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Greetings,
With tax time upon us, a lot of us are probably taking a close look at our finances. And when we look at our withholding statements from last year, many of us are surprised at the amount of income we were actually able to take home. Many of our students experience something similar when they realize that the money they're receiving from financial aid and work study jobs isn't as much as they hoped for. This can be discouraging.
But finding a way to pay for college doesn't have to be discouraging. It's our job to help students understand and find a way to take control of their financial situations. We need to let them know that there are a lot of things they can do personally to get more money for college if they plan accordingly. Realizing that they're in control can be empowering.
For example, we can emphasize to students how important it is to apply for all the scholarships they can find. Because they don't have to be paid back, scholarships are one of the best kinds of aid students can get.
Some other tips we should continue to emphasize to students include:
Fortunately, Great Lakes offers resources to help students educate themselves about managing money. You can direct them to mygreatlakes.org to give them access to our tools and articles so they can learn more about personal financial management at their own pace.
As we continue our quest to open doors to education to the students and families who need us the most, I recall the late Coretta Scott King's comments at the 2000 NASFAA conference. If we focus on helping everyone to reach the goal of higher education, there's no limit to what we can achieve. As she put it, "Yes, we can turn this beautiful vision of hope and opportunity into a reality. We can create the kind of society that will nurture the minds and spirits of all our precious young people."
Until next time, have a great month!
La Toya Sykes, Director
Outreach and Access Awareness
Click a link below to view past Opening Doors articles.
