Paying for college in this day and age can be very trying and anxiety ridden: Federal student aid can help
The most important piece in attending college is money. It comes down to where you can afford to attend. If you are reading this article or this blog is because you are looking for financial aid to help you pay for college. In this day and age with the price of attending college skyrocketing out of control for most region of this country, most middle class families are finding it very difficult pay for college. In searching for money to attend college or a university, you need to consider attending schools away from home because there many great schools with low price if you do your due diligence.

There were time when attending colleges was much more reasonable and I am speaking from experience as a student, parent and as a guidance counselor. There are pockets of great schools across the United States and you will find these schools in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and the Western part of the country. For the state colleges and universities, the price tag in these regions that I have mentioned are very reasonable for the instate students. For the out of state students, the cost of attending these institutions are more expensive but it still may be worth your while to carefully consider going to an out of state institution rather than attending a private institution in your state. Filing the federal student aid form can lessen the cost of attendance no matter where you decide to attain your college degree.

In the regions that I have mentioned, not only are the states schools less expensive but also the private schools are less expensive in some areas. When you are doing your financial aid search, you ought to look for where you are going to get the most bangs for your money. One thing that you should do in this process is to get an idea of what is your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and this can be done easily at fafsa.org. Once you have an idea of how much money you are going to have to come up with to pay for your education, you can better search for a college or a university that is a good fit for you financially and academically. Paying for college should not be painfully stressful if you approach this process with knowledge and a realistic attitude.

Find scholarships that can help you pay for college in todays difficult economy: Use fastweb to begin your search
It does not matter much whether you are well to do or poor, everyone wants to save money when purchasing anything including an education. It is the best investment that one makes for ones future or for the future our children. If you are or your family is in that middle class bracket, you may not qualify for much federal financial aid, so you have to look for scholarships to help you pay for college. We want to look for free money before we take on the loans.

There are some great loans out there that you can take advantage of in this important investment of your life. There are numerous scholarship programs out there but to find them is like finding a needle in the haystack. There are local, regional, states and national scholarships and you have to know where to look. There are academic, athletic, ethnic, religious scholarships just to name a few. You will have to do your due diligence to find these scholarships. If you create the right academic profile, you can possibly get thousands of dollars to help you pay for college.

To get more information on federal financial aid and scholarships, check the website below that can provide you all of the necessary instructions and links that can save you time and money.
www.collegeadmissionsandfinancialaid.com copy and paste if the link is not alive
Leonel R. DaRosa, M. Ed.
Guidance Counselor