Five things to know about paying for college

As the cost of higher education rises, parents and students are looking for ways to pay for college.
The Ardmoreite discussed strategies and tips for navigating the tricky waters of financial aid with local counselors. Below is the advice gathered from counselors Sue Daugherty of Wilson, Penny Tibbs of Dickson and Ginger Mitchell of Thackerville.

• Start Early

Counselors recommend that parents and students begin thinking about college plans as early as middle school.

“Don’t wait until senior year. You need to start planning early like seventh, eighth and ninth-grade year,” Tibbs said.

“You have to do well in freshman and sophomore year in order to maintain the minimum GPA for some opportunities,” Mitchell said.

Once senior year comes, acting as early as possible helps. Many opportunities require income tax information to determine eligibility.

“They need to file income taxes early, because it’s first come first served,” Daugherty said.

• It’s not all about the grades

While some scholarships do focus on GPA requirements, others take students activities, community service and skills into account.

“A lot of parents think scholarships are just based on GPA, but there are some for community service and leadership,” Tibbs said.

It is recommended that students begin taking part in activities during their freshman and sophomore years so that they have experiences to list on scholarship applications.

“I always ask about any significant skill — sports, music. You need to have those things to put on your application,” Mitchell said.

• Online

The Internet can also be a great resource for students and parents. Many schools host information on their Web sites to help students get started.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FASFA, can be filled out online, with the Web site featuring links to aid in parents in filling out the form.

Also Web sites such as www.fastweb.com list scholarship opportunities.

“Some places don’t accept paper applications, but then some only accept paper. It depends on the scholarship,” Mitchell said.

• Only in Oklahoma

Two programs help pay tuition of local students who want to attend an Oklahoma college or university.

Oklahoma’s Promise is a state program that will pay the tuition for Oklahoma students who meet the academic course requirements and whose parents make $50,000 or less.

Students must sign up for Oklahoma’s Promise in the eighth, ninth or tenth grade. It was formally known as the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program or OHLAP.

Another opportunity for Carter County residents is the Greater Ardmore Scholarship Foundation scholarship. Every student that applies during their senior year and meets the criteria receives $1,000 per year during their first two years of college and $2,000 per year as a junior and senior.
 

• Counselors are there to help

Counselors maintain lists of resources online, in senior resource books and on bulletin boards outside their offices.

“Begin visiting with a guidance counselor regularly and getting a plan in action,” Tibbs said.

The smaller schools are often able to provide more one-on-one help from counselors.

“The benefit of having a small school is that I can call 18 parents. They can come in and I can help them,” Mitchell said.

Also, at the Ardmore Higher Education Center, counselors Kirk Rushing and Deborah Godwin with the Educational Opportunity Center can help students through paperwork such as the FAFSA, regardless of the school they plan to attend.