For more information on the event, contact: Judi Sloan Arizona Commission
for Postsecondary Education (602) 258-2435 x117 or email jsloan@azhighered.gov
To volunteer: Fill out this online Volunteer
Application.
LINKS
Web sites offer college-planning information. The
Internet has a wealth of information about selecting colleges and obtaining
student financial aid. Most public libraries have free access to the Internet.
So do many school and university libraries. Start your research with the
following Web sites, and you can link to other helpful Internet sites and
related topics.
www.fafsa.ed.gov -
This U.S. Department of Education site allows prospective college students
to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid online. Other features
include information about aid programs, a list of frequently asked questions
and federal school codes.
www.arizona.collegeanswer.com
- Arizona College Answer, presented by USA Funds, offers access to a variety
of financial-aid resources to meet the college needs of Arizona students
and their families. The site includes step-by-step tutorials on the entire
"going-to-college" process - from preparation to repaying loans.
Interactive tools let users estimate college costs, their expected contribution,
and student-loan repayment costs.
www.azhighered.gov
- The Web site for the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education features
career planning and college tips, as well as links to local, regional and
national financial-aid-related organizations.
www.usafunds.org -
College planning information, managing a student loan, repayment calculators,
and forms and publications for students and parents are a few of this site's
features.
www.collegeispossible.org
- A one-stop site for information about college admissions and financial
aid, the site features links to many other college-related Web sites and
information about publications recommended by admissions and financial-aid
professionals. The site is a project of the American Council on Education,
the U.S. Department of Education, 1,200 colleges and universities, and several
higher-education organizations and community agencies.
www.ed.gov - The home page
for the U.S. Department of Education includes details of federal financial-aid
programs, information about going to college, and links to related topics
and sites.
www.ed.gov/thinkcollege
- This U.S. Department of Education site provides financial-aid information
and strategies for paying for and gaining admission to college.
www.finaid.org - The
Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid site has a comprehensive list of financial-aid
sources including scholarships, loans and military aid. The site also features
calculators to help determine the cost of college, how much people need
to save, expected family contribution and student-loan repayment.
www.nasfaa.org - The
home page of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
has extensive information about preparing for higher education, including
college saving tips.
www.collegeboard.com
- The College Board site includes information about how to register and
prepare for the SAT, apply online for colleges, and explore college and
career options. The site also includes advice about securing financial aid.
www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool
- The College Opportunities On-Line site, sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Education National Center for Education Statistics, has links to nearly
7,000 colleges and universities in the United States. Career, technical
and trade schools also are found through this site.
www.mapping-your-future.org
- Sponsored by a group of student-loan guarantors, this award-winning site
provides college, career and financial-aid information and services to students,
schools and families.
www.ade.az.gov/cte/azcrn
- The Arizona Career Resource Network provides various resources to assist
students in making more informed choices about career and postsecondary
options. Students and parents can find guidelines and activities to help
them make better plans, research options and to set goals for future success.
www.collegegoalsundayusa.org -The home of the national College Goal Sunday web site - this page contains information about the program and event, its history, and includes a listing of all the participating states.
Josh Barreda made a decision during his senior year of high school that is paying big dividends now. He decided to forgo the Westwood High football team and instead use his time to apply for scholarships for college. Each day after lunch, Barreda went to the career center at the Mesa, Ariz., high school for an hour. “I dedicated an hour to applying for scholarships every day. I looked at it as a class,” he says. He worked on his personal statement, resume and references and received help from the counselors staffing the center. Many days an adviser would hand him a scholarship application and suggest he apply. He applied for 15 scholarships and received six. As a result of his hard work, he received enough financial aid to cover his costs at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. A combination of scholarships, a federal Pell Grant and state merit-based aid are funding his tuition and living expenses. “If I didn’t have financial aid, I would not be going to college,” he says. “I’d be working in a restaurant, saving money and attending community college when I could. It definitely would have postponed my graduation by several years.” Barreda and his family moved to Arizona from California when he was in the 8th grade. His father had lost his job, and they came to the state to live with an aunt. Although his dad found work soon after arriving, with four children in the family, bills and rent, Barreda says there’s no money for college. He and his older sister share an apartment in Flagstaff, and both receive financial aid to attend NAU. Barreda is working toward a degree in hotel-and-restaurant management and hopes one day to open his own hotel and restaurant. A straight-A student in high school, Barreda says freshman year is going well so far. Does he think he made the right choice in high school? Absolutely. “Applying for scholarships instead of playing football definitely helped me in the long run,” he says. —Courtesy of USA Funds
