3 answers
Sofia
Student
Ridgewood, NY
2
Questions
Updated
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Is it possible for me to go to my dream college when i dont get a good financial aid package #fall26?
I will be paying for college almost entirely by myself and i don't know what to do
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3 answers
Kim Metz
product management
2
Answers
Leander, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hi Sofia,
Good job on thinking about how to finance college. I had to pay for my own college, and it is possible so don't give up! I actually worked while going to college and it actually helped me be more disciplined in making time for my studies as I didn't have much time outside of work. Many companies out there have an employee assisted program where they reimburse for some of your tuition while you are employed so start doing research on all those companies. Even retail stores like Costco, HEB, and others offering entry level positions should have some kind of employee assisted education programs so do some research on their websites. Best of luck in your future!
Good job on thinking about how to finance college. I had to pay for my own college, and it is possible so don't give up! I actually worked while going to college and it actually helped me be more disciplined in making time for my studies as I didn't have much time outside of work. Many companies out there have an employee assisted program where they reimburse for some of your tuition while you are employed so start doing research on all those companies. Even retail stores like Costco, HEB, and others offering entry level positions should have some kind of employee assisted education programs so do some research on their websites. Best of luck in your future!
Rebecca Tang
Banking
2398
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. This is a valuable opportunities to enter your dream college.
Below are my suggestions on your financials. :
1. Apply for the scholarships
2. Find any grants or loans offered by the college, government, etc.
3. Explore the part time working opportunities, e.g. job opportunities in the colleges or neighborhood, etc. chain store, fast food stores, etc.
4. Discuss with your parents in the financial arrangement
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Below are my suggestions on your financials. :
1. Apply for the scholarships
2. Find any grants or loans offered by the college, government, etc.
3. Explore the part time working opportunities, e.g. job opportunities in the colleges or neighborhood, etc. chain store, fast food stores, etc.
4. Discuss with your parents in the financial arrangement
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Sofia !
There are many reasons for a low financial aid package and you didn't state whether this is based on the Federal Student Financial Aid or what your college itself is offering. Your first step is to ascertain why your package is low. I wasn't eligible for Financial Aid at all until I started living and in that status you are considered a separate household. Family income and assets play a part and if you live with parents and family that work, their income is figured in. Find out what factors caused the package to be low and see if you can change for next time you apply so all that you have to include is your own income. That would mean living outside of your parents' home if you can do that, with roommates perhaps.
You can go to any college you want, but you'll need to find a way to pay for the expenses. Start saving money from working and maybe start out paying for/taking one or two courses to begin with. Find out how much per credit your college charges. This way, you'll be on campus, become familiar with it until your financial aid eligibility changes. You may have to also find out how many credits you need to have in order to keep that low financial aid package. Ask what is considered part time and full time as far as how many credits relate to that. Financial Aid is intricate with lots of information, so visiting your on campus Financial Aid office is the best thing to do.
Scholarships are not guaranteed and you have to apply for each one before the deadline so start reading scholarships on scholarship websites. It's a matter of applying and waiting to hear back. You increase your chances by applying for many, many scholarships.
Since you will be an Environmental Science Major, you can apply for the New York Water Environment Association scholarship, The $12,000 Environmental Career Scholarship which is for New York State residents, The $8,000 Nicholas J. Bartilucci Environmental Scholarship (many require being a full time student), The RTK Scholars Program offers a $1,500 scholarship to high school seniors and college students in the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) majoring in environmental science,
The Louis (Grizz) Scafetta Sr Memorial Scholarship provides $1,000 to a New York State high school senior pursuing forestry, conservation, wildlife biology, or environmental sciences. and The NYSOEA Environmental Studies Scholarship awards $500 to high school seniors or undergraduates majoring in environmental studies. There are also general scholarships and grants not connected to your major that you'll need to apply for. You can do a search online for Scholarship websites and read about all the scholarships and the criteria for applying. Also ask your high school teachers and guidance counselors because sometimes there are scholarships or grants that are not listed on the internet.
