Finding Financial Aid

What should I be doing now to find the financial aid that I'll need for starting college next year? - High-School Senior
Answer: The first thing that you need to do is to decide where you will be applying to college. Then, you should make a list of all the required aid forms and their deadlines for these schools. The college financial aid offices will have this information. Some colleges might have forms that need to be completed as early as this month, so you can't delay in finding out about aid deadlines. Because many aid programs operate on a first-come, first-served basis, it is extremely important to send aid applications in as soon as they can be submitted.
All colleges require students seeking financial aid to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can obtain this form beginning this month at your high school or a college financial aid office and start gathering the financial information required on the form. It cannot be submitted before Jan. 1. Most states will also use this form for financial aid; however, a few have separate aid applications. You should be investigating the aid programs your state offers as well as the deadlines.
If you are interested in looking for private scholarships offered by organizations, these opportunities should be investigated immediately. Deadlines for some of these scholarships might already have passed. One of the easiest ways to find scholarships, other than local ones, is to use the Internet. Two good Web sites are: www.collegeboard.com and www.finaid.org. Your school guidance office will have information on local scholarships.