Senior Newsletter
October 2017
Financial Aid Applications
This month the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opened up for students to begin their application process for financial aid. This application is used by college financial aid offices to determine how much and what type of financial aid they can offer you. Colleges may run out of aid they can offer students so please pay close attention to the deadlines your college gives for completing your FAFSA. Other financial aid applications you may see or be required to complete are the VT Grant Application or the CSS Profile. The VT Grant Application is for all Vermont students to complete and should not be missed in the financial aid application process. This is a need-based grant. About 400 colleges require the CSS Profile to be completed in order to request financial aid from their institution. Before completing the CSS Profile, please check to see if your college requires it as this application does cost money. If it is required and you qualified for an admissions test fee waiver, you may also qualify for a fee waiver for the CSS Profile. For more information about the financial aid process visit the VSAC website. Not sure what the different financial aid terms mean? This article gives the definitions of financial aid terms.
Scholarship Application
If you haven't started already, now is the time to start applying for scholarships. Scholarships are "gift-money" and do not need to be repaid.
Piggy Bank
Now is the time to apply for financial assistance for college. Make you sure you understand which financial aid applications you need to complete and what the deadlines are.
Loans
A type of financial aid you will need to pay back. Depending on the loan type your interest rate and payment schedule will vary.
Scholarships
There are thousands of scholarship opportunities for students looking for financial help for college. There are national scholarships, local scholarships and scholarships offered by individual colleges. Students can begin applying for scholarships in high school and continue applying through their college years. Any scholarships that have come through the Essex High School Counseling Office are listed in your Naviance account. VSAC offers a scholarship booklet updated each year with many scholarship opportunities and an application. You can find the 2018-2019 VSAC Scholarship Booklet here. Financial aid offices may adjust financial aid packages based on the amount of scholarship money you receive. Check with your financial aid offices to find out their practice with scholarships. To learn more about scholarship myths and realities, read this article.
FAFSA Help Available from VSAC
VSAC is offering FAFSA Fridays this year to assist students and families in completing their FAFSA application. You can call on the designated dates or go to VSAC in person for assistance. VSAC will also be coming to Essex High School Oct. 17, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. to help our families complete their FAFSA application. We can accommodate 12 families for this one-on-one assistance. Please call the School Counseling Office at 857-7111 to register for this workshop. For either FAFSA Fridays or the workshop being offered at EHS please be sure to have all of your financial information with you to use.
Requesting Transcripts to be Sent to Colleges
Remember the following when you are requesting your school counselor to send your high school transcript to colleges:
- Complete the EHS Transcript Release Authorization Form
- Connect your Common App to Naviance (if you are using Common App)
- Make sure your college is listed in the Colleges I'm Applying to portion of Naviance
- In Naviance request a transcript 3 weeks prior to your college application deadline
Requesting Teacher Recommendations
When requesting teacher recommendations for your college applications please remember the following:
- Consider academic teachers who have taught you in 11th and/or 12th grade who have had enough time with you to speak to your work ethic.
- Ask the teacher in person: let them know where you are applying, when the first application deadline is, and ask if they would be willing to write a recommendation for you.
- If the teacher agrees to write a letter for you, then go into Naviance and add the recommendation request on the Colleges I'm Applying To page. In your note remind the teacher of your deadline...and of course say "thank you".
- Don't forget to hit "submit request" at the bottom of the page in Naviance.
- When application season is done, send a "thank-you" note to your teacher and let them know where you have decided to go to college.
Essex High School Counseling Department
Email: yourcounselorsname@ewsd.org
Website: https://www.ewsd.org/domain/89
Location: 2 Educational Drive, Essex Jct., VT 05452
Phone: (802)857-7111