{"id":8909,"date":"2017-02-03T17:16:16","date_gmt":"2017-02-04T01:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/?p=8909"},"modified":"2017-02-09T14:23:08","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T22:23:08","slug":"college-expensive-get-support-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/hs\/college-admissions\/college-expensive-get-support-need\/","title":{"rendered":"College Is Expensive – Get The Support You Need!"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was written by our friends at Admit.Me<\/a>.<\/em><\/center>
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\nYou did the hard part, right? You struggled through those essays, interviews, and standardized tests. Then you refreshed your email several thousand times, trying to get an update on your acceptance status with your favorite school. But\u2014as for financing your dream with financial aid\u2014this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n

Why you should care<\/h2>\n

College is expensive. It\u2019s that simple. Unless you are fortunate enough to have your education financed by a third party, you should care. A lot. Many of my clients over the years have botched the financial aid process so badly that they find themselves scrambling for dollars at the last minute. Some have even had to decline their dream school because they can\u2019t afford it. The earlier you get on top of the financial aid process, the better off you will be. Trust me!<\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s hard<\/h2>\n

Lots of deadlines:<\/strong> There are lots of deadlines that you need to navigate and when the money runs out, you are out of luck. There are federal deadlines, school-specific deadlines, and may be some state deadlines depending on the type of school. Additionally, you should be aware of \u201cpriority\u201d deadlines, which are deadlines colleges use to allocate existing funds, and they\u2019ll do so until their funds are depleted. So, you should be applying for them as early as possible. And you thought your last semester in high school was going to be a breeze\u2026<\/p>\n

You need your parents:<\/strong> Maybe your parents helped a lot during the admissions process or maybe they let you do your thing (kudos to you), but you need them now. You need them to provide financial information, tax information, employment information and lots more (think: applying for a mortgage). If your parents don\u2019t have it together, give them a pep talk, and tell them to get it together. Now.<\/p>\n

Out of your control:<\/strong> You and your parents are really busy. And, depending on your family dynamic, it may be more difficult to exchange vital information. If you don\u2019t have good records, or they get busy at work, the process may be delayed. So hold each other accountable! Push, pull, remind, clean your room, make it a competition\u2026do what it takes. If they don\u2019t do what they need to do, you will be looking at more loans.<\/p>\n

What your parents will likely need<\/h2>\n