“Mom, Dad, I got accepted into FILL IN THE COLLEGE NAME HERE!” Congratulations, now how are you going to pay for it? Are you a high school senior? Does the above scenario apply to you? In this article, we’ll tell you how to get into college for FREE! Pay close attention and follow these steps:
1. Fill Out the FAFSA Early!
A college education is an extremely important part of today’s competitive marketplace. So often we now see job seekers being turned down due to lack of education because the job market is so saturated with college grads. Not being a college graduate automatically puts a candidate at a severe disadvantage. A degree in liberal arts, economics, or electrical engineering doesn’t mean as much today as the piece of paper saying that one is simply a college graduate. Economists refer to this as a screening/signaling device for employers. No longer are employers concerned about what one’s college concentration is as much as they view the degree as evidence that the potential employee is intelligent, trainable, and has the discipline to be a good employee. This makes a college education ever more important in today’s marketplace.
Although most people you talk to would agree that a college education is important, if not vital, the ability to obtain one is getting more and more expensive. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, not adjusting for inflation, college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007 while median family income rose only 147 percent during the same period. This is a shocking figure showing college expenses rising nearly three times faster than income in a 25 year span. Although costs have been on the rise, this hasn’t stopped, or even slowed enrollments. In fact, according to National Center for Education Statistics, between 1987 and 1997, enrollment at degree-granting institutions increased by 14 percent, and by another 26 percent between 1997 and 2007.
Applying to college and college admissions just isn’t like it used to be. In fact, there isn’t much resemblance. Students used to receive an application from a school and completed the required information. Although it took a lot of writing, it was a pretty simple process. Essays were written or typed on the application and everything was turned into the school counseling office. There, teacher recommendations were added, along with an official transcript and test scores, all to be sent off to each college. SAT and ACT scores were included on the transcript.
Today, applying to college is quite different with almost everything being done online. While technology has improved some things, sending your application off into cyberspace leaves many students wondering what really happens to it and how do all of the pieces come together at their destination: the colleges. Essays are uploaded onto the online application, recommendations are frequently sent by Naviance, and SAT and ACT test scores are sent directly from the College Board or ACT. The only part that many high schools are still responsible for is mailing the official high school transcript and a profile of the school.