Psst- The Secrets of the EARLY BIRD
I usually write from a bird’s eye view, soaring above the crazy college landscape, offering thoughts and directions. Not today. Today, October 1st is super important. If you have a Senior in high school in North Carolina, this is a RED-LETTER DAY. It is the FIRST day you can file your FAFSA, complete a common application for all public universities, & knock out your proof of residency for in-state tuition.
Then you can apply for the very limited bucket of scholarships offered through the College Foundation of North Carolina, CFNC. Click the link in the previous sentence to get on the “plan your future “ page. Click on Seniors, and it will start you on your journey. Let me help you with a checklist.
CHECKLIST ( as compiled from the CFNC website )
1) Sign up for your CFNC account. This lets you & your student get things done!
2) Submit your FAFSA application immediately. You will need your 2018 & 2019 Federal tax forms, and your 2018 + 2019 year-end investment & savings statements. After all, it is about the numbers with FAFSA. For more detailed strategies about FAFSA, the Princeton Review & Kaplan offer detailed FAFSA manuals. HInt; few people need to study those tomes.
3) Use the CFNC Application Hub to apply to colleges AND send transcripts for free. This is North Carolina’s answer to the Common Application. If you are focused on attending one of our 17 Universities in our system, you can do one application and apply it to any school therein. That said- don’t rush through this part. Do a GREAT job identifying your interests, gifts, and goals. Your application will be used in consideration of any school-specific scholarships & grants, so it has to be your best.
4) BONUS OPTION! Between October 19-October 30th, a HUGE number of private colleges and universities PLUS those in the state university system are waiving their application fees. That could be worth between $60-85 per school!
These next three items are my recommendations.
5) Homework assignment! Between now and October 18th, pick your backup, your challenge, and your stretch schools to apply. The BACKUP school- this is your safety school, the one you know will take you, and you would be willing to attend. The CHALLENGE school- this is a school you HOPE to get in. You meet some criteria but need some good luck to get accepted. The STRETCH school- this is a school you’d love to attend, but you are on the lower end of the acceptance range. CHOOSE one school from each category. If any are waiving their application fees, all you’ve done is invested your time. This early bird activity can save you $200-300 in application fees!
6) Check & re-check your application. The application process is long and challenging. BEFORE you send it off, make sure it’s accurate and showcases YOU. Check your scores, check your transcript, check everything. Step away from it for 24 hours. THEN review it with fresh eyes. In your essay, check for grammar & punctuation. Be SURE your essay is moving, unique, and reflective of YOU. Warning- DON’ T write about COVID’s impact on you unless you have a unique or dramatic story. Admissions officers will get a lot of those kinds of essays. Be different.
7) CFNC scholarships and grants. Go back t.o the website. Go to the scholarships and grants page. Click on the county in which you live to see what is available. Review each one, and if you believe you might qualify, apply! And apply for another, and another, and another. When you want to catch fish, you put lots of hooks with bait in the water.
Why all this hurry & why so early? It’s a secret I'm letting you in on. Statewide scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The bucket is full on October 1st. They dish out the money, via the scholarship applications, UNTIL it is all gone. Often, the money is gone by the end of the calendar year. Like, the end of 2020. If you get in there now, you have a MUCH BETTER CHANCE of getting an award. Since a lot of other students are “getting around to applying” sometime later this fall, you could be the EARLY BIRD.
And, EARLY BIRDS tend to eat better than most.
If you know ANYONE who has a Senior high school student this year, would you do me a favor? Please forward this blog to them TODAY.
If this was forwarded to you, go to my website, www.lightwayenterprises.com. Sign up for my blog EVERY week. It’s free and your email is protected. If you need to save, $10-40k on the cost of your student’s education, then there’s the book- ENOUGH! The College Cost Crisis
Next week, let’s talk about nurturing our students in what they love and how to help them pursue the training and education to support THEIR dreams.
Until next time,
All my best,
Bonnie Burkett
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