<p>This may belong on the FA board, but the Parents Board gives such great advice.</p>
<p>I am getting ready to undertake a major project -- helping several young men who are juniors with their college path. These are very poor boys, some are athletes, some better students than some of the others. They are all URMs and first generation. </p>
<p>I am working on arranging tutoring for the SAT or ACT for them. I have the verbal person confirmed -- searching for the math person for now.</p>
<p>I know that they will qualify for fee waivers for testing. I think they get them from the counselor.</p>
<p>My child is a senior, but our financial situation is very different and his options and desires are as well so this is an area that is new to me.</p>
<p>For accredited vocational programs, does financial aid work the same as 4 year schools? What about community colleges? </p>
<p>From reading on CC, I can tell that sometimes colleges say they meet full need but they do it with lots of loans. Is there an easy place to find the schools that truly meet full need with no loans besides Harvard etc?</p>
<p>Good for you. I worked with a young lady during high school and she is now a college sophomore. It is tough when you have no funds but it can be done.</p>
<p>They need to complete the FAFSA. If they will need the financial information of the parent they live with. If they have ever been homeless or are under the care of the state or a legal guardian then they will file as an “independent” and their parent’s information won’t be needed.
Go the FAFSA.gov and you can download the form and print it out - that way you can read through it and see what will be required.</p>
<p>IF they have an EFC of $0. They will qualify for the maximum pell grant. Also other federal grants may be available namely the SEOG (unless that got eliminated).
They will also qualify for Stafford Loans. $3500 subsidized the first year plus an additional $2000 unsubsidized.
There are some other grants and loans available depending on their major - such as the TEACH grant. State grants may also be available.
Federal financial aid works the same with a community college and accredited vocational programs. For vocational programs ask the school if they participate in the federal financial aid program. For a variety of reasons I would steer away from for-profit schools.</p>
<p>Fee waivers exist for SAT/ACT and for applications. Kids who qualify for free/reduced lunch will get a waiver. Yep - they get them from guidance.</p>
<p>It is really hard to go to a “meet full need” college with no money. They don’t go by the FAFSA EFC and their definition may be different.
If these kids have really good grades and decent SAT’s there may be some local privates with good scholarships available, especially if they are active and leaders in their school.
One private in our county has a lot of scholarships for talented local kids.
Otherwise public schools are probably the way to go, esp if they are cheap in your state.
What state do the kids live in?
Are any recruitable? Keep in mind that while D3 schools don’t have “athletic” scholarships many do have merit scholarships for certain athletes.</p>
<p>I would take this to the FA board and there is a current thread on the topic.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that a zero EFC presents most with few college choices. URM and athlete, if they are recruitable, dramatically changes the situation. </p>
<p>The TOS doesn’t allow me to name it, but there is a blog with excellent information for minority candidates that you will easily find using Google. Questbridge, as mentioned, would also be perfect in this case.</p>
<p>Many private, high endowment colleges are actively seeking first gen, low income minorities. With decent grades and scores, these kids will have a lot of opportunities. Some loans may be involved, but if you stick to the many schools with loan caps, they should not be deal breakers.</p>
<p>If the student desires a major in something which is not covered in the “regular” academic part of the school (such as studio art or music performance), Questbridge will be of no use as they do not fund students in conservatories or specialized arts schools. But, if a student excells at one of those type of activities, it IS possible to attend where ever they are accepted, with the help of the college’s FA department and some good research prior to even applying.
I disagree with the statement that a “zero EFC presents most with few college choices”. I think it depends upon how much the student is willing to invest in themselves.There are scholarships/grants in the home communities and money to be earned from jobs after school, weekends and during vacations. Being an athlete can garner additional scholarships but so can grades and participation in extra-curricular activities and volunteer groups. Yes, there will be loans, but no where is it said that a student shouldn’t have to be responsible for their own education. They shouldn’t expect to have something handed to them simply because of their socio-economic group or minority status. To believe in that simply serves to hold someone down in a subservient position where there is no incentive to do well because funds will be forthcoming on the basis of “What” rather than " Who" they are.
