Going to College: How to Get the Financial Aid You Need

Let me guess, you just got the college acceptance letter from three schools you want to go to. They are all offering some financial aid money, but their packages aren't very different from one another. Which college or university do you choose? There are several things you must consider in order to go to college and make sure you can afford to stay there.

The first thing you need to think about is whether the school is public or private. If it's a public school you have some advantages there. The federal government often funds these schools. So you can expect some pretty good opportunities for grants from the state. Maybe you could also get public assistance.

The price of a private school is often higher than that of a public school, however, private schools get their money from somewhere other than the government. Often they have what are called alumni donors. Public schools may have these too, but usually private schools have a bigger pot they can grab from. Private schools have somehow learned how to run themselves without the help of the government. Certainly they can help the budding college freshman finish four years of college. If private schools don't get their money from alumni, they can get it from somewhere else. Maybe people who didn't even graduate from the school are donating money. You never know. I went to a private school that had about a thirty thousand dollar price tag. My family is not wealthy by any means, and I never had to worry about graduating.

Another thing you should think about before choosing a college is the financial aid office. It might be a great idea for you to take a visit to this office in particular when you go to look at the school. Get a sense of the general atmosphere. Are the financial aid officers friendly or do they seem overwhelmed? Does the office look like it's in good condition or in need of repairs?

Trust me, a nice financial aid officer can make or break you in college. She can find you money when it seems like there is no money to be found. I can attest to this myself because while in college, I had two financial aid officers. One was the person assigned to the letter my last name began with. The other was the person who took walk-ins. The person who took walk-ins was always able to find me money. She got to hitting those keys on her computer, and I was set. The one who was assigned to me often asked me what I did with the money, why I needed more money, and when could I get all the necessary paper work filled out to see if I would be approved for more money.

In closing, there are many things you need to consider if you think you may be dependent on financial aid to get through college. I'm not saying you should turn down a university or college because the financial aid officers seem distant. I'm merely stating that a financial aid officer might make the difference between you staying at a college and having to transfer to a less-expensive one.