Senior Advice

Hello All, 

  Welcome to the Senior Advice Column, where peers help navigate you through your last year of high school. If you have a question about anything school related please comment in the comment box and we will try to address it as soon as possible. As you know, the time to apply to college is nearing and for many, it’s very stressful. From filling out the FAFSA form to completing your common app, this article will cover everything. 

Financial Aid– Firstly the FAFSA form for the 2023 to 2024 season was just recently released on October 1st, so I suggest trying to fill that out as soon as possible. To fill it out online, both you and your guardian need to create an FSA ID. You can find the form on the studentaid.gov website and follow the instructions. Filling out the FAFSA form will allow colleges to offer financial aid for your college tuition. The form closes June 30, 2023, but many colleges have a deadline for scholarships and financial aid, so make sure to check the deadline for your college on Naviance or the college’s website. 

Common App– The other half of the stress we seniors have is filling out the Common App. First, you want to create a username and password and access your account through the app or website. After you log in with your credentials it will ask you to put in your information. Check with the college to which you are applying to make sure they accept Common App and don’t forget to match your common app with your Naviance account. Talk to your guidance counselor before you apply to colleges, and ensure that you fill out the transcript release form for your counselor.  

Scholarships– While many will get financial aid, scholarships are also a good option to help finance college. You can find a list of scholarships and grants under the scholarship tab on Naviance. You could also use Google to find scholarships geared toward your interests and accomplishments. There are millions of scholarships that do not require an essay and are easy to apply to with just one click, you just have to look for them. A good scholarship I found is the Coca-Cola Scholarship which offers $20,000 if eligible.