1. Consider scheduling a Financial Aid Award Review with an ICAN advisor. We can take the financial aid award package from your college(s) and break it down for you. We can also generate alternatives for you to consider on how to pay for your college costs for next year. Go to icansucceed.org/apt or call 877-272-4692 and schedule a FAFSA/Award Letter Review. We will need to see the financial aid award from your college. We can do this through Zoom or in-person at ICAN offices in Hiawatha or Davenport.
2. Schedule an orientation session with your college. This will either be done as a virtual orientation or in-person depending on the college policy. The orientation will provide you good information to be ready for next fall as well as scheduling your fall semester classes.
3. If you are staying on campus, you will need to make sure your housing contract is completed and that you have indicated the preferences you have for housing.
4. Make sure your school counselor knows what college to send your final transcript once you have completed courses for the spring semester. The final transcript completes your admission and is a required step by the college. Colleges will only honor high school transcripts that come directly from the high school counselor.
5. Any private scholarships that you are awarded, be sure you have completed any paperwork for the scholarship and especially what college the scholarship money needs to be sent. Failure to do that means the scholarship money will not be in your college account to help you pay expenses. This is very important!
6. For any scholarships that you are awarded, please write a thank you note to the person, family, or organization that sponsored the scholarship. This is just common courtesy and expresses your gratitude for the financial support.
7. If you will be using the Stafford Loan that is awarded to you from the FAFSA, you will need to complete three tasks in June or July. You will need to go to studentaid.gov and log in with your FSA ID. You will need to complete entrance counseling and the master promissory note which is the loan agreement. Also, you will need to go the student portal of your college and log in. Go to the financial aid section of the portal and designate how much of the student loan you want to use for the first semester. These are all required steps to be able to use the Stafford Student Loan.
8. If you will need additional loan money from a private lender, you and your parents will need to investigate options for private student loan money you. Be sure to research all options of private student loans which will likely require parent co-signatures on the loan. Go to www.iowastudentloan.org for more information.
9. If your parents are going to use a payment plan with the college, that needs to be set up through the financial aid office or the cashier’s office of the college.
10. How about getting a summer job and saving the money for college?
There is a lot to do! But it is much better to get this done now, and in the summer, rather than encountering a lot of hassles next fall. Best wishes to you as you head off to one of the great adventures of your life!
Steve - ICAN Southwest Iowa Advisor
