FASFA, Grants, The KEES Program And Financial Aid

FASFA, Grants, the KEES program and financial aid are all terms I am familiarizing myself with this year as I continue my journey toward college. Since this is my senior year, the pressure is on to really execute plans and see results. My course load, along with work and other activities, are on my priority list, but my key is to get everything organized before I do something drastic. I have three basic categories that are now being subcategorized: Scholarships, College Applications and my personal college journal are the three major components to my organization strategy. Not only must I do my part in preparation for college but I also must remember those teachers that have really mentored me throughout the past three years, getting good letters of recommendation needs time and a trustworthy person to do them.

Scholarships are a giant support in helping with college funding. The first week of school all seniors were sent home with a bright yellow sheet of paper with all of the terms that a senior in high school must know if they are planning to attend college. My mom and I sat down that weekend and went over everything making sure I was on par with the college lingo. I knew most of the terms, however, a refresher is always a good way to get me focused for the task ahead. Knowing that I need a few points higher on the ACT, I’ve enrolled to take it again September 8th. This will help boost my resume for applications to colleges. Making sure I’m organized with essays and scholarship opportunities is my key for the next couple of months. I have recently signed up for the web mail list and the free text service provided by our guidance counselors. Every text will be received and every scholarship, if possible, will be acted upon.

Recommendations are a key for colleges to know that I’m truly a credible student, therefore by starting to ask teachers now as opposed to later, I can almost guarantee quality work. I am applying through the common application which is a website where I can fill out one application that will be distributed to multiple colleges that accept the common application. The University of Kentucky and Transylvania are two that accept The Common Application which benefits me greatly.

Essays, essays, and more essays. When will it ever end? There are essays for government, essays for Literature, essays for jobs, and essays for college. So looking at the amount of writing embedded into all aspects of my life, I am at the conclusion that writing is pretty important, right? Well as of last week that realization had finally sunk in. I was reading The College Application Essay written by College Board and discovered that writing an application account for one third of the weight of your acceptance. That is a LOT. Though I dread writing an essay just about everyday, I’m kind of thankful for it as well. The practice has helped me subside any fears I have about my writing. I can better take criticisms and move on to improve my writing style.

KEES money is one of the greatest programs Kentucky has for aspiring seniors. For every GPA there is a set amount the state offers to students. So let’s say I have a high ACT score and a 4.0 GPA I can get up to $2,700 in scholarship money per year alone just for having good grades and trying hard. There’s no competition, the money stays as long as I keep up the work in college.