Once your financial aid information changes and only your income is counted on the Federal Student Financial Aid Application, you might then qualify for a larger Financial Aid package. Talk this over with your financial aid officer after you change status, but you can inquire about why students receive low or no financial aid. There are too many reasons why for me to write here.
If you have to work off campus while in college, find out if your college offers evening and weekend classes. Remember that if you get tuition reimbursement from an employer, that means you have to pay the school first and then the employer pays you to reimburse you, so you'd still have to pay out the tuition to the school first. Make sure you discuss all information directly with whom you'd be interacting with to get the most up to date and accurate information. A lot of what you need to know depends on information that you haven't provided here. Never stop reaching out.
I almost forgot - check with your parents to see if they ever opened a 529 plan savings account specifically for parents to save for their child's college education.
These plans are also known as 529 college savings plans. It would be through their bank. That can be a source to use for college expenses if they had set up one.
I hope this helps for a start and I wish you all the best !
There are many reasons for a low financial aid package and you didn't state whether this is based on the Federal Student Financial Aid or what your college itself is offering. Your first step is to ascertain why your package is low. I wasn't eligible for Financial Aid at all until I started living and in that status you are considered a separate household. Family income and assets play a part and if you live with parents and family that work, their income is figured in. Find out what factors caused the package to be low and see if you can change for next time you apply so all that you have to include is your own income. That would mean living outside of your parents' home if you can do that, with roommates perhaps.
You can go to any college you want, but you'll need to find a way to pay for the expenses. Start saving money from working and maybe start out paying for/taking one or two courses to begin with. Find out how much per credit your college charges. This way, you'll be on campus, become familiar with it until your financial aid eligibility changes. You may have to also find out how many credits you need to have in order to keep that low financial aid package. Ask what is considered part time and full time as far as how many credits relate to that. Financial Aid is intricate with lots of information, so visiting your on campus Financial Aid office is the best thing to do.
Scholarships are not guaranteed and you have to apply for each one before the deadline so start reading scholarships on scholarship websites. It's a matter of applying and waiting to hear back. You increase your chances by applying for many, many scholarships.
Since you will be an Environmental Science Major, you can apply for the New York Water Environment Association scholarship, The $12,000 Environmental Career Scholarship which is for New York State residents, The $8,000 Nicholas J. Bartilucci Environmental Scholarship (many require being a full time student), The RTK Scholars Program offers a $1,500 scholarship to high school seniors and college students in the New York tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) majoring in environmental science,
The Louis (Grizz) Scafetta Sr Memorial Scholarship provides $1,000 to a New York State high school senior pursuing forestry, conservation, wildlife biology, or environmental sciences. and The NYSOEA Environmental Studies Scholarship awards $500 to high school seniors or undergraduates majoring in environmental studies. There are also general scholarships and grants not connected to your major that you'll need to apply for. You can do a search online for Scholarship websites and read about all the scholarships and the criteria for applying. Also ask your high school teachers and guidance counselors because sometimes there are scholarships or grants that are not listed on the internet.
Once your financial aid information changes and only your income is counted on the Federal Student Financial Aid Application, you might then qualify for a larger Financial Aid package. Talk this over with your financial aid officer after you change status, but you can inquire about why students receive low or no financial aid. There are too many reasons why for me to write here.
If you have to work off campus while in college, find out if your college offers evening and weekend classes. Remember that if you get tuition reimbursement from an employer, that means you have to pay the school first and then the employer pays you to reimburse you, so you'd still have to pay out the tuition to the school first. Make sure you discuss all information directly with whom you'd be interacting with to get the most up to date and accurate information. A lot of what you need to know depends on information that you haven't provided here. Never stop reaching out.
I almost forgot - check with your parents to see if they ever opened a 529 plan savings account specifically for parents to save for their child's college education.
These plans are also known as 529 college savings plans. It would be through their bank. That can be a source to use for college expenses if they had set up one.
I hope this helps for a start and I wish you all the best !