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| Parents, students prepare financially for future |
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| Education | |||
| Written by Jesse Trimble | |||
| Wednesday, 03 February 2010 08:00 | |||
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Seniors at Louisburg High School have a lot on their minds before their May graduation. But one thing every senior and their parents have on the brain is college. And money. Finding ways to pay for college, whether it’s two years or four, is always a determining factor for many — especially now.  Thursday, LHS counselor Tom Lundblad held an informational FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, session in the auditorium for both parents and their senior students. The goal of the session was to provide parents with material on the FAFSA form and answer questions that concern them most about college. Lundblad invited two others to speak to parents about the “terrors of the unknown.” John Pappas, financial aid officer for Johnson County Community College, and Gary Van Cleave, assistant director of the Kansas Masonic Foundation, spoke to a crowd of about 50 concerning the importance of scholarships and loans. “The key word tonight will be the word “need” all the way through,” Lundblad told the crowd. “But you’ve got to apply, If you don’t apply, you will not get (a scholarship).” He started with the basics, explaining that the FAFSA determines the expected contribution from a student’s family. He added that there are two types of financial aid that every parent and student should be aware of. The first would be gift aid, which includes grants and scholarships, and the second types include loans and work study programs. Included in these forms of aid, are also local aid, which comes in the form of a scholarship provided by a local business or resident, the other is institutional aid, which comes from the college the student is applying to. Concerned parents raised hands and asked questions throughout the course of the evening, but Lunblad said the most important thing to take away from the session is for both the parent and the student to sit down together to talk the process over. “This will be the most tense period of their 18 years so far with their parents,” he said, “from January until June.” He added that parents are just as scared as their kids and that all they want is a better life for them. He jokingly said that students have started to file into his office with the “white knuckle syndrome” — their knuckles white as they grip the arms of the chair while talking to him about anything college-related. “Be patient,” he told the crowd. Pappas focused on errors that many make when filling out a FAFSA form. “Social security number is a big one,” he said of people’s mistakes. He added that on Feb. 15 many students don’t have school, which also happens to be a junior/senior visitation day at JCCC. “Another thing most parents forget about is if they’ve lost a job, a death in the family or if there’s been a divorce, you can always go back to a financial aid administrator to recalculate your numbers,” Pappas said. Lunblad said it’s one of the best-kept secrets from parents, because many experience a situation where the income in the family fluctuates and still believe they’ll get the same amount of aid. Pappas added that in this month alone, several JCCC students have already brought in 2009 taxes claiming they’ve had a huge financial loss within the family. Lundblad has been the counselor at LHS since the fall of 1998 — if anyone knows about students and their fears about college, it’s him. “Their fears are the same now as they were back then,” he said, “they are terrified of the unknown.” Lundblad added that he knows the parents are just as scared as their students, especially if this is their first go-round with sending one off to college. “It’s just frustrating that there’s not 200 people here tonight,” he added. LHS has 135 seniors and Lundblad guessed there were probably around 33 families, or 10 percent of the senior class, were present for the session. “They were paying attention,” he said, “they weren’t yawning or anything.” Although the FAFSA form hasn’t changed and the fears of parents and students are the same, Lundblad said changes will take place in the future with the process. “What I think we’ll see is fewer kids going to larger schools, like KU and K-State and more going to community colleges like JCCC because of the economy,” he said. Common errors made on the FAFSA Listing incorrect Social Security Number or driver’s license number — Always double-check these entries. Entering the wrong federal income tax paid amount — Obtain your federal income tax paid amount from your tax forms, not your W-2 form(s). Listing Adjusted Gross Income as equal to income earned from working — These are not the same figure. In most cases, the AGI is larger than the income earned from working. This mistake is particularly common. Forgetting to sign and date — Be sure to obtain your PIN from www.pin.ed.gov. Your PIN is your electronic signature and will always be assigned only to you. Not applying on time — Schools usually have a deadline. Priority for federal programs with limited funding is given to qualifying students who apply the earliest. Sending in a copy of your income tax returns — You will be contacted if your information needs to be verified; you don’t need to send a copy of your tax returns in with your application. — Courtesy of John Pappas, financial aid officer at Johnson County Community College
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