I saw an ad on YouTube the other day for this financial aid company called MOS. It says it gives an average of $15,000 per year to students who use their site by searching through all of the federal and state aid available, including the FAFSA.
An account costs $150, and I would have to give the site my sensitive information. It sounds great, but I don’t know if it’s legitimate. Has anyone ever used MOS before? Is it real, or is it just a clever scam?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Edited out link; not allowed per ToS
Ok…I’ll bite. Whether this is a legit site or not…there is absolutely no reason to pay anyone to fill out your financial aid forms. The directions are very clear on each college website what you need to submit for that college. There are very clear directions for completing any forms you need to complete…FAFSA, Profile, School forms.
Do you really think it’s wise or necessary to give all of your personal family financial data to some stranger on the internet, who is also charging you to do something you can very easily do yourself.
Even IF this is legit, you will be paying someone to do something you can do…and you still will need to pay to have the Profile submitted to any school that requires it.
What exactly do you hope to gain? The colleges you apply to are the best source of scholarship money. Anything else is iffy at best. For your colleges…look on the website and see what you need to do.
You want to make sure everything gets done…everything…for each school.
Manage this yourself.
My opinion.
This would be a great way to waste $150, and potentially open yourself (and your parents) to identity theft and financial loss.
When I was in hs, a similar service did find some interesting outside scholarships. Eg, a good one for my grandfather being a vet of a wartime experience in certain areas. (But limited to certain colleges I wasn’t applyng to.)
And I suspect there are legit services today. But don’t throw money at one that advertises its successes in order to serve themselves, first and foremost, line their own pockets.
Be wary of manufactured stats. No one can guarantee you 15k in “found” college money. Start with a google search for ideas, from organizations that publish opportunities across the board, where you then vet and match yourself. And submit your own applications.
I told my kids to always watch for "Who’s driving the Mercedes.? It means, who’s making money off you, promising lush results that entice you.
Look on CC for merit award threads and suggestions. Run the Net Price Calculators (NPC) found on college websites.