With Michigan’s free college month now a month behind us, school acceptances are starting to roll in across the state. Now, students’ focuses are turning toward scholarships, FAFSA, and grant applications that will make or break their college experience.
Before all else, WBSD college adviser Ms. Zaria Williams, more commonly known as Ms. Z, stresses that students should complete their FAFSA, or their ‘Free Application for Federal Student Aid,’ between December 1st and 15th to ensure the most lucrative results. By completing the FAFSA by this time, students can expect to receive grant and scholarship offers pertaining to their FAFSA information by the end of the winter. Applications for this financial aid require both student and parent completion, relying on previous years’ tax data to create financial offers.
To assist students in the process of preparing for their futures, Mr. Brian Taylor created a series of WIN time lessons covering financial literacy. Week 1 of these lessons featured Ms. Z, who discussed the value of competing FAFSA and covered the application process. Week 2 covered the importance of establishing reliable credit at a young age, discussing how to build a good credit score. Future WIN time lessons will take place in Mr. Taylor’s room and will cover similar topics.
Students who already have an idea of where they will attend college should look at scholarships specific to that institution; most colleges offer web pages of school-specific financial aid information.