For the OP who is beginning down the path to help these kids, I applaud you. Please, keep good records, with organizations, names of contact people, etc so that you can build upon this each year. This sounds like something which could easily grow into something which will provide assistance to more each year and which will act as a resource for others. Great job!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s indisputable fact in the US. Unless you are one of the very few poor with stats for top schools/scholarships, or are a recruitable athlete, you will, like most, end up at a community college at best.</p>
<p>My child says that two of these guys should be Div 1 material. I also need to understand that process as well. I realize that in the end it is the college’s choice, but because these boys have so little, I would like to make sure that they end up in programs that will watch out for them. </p>
<p>I forgot about Questbridge and, I think, for at least one that is an option. No art majors in this group. </p>
<p>Community college might not be a bad choice either. I am pleased to know that vocational programs, and yes we will avoid the for profit ones, are an option as well. One young man is interested in Culinary Arts. </p>
<p>Some of these guys are working (very little as they are athletes) but I think that money is so insignificant just based on their current needs. </p>
<p>I do know, for the ones that don’t play ball in college, that they are capable and willing to work and will have to.</p>
<p>Again, I really appreciate the tremendous resources you have given me.</p>
<p>The advice to keep records is awesome – I hadn’t thought about that. We have just a horrible counseling department at our high school. For the past three years, I have spent energy complaining about this – now I am moving on. Rather than fight to change something that I obviously can’t, I am going to do my small part to make sure that the kids that lose the most (I believe) because of the poor quality of the counseling department have a slimmer of hope. (The school is very diverse – the families like ours can either afford private counselors or just guide their children themselves. As parents, we support each other and share information, etc. But many of us are concerned about the kids who will fall through the crack.)</p>
<p>The Questbridge partner colleges currently are limited to 26 highly selective schools (Ivies etc.) The 2009 filing deadline was September 20.</p>
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<p>JustAMomOf4, if you are saying that colleges committed to meeting 100% of need are unlikely to accept someone with a zero EFC, then I don’t think this is necessarily true.</p>
<p>One needs to distinguish “full need” from “need blind” colleges. If a school is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need, but is not need blind, then a low EFC may reduce admissions chances (but not necessarily – it depends on policy and on the individual student’s qualifications). If a school is truly need blind, then (by definition) the EFC should have no bearing on the admissions decision. But yes, the definition of “meeting 100% of demonstrated need” may vary from school to school (with some but not all schools including loans as a significant part of the package).</p>
<p>I’m under the impression (but may be wrong) that most colleges require FAFSA for financial aid (whether they are committed to meeting full need or not, whether need-blind in admissions or not). They may or may not also require CSS Profile (and possibly their own, additional documents).</p>
<p>Policies and practices may vary greatly among different segments of the college market (private v. state v. cc). The following list shows schools that claim to be both need-blind and committed to meeting full need, but most of them are highly selective.
[Need-blind</a> admission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“Need-blind admission - Wikipedia”>Need-blind admission - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>We are in GA. I don’t know which of the boys will qualify for HOPE. Obviously, for the ones that do, we will just have to worry about some fees, books and possibly room and board.</p>
<p>Football, maybe track and field and possibly wrestling. I know that a couple of them only have football – one has all three (not sure what his strongest sport is yet. I will find out.)</p>
<p>I am going to ask them each to pick up an unofficial transcript and bring it to me this week.</p>
<p>I would not immediately dismiss the possibility of the Ivys and other elite schools for academically talented male minority athletes. Another option could be the service academies or ROTC. The disadvantage to a sports scholarship is that students don’t keep the scholarship if they stop playing. It can also be very difficult to balance a varsity sport, academics, and a job. </p>
<p>By the way, it is not unheard of for schools to offer aid for low income and minority (ALANA) students to visit them. These programs aren’t always heavily advertised, so someone may have to call and ask. </p>
<p>Junior and senior years are the years that students should be applying for local and national scholarships. (Even a one time scholarship of $500 dollars is a semester or two of book money). </p>
<p>Other things to consider are the school’s retention rate and 4 year graduation rate. Obviously, the goal is to get students there, and keep them there for four years. </p>
<p>Students might also need help filling out institutional forms for financial aid.</p>
not necessarily but some are not need-blind. What I am saying is that even though FAFSA says they have a zero EFC the college might not see it that way. In any case these schools are few and far between and you need to be a stellar student.</p>
<p>About athletics - note that even if they get “recruited” for a D1 sport they won’t necessarily get a full scholarship. They may get none or only partial.</p>
<p>I would say look for a college(s) in Ga as well. There are a lot of state schools with relatively cheap tuition. For instance at Kennesaw State - the Pell grant would pay for just about all the tuition. If they get a FSEOG that can go to room and board.
