honesty and accuracy?; Recall an occasion when you took a risk that you know now was the right thing to do; Write about two objects that would give the admissions selection committee insight into who you are; Think about something you never did in high school, but wish you did. Now, think about something new you are considering taking in college and write about it? Tell us your intended major and how our college will meet this need in this area. A website that provides essay samples and essay analysis tools is www.myessay.com.

There is currently no provision in the code which allows for distributions from any IRA to pay for college education without incurring severe tax ramifications. We recommend that you consider distributions from your IRA to pay for college costs as your last choice. Explore other options first.