higher education expenses (i.e., college, career school, or graduate school expenses). Federal student aid covers such expenses as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation. Aid also can help pay for a computer and for dependent care. There are three main categories of federal student aid: grants, work-study, and loans. The nice part of all of this is that except for the loans, the grants and work-study are free money. WOW! How do I get some of this financial aid to help me in college? 
Well that brings us to the FAFSA. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is the means by which you can get hold of some of that government money. When I talk with the students this week, I will mention the most important part of that acronym is the first "F", FREE. That's correct, the application that you need to fill out is absolutely free. Please remember that, it is FREE, FREE, FREE. There are many sites that want to charge you to fill out the FAFSA but please do not pay to fill this out. Simply go to ww.fafsa.gov and you can begin filling out the application. You will also need to apply for a PIN (Personal Identification Number), just like you use at an ATM or other places. This is the way you will sign your FAFSA.Once you have finished the FAFSA, you will receive a student aid report (SAR). This will include all the data you put into your application and also list your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is simply what is says, how much money your family is expected to contribute to your college education. Once you receive this information, call the colleges that you listed on the application. They will receive the same information that you did. It is always good to check with them and ask if they have received everything they need. Shortly after that, you will receive a letter or e-mail from the university that you are interested in, stating how much they will be offering you. Usually they have a deadline with that letter asking you to let them know if you are accepting the money and coming to their school. Please reply before the deadline or you will lose the financial aid.
I know this is a lot of information. On Wednesday, I will hold two presentations for the seniors that have signed up to attend my sessions. They will be held during Advantage period in the community room. However, if your parents are interested in hearing more about this financial aid process, your local home schools are holding an evening session for parents and guardians. The dates are as follows:
VAN WERT - DECEMBER 10 - 6:30 PM
PAULDING - JANUARY 12 - 7:00 PM
KALIDA - JANUARY 12 - 6:00 PM
CONTINENTAL - JANUARY 13 - 6:30 PM
ANTWERP - JANUARY 26 - 6:00 PM
If your school is not listed, you may attend the one in your area. For example; Fort Jennings and Ottoville are also sponsoring the session at Kalida.
A couple of really good sites that I think are helpful are listed below:
Information needed for FAFSA
Myths about Financial Aid
What is Federal Student Aid
Financial Aid Resources (some great links to videos, handouts, etc)
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