College 101!

      

    During the college 101 session, Good Shepherd employees were nice enough to come in and share with us high school students some information that might also help you. There was a banker from Chase who came in and talked a little about loans. Then there were some college students currently attending college right now who talked about their experience during freshman year. One of them said, "It's not so easy when you first start but gets easier as you keep moving forward and doing good." Last but not least was Good Shepherd's Financial Program where they talked a little about FAFSA and scholarships!  Here is the most valuable information I learned during this session. I hope it helps you too!

•   FAFSA stands for "Free Application For Federal Student Aid." FAFSA is offered to everyone and based on your income, determines how much money you get from the government to pay for college. The great benefit about FAFSA is that the money is free, and you don't have to pay it back. So if you're trying to find a good way to pay for college then you should definitely apply for FAFSA.

• You can also take out loans, but the problem with them is that you have to pay it back. There are two types of loans: Unsubsidized Loans and Subsidized loans. The difference between the two is the following: Subsidized loans don't begin charging you interest until you have graduated and been out of school for 6 months. Unsubsidized loans begin charging you interest as soon as you take out the money.

• Scholarships are also an option if you plan to go to college. The more scholarships you apply for and get, the better! Did you know that if you get enough scholarships to go over the cost of your tuition, that you get that money that is left over as a refund check? Well you do! Reach high and do your best. It's hard but trust me, it will be worth it in the end!

Here are some helpful links as well:

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

http://www.goodshepherds.org/

 http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2013/02/14/get-free-fafsa-help-from-college-goal-sunday-experts          

                                               
                                                                          - Anthony Chesser