They just aren’t going to get around loans so help them to borrow smart. Only Staffords and Perkins if offered.
The financial aid package might look something like this for federal aid:
Pell Grant max - $5350
FSEOG - $400-$4000
Stafford Loan - $3500
Perkins Loans - varies by school</p>
<p>Between the pell and stafford he would get $8850. You would have to call financial aid at a school and see if they have Perkins loans available and what the FSEOG would be - Tuition, room and board at Georgia State U’s are about $13000 or so - you would have to look up the specific school. Of course if they qualify for the Hope scholarship it is very doable since they can use their grant money and loan for living expenses.
The first year is the toughest, since they will probably want to live on campus and room and board is generally a ripoff. Living off campus is usually much cheaper.</p>
<p>college_ruled beat me to it but are any of them interested in the military? The Military is getting a bad rap right now because of the war but many kids who come from low income families have benefited greatly from the military. There are many options from going enlisted for three years and then using the GI bill to ROTC to joining the Reserves or Guard and getting money plus a part time job. This is one of the best ways to shoot for a no loan college education.</p>
<p>Ask if they took the PSAT and what their scores are.</p>
<p>There are actually quite a lot of fall “diversity” visit programs, expenses-paid, for HS seniors who qualify. Many are run by LACs. These can also give you a rough predictor of admissions chances–if they accept you, they want you to attend and are likely to admit you as long as things don’t go downhill in senior year (or in some cases, students without SAT scores will be invited to visit, and final acceptance depends on how scores go). I know this is the case for at least one highly selective LAC, which essentially spelled out the above.</p>
<p>There are way more football scholarships than track and field or wrestling. I’d focus on football if there’s a choice. There is an area on these boards for athletic recruiting–it’s a process in itself–I’m sure you’ll find quality help there.</p>
<p>ROTC is NOT a way to pay for college. It is for those whose primary goal is to serve their country by being an officer. The scholarship is a benefit not the reason to do it. </p>
<p>The students who manage to ge an ROTC scholarship and only want the money drop out every time. The military is quite efficient in weeding them out.</p>
<p>If they are to be of interest to athletic recruiters, you are going to have to make sure that they are “on the radar” to get noticed and the recruiters need to see them in action. As far as after school and weekend employment, it’s still possible for a kid to work and to keep their grades up. A great many of the kids in my D’s NHS did just that, AND played varsity sports, were active in music/theatre,etc and I am seeing it in my S’s HS as well. A school will look more favorably on a young person who can juggle all of those things and is looking to help fund their own education. Looking to the " Hand’s On" training is great- nothing at all wrong with going into the Culinary Arts and there are jobs upon graduation! Going the CC route is also a viable alternative- many of them have guaranteed acceptance agreements with 4 year institutions as long as the grades are kept up.</p>
<p>I know collegiate athletes who have practice six hours per day. It wouldn’t surprise me that other sports besides crew have this kind of time commitment.</p>
<p>Agreeing with other posters that recruiting is a different “ball game” and should be investigated early.</p>
<p>Iron Madien - go back and read what I wrote - IF any are interested in the military…</p>
<p>ROTC is absolutely a way to pay for college, for the right person. Many do it, many have done it and many excellent officers have taken advantage of the money provided by ROTC and served their country very well.<br>
Some kids don’t know about ROTC or the opportunities that scholarships offer. Yes, some kids get lazy or change their minds but I would always make sure that kids know the opportunity is there. Sounds like you have had some bad experiences. Don’t let your previous bad experience deny an opportunity to others.</p>