Finances for College- Where to Begin?!?

Hello again, Prospective Students! For those of you who are new to this blog or maybe just forgot me over the holidays, my name is Kyle. I am a Senior here at Black Hills State University and I am majoring in Speech Communication with a Minor in Military Science. What I do with this blog, is provide tips and tricks to prospective students on how to become a student here at our University.

Life has really been picking up speed for me, being that this is my last semester in college. Real life is staring me in the face and I have to tell you that it’s really exciting! There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I swear to you it’s not a train. However, I am not here to speak to you about the end of the road, I’m here to help you get into the car and start driving. Unless your last name is Trump, most of you will be frantically trying to line up the finances to make this college-thing work.

There are a variety of reasons why you may want to pursue additional sources of Financial Aid to help pay for college . Some of you can fork over the bill, but if don’t HAVE to pay for ALL of it out of YOUR pocket, you might as well see what’s out there. Federal aid, loans, grants, scholarships, and whatever else you can find can really help lessen the sting and give you more time to concentrate on the important stuff, like showing up and being successful.

The first step you want to take is to fill out the FAFSA. As soon as you and your parents or guardians are done doing your 2010 taxes, you want to fill out the FAFSA, www.fafsa.ed.gov to see what kind of federal money you qualify for. There are grants, unsubsidized loans, subsidized loans, federal work-study, and a myriad of other programs that I don’t even know the names for. You may qualify for some or all of these programs. You don’t know until you take the 30 minutes to fill out the form. It’s free to submit. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by filling out a FAFSA.

Step Two is to go to our website and complete our scholarship form. BHSU is currently awarding scholarships so putting your name in the pot sooner rather than later can have huge rewards. There are two reasons why scholarships are so great: 1) The form is a single page and submits you for ALL our scholarships with the exception of Music and Athletic scholarships, so it’s quick and easy. 2) You don’t pay scholarships back. This is money set aside for students just like you to reward you for your past achievements and current aspirations. You worked hard through high school to earn this, but unless you fill out the form, you will never know if you would have qualified.

After you’ve completed the above, you will want to see what kind of outside scholarships you can qualify for. Outside scholarships are offered by many organizations and can be located through a variety of websites. One good place to check is our scholarship website: www.bhsu.edu/scholarships. Not only does this site provide you with our scholarship application and explanations on many of the scholarships we offer, there is a link that says, “outside scholarships,” that will show you a huge array of other programs that may help you pay for school.

This is only a quick snapshot of what’s available. Go online or even ask your friends what they found. Financial Aid is a good thing and you shouldn’t be embarrassed to call and ask what scholarships and programs are available to help fund your education. You may or may not qualify for some of these programs but I can tell you this: The only scholarship you will definitely not receive is the one you don’t apply for. Good luck, and happy hunting!

Kyle Wade
BHSU Senior, Student Blogger
Kyle.Wade@yellowjackets.bhsu.edu