Happy Spring, Juniors!  Hopefully you have started to investigate different options for colleges and majors and are on track with your studies.  If you have developed a list of schools, the next step is stepping foot onto campus and asking some good questions .

Visiting a college campus is a crucial part of determining whether the school will be a good fit.  It’s also important to visit schools while students are on campus because that will give you the “real feel” for campus culture.  Attending during a sporting event or even theater production can give you a good feel for the campus.  Here  is an article with some other excellent tips on what to look for once you do visit a campus. 

As always, if you have any questions about financial aid, college planning or any other college and career related information, please call the Center for College Planning’s toll free number at 888.7.GRADUATE, ext. 119.  And remember, you can listen to the College Gurus live on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WTPL 107.7FM!

Best,
Lee

Hopefully this finds you well and all buttoned up with your college plans (Remember, National Candidate Reply Date is May 1st!)!  It’s an exciting time of year with prom, wrapping up senior year and getting ready to move onto college.  While there are important things to consider regarding loans  and financing, here are some additional tips you can use when getting ready to leave the nest:

Get on campus and attend new student day!   Being able to get back on campus and really evaluate all the schools services is a great help.  Knowing where buildings are located, where you can go with questions and utilizing other resources is a great first step to a successful college career.  Most schools offer accepted student days throughout the spring where you can learn about resources, sit with financial aid to ask questions and just spend more time on campus.

Buy those textbooks used!  Buying new textbooks can be very costly and often a waste if you haven’t exhausted the used options first.  There are many ways to save on textbooks such as renting or buying used and many resources to compare the different costs of used textbooks such as this site.

Investigate different ways to save!  There are plenty of other creative ways to save while in school.  Whether it be investigating the benefits of student discounts or going to the movies on a college campus, here is a great list of penny pinching ideas.

As always, if you have any questions about financial aid, college planning or any other college and career related information, please call the Center for College Planning’s toll free number at 888.7.GRADUATE, ext. 119.  And remember, you can listen to the College Gurus live on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WTPL 107.7FM!

Best,
Lee

Available for a few more days, the Citizens TruFit Scholarship looks to award 40 different scholarships to students who have become leaders in their community or demonstrated a passion for community service.  This opportunity is available until the 30th of April so there is still time to get your applications in, winners will be contacted on or about June 15th. 

Seniors - If you still have questions about college funding and financial aid, we are happy to meet with families for one hour appointments throughout the summer.  Keep in mind that National Candidate Reply date is May 1st for your deposit but once you’ve decided on a school, if you still have questions, come and sit down with one of our counselors or check out resources on our website. To set up an appointment feel free to call 1.888.7.Graduate ext. 119.

Good luck!
Lee