I have a few tips to offer with regards to the financial aid process; a necessary process to tackle, and one that no one wants to think about but everyone needs to. The following are based on my experiences prior to attending Northland College in Ashland, WI. Now, as a graduate and connoisseur of the ins and outs of the college application process, I have also included specifics that I wish I knew ahead of time to make everything more manageable and come possibly at a better price.
1. The price on the tag isn’t the price on the tag.
Depending on how much you actually applied yourself during high school, you may be in for a real treat when you receive acceptance letters with amounts of scholarship money attached on them for no additional work! I would have never been able to afford going to Northland; a private, liberal arts institution clocking in at an impressive $41,000 a year. However, with a little help from my good grades, a solid chunk was offered with my acceptance letter and it was the same price as going to a public state school despite its alarming face value tuition costs. Private colleges and universities often have more financial aid money to give out due to lots of private donors heavily invested in seeing their alma mater successfully increasing in popularity with more and more students attending each year. This is just to say; don’t rule out a pricy out-of-state or private school if it really offers what you are looking for because you may be pleasantly surprised by the hefty weight lifted off that that tuition bill from the get-go!
2. First step: is the price tag is the actual price.
Maybe you slacked a bit, maybe the drool stains from your daily mid-algebra nap still have the reminiscence of sleepy residue…my point being: if friendly scholarships for superior academic work are not being handed out to you by the colleges you have gotten into, don’t be alarmed! You can make up for the past with a little resourcefulness and handy work. There are scholarships out there for literally every circumstance imaginable and I am a little sour that I didn’t take the time to pursue any of these! Do your research and start raking in the dough. Here are some of the more outrageous outside funds I found merely by a Google search: $2,000 for best duck call, $1,000 for girls over 5’10’’, $3,000 for best prom outfit made of duct tape, $5,000 for pursuing the potato industry, and $10,000 from David Letterman for someone pursuing creative media. There are scholarships for welding, for being vegetarian, playing an instrument, being left handed andthe list is endless.Itranges from the practical to the absurd. Northland specifically offers many scholarships for the eco-inclined, such as the “Scouting Leadership Award” for those who were girl scouts or boy scouts, “Environmental and Outdoor Program Awards”for those who have attended NOLS or Outward Bound programs, and the “Sigurd Olson Eco-Visionary Scholarship” for an applicant who has dedicated a commitment to conservation. Just take the time to fill out the applications and you may be in the running for some serious financial help!
3. Fill out the FAFSA as early as possible.
Every college student, with the help of a parent or guardian, must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine the amount of financial aid granted by the government. I was the queen of procrastinating this deed and I paid for it, literally! The FAFSA is now released in January of every year, and many states are giving out money on a first-come-first-serve basis. Northlands deadline was March 15th but the earlier the better, even if you don’t think you will qualify. Even families making over $180,000 a year typically receive some form of aid. In fact, 98% of students at Northland qualified. Additionally, if your financial situation changes over the four years to come, some schools ban applying for institutional aid if you didn’t do it originally. Don’t be a drag like I was, and cover your bases; file your FAFSA early!
4. Disappointed with your aid package? Ask and you may receive.
No worries, the deal isn’t set in stone. Take this from the girl that successfully weasels her way into a bargain even at the grocery store. A little known fact is that you can actually call up the financial aid administrators and negotiate a bit. Don’t be manipulative with this, especially if you your family is making six figures a year. There are a lot of students out there that really do need the help and frankly, it’s just not good karma! But if need be, a simple phone call may do the trick with an expression of gratitude for what you have been offered, and an explanation if the award doesn’t seem fit, differs a lot from other school’s offers, or if your finances have seriously shifted since the time you sent in the application. Cheers to Northland’s staff;they were very accommodating and they now know me by first name. It goes to show you gotta fight for your right to study!
5. Understand the different types of aid given in their entirety.
Sometimes, you will be fortunate enough to have schools throwing free dough your way. Most of the time, financial aid is going to be offered as a mixture of grants, low interest loans, and opportunities for work study. Do your research to understand what will need to be paid back and what is a gift. I ended up having a combination of academic grants from Northland that simply slashed the price of tuition for being an overly anxious and motivated high school student, work trade for the sum of $1,000 a year to be the front desk receptionist, and low interest loans that I would prefer to not talk about.
Carmen G Ruvie is a 2013 graduate of Northland College in Ashland, Wisc., with a degree in Sustainable Community Development. She currently dwells in the fields of permaculture, organic farming, and holistic living