How do you maximize college financial aid?

[disfan07]

For this year, I only got unsubsidized loans. On teh financial aid, under expected parents contribution, it said that my parent shsould be contributing $24,000/year. Yeah right. Not when we are paying about $20,000 in medical bills every year.

But, this year, by going to the financial aid office, i did find out that I qualify for hardship financial aid from them. The hardship aid takes into account any financial hardships your familiy has acquired with medical bills being one of them. So for them, my dads income is not $125,000/year. It is about $100,000 with 2 kids in college which means I qualify for other financial aid besides unsubsidized loans.

Depending on the school, sometimes there is hidden aid that you can only find out about if you go to the school and talk to them at the financial aid office.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Transfering credits can be frustrating and confusing. Between DD and her friends we have seen a lot of weird stuff.

A science course for a non science major from a 2 year college was not accept as a science course required for the degree, but the same course from a 4 year school was. Confused yet, wait, this same course required for a science major was not accepted. All this was compounded by the course from the two year school being accepted as a "non required elective" for the non science major but was not accepted as any credit at all for the science major. Bottom line, the the science major had to retake the course at the school issuing the degree and the non science major that took the course at a two year school still had to take a science course at the school issuing the degree.

My head is spinning from trying to remember and write all that. Bottom line, be sure to have a clear understanding from the school that will issue the degree before taking a course at another school.

Yes. My dd transferred universities and lost some credits there. Not that it is a big deal but it was 10 credit hours. Now, we did not have to pay for those hours, thank goodness.

It was Spanish 1 & 2. She tested into Spanish 3 at her first college, even though she could have gotten her requirement filled for the major she had at the time. (She took 4yrs in HS).

This college would not count the Span 1 & 2 for credits since technically she did not take it.

She has not picked another major as of yet and not sure what is going to happen if it requires a foreign lang. I guess we will deal with then.

 

[luvsJack]

Transfering credits can be frustrating and confusing. Between DD and her friends we have seen a lot of weird stuff.

A science course for a non science major from a 2 year college was not accept as a science course required for the degree, but the same course from a 4 year school was. Confused yet, wait, this same course required for a science major was not accepted. All this was compounded by the course from the two year school being accepted as a "non required elective" for the non science major but was not accepted as any credit at all for the science major. Bottom line, the the science major had to retake the course at the school issuing the degree and the non science major that took the course at a two year school still had to take a science course at the school issuing the degree.

My head is spinning from trying to remember and write all that. Bottom line, be sure to have a clear understanding from the school that will issue the degree before taking a course at another school.

I don't know why, because I don't take a lot of science classes, but Science seems to be an area that can be confusing.

We have several medical programs--two year degrees, all of which require certain A&P classes with labs. Now if one looks in the schedule they will see that there are these classes with two different names. One just says A&P and the other used to say "allied health" A&P, now they have changed the name to something else. The one that is just A&P is transferable but the other is not. I have no clue what the difference is, as they are taught by the same instructors. But, if a student doesn't know this, doesn't talk to the academic counselor or one of the A&P instructors they may sign up for "allied health" A&P and end up with a class that is not transferrable. Make sense? No, not to me either. LOL

What we always tell students is to make sure they talk to an advisor from their major area or talk to the academic counselor (our counselors are lableled differently and this one specalizes in knowing what will and won't transfer) and with an advisor from the 4 year college they will get their degree from. All of this will make doubly sure that they are not taking anything that will not transfer. Its really not as hard as it sounds, you just have to make sure your bases are covered.

 

[SC Minnie]

OP-- I haven't read the whole 5 pages so I apologize if this has already been mentioned.

Your oldest can already start earning scholarships for college. We went to a scholarship seminar ar DD's school 2 weeks ago and they gave us a number of scholarship sites to go to and start applying. The small ones add up so have your kids start applying to anything that may fit.