College to Career Ready

The following is the fifth in a series of monthly articles from Webster County High School regarding efforts to help students earn the distinction of College and/or Career Ready, which is a key component of the Kentucky Department of Education’s “Unbridled Learning” accountability initiative aimed at producing graduates that are better prepared for the rigor of college-level coursework and the increasing demands of the world of work and a global economy.  This month’s focus is College Financial Aid.  

Tim Roy

WCHS principal 

As we move past the mid-point of the 2013/2014 school year, thoughts begin turning toward “next year.”  While our faculty and underclassmen at WCHS will think in terms of the next high school year, many of our seniors have begun the process of determining which college they will attend, what academic majors they will declare, with whom they will live, and how they will pay their tuition, room and board, textbooks and other expenses that go along with continuing their education after high school.    

Many of our seniors have already started applying to various colleges and universities and are completing scholarship applications to submit in order to meet January deadlines.  Just in the past two or three weeks, I have completed several letters of recommendation for WCHS seniors and still have a couple of requests to complete before we return to school, next week.    

Helping students to move on to college and hopefully impacting their chances of landing scholarships is one of the most rewarding parts of my job as principal; however, even if students are fortunate enough to be awarded scholarships and grants, it may still not completely cover the costs associated with college.  Costs associated with tuition, housing, textbooks, etc. vary widely depending upon where a student may choose to attend college.  What should a parent/student do if he/she doesn’t earn enough scholarship money to cover all costs or if a parent/student simply doesn’t know where to turn to find out more about financing higher education?   

 One of the best resources I have found and often recommend to parents and students is the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) website.  For the past several years, we have worked closely with representatives from KHEAA to provide financial aid training and assistance to our seniors and parents.  The KHEAA website (www.kheaa.com/website/kheaa/paying?main=1) is a one-stop shop for helping students and parents think about higher education from all angles.  Visitors to the site can learn more about the following: 

•the real cost associated with attending college 

•information regarding filing for financial aid (FAFSA) 

•the various types of financial aid 

•federal programs 

•savings programs 

•how to search for scholarships 

•KEES money (including how your grade point average impacts how much money you receive; how ACT scores and AP classes can earn additional money; and the list of schools that participate in the KEES program) 

•Also, parents can sign up to receive a monthly KHEAA newsletter that will keep them informed about the things they should know and do to stay on top of college planning  

When I speak to parents and students about future plans, I often hear the misconception that if you don’t make or have enough money, you cannot attend college.  That is simply not true.  Byexploring the information that can be found on the KHEAA website or by talking to a guidance counselor or college/university admissions representative, you can find many different avenues for financing college tuition and other costs.  Now, more than ever, opportunities exist to help you reach your life goals.  

To assist our WCHS seniors and parents with filing financial aid requests, we have partnered with KHEAA to provide financial aid workshops.  These sessions will take place in one of our computer labs at WCHS and will be led by a KHEAA representative.  The dates for these sessions are January 15 (10:00 – 2:00 for WCHS seniors) and January 16 (2:00 – 6:00 for seniors and parents).  

Participants will be led through the process of submitting financial aid applications online.  Between now and then, we will provide seniors and parents with information regarding what to bring and what to expect.    

If your dreams and goals include higher education for your children, I hope you will consider taking part in this financial aid session.  You are guaranteed to receive 0% of the scholarships and financial aid that you do not apply for.  If you think college is out of reach for your financial situation, you might be very surprised at the opportunities and programs that are available to assist you in making a college education a reality for your child or for yourself.  If you would like additional information about applying for college or about our financial aid workshops, please do not hesitate in contacting Webster County High School.  We are more than happy to answer your questions or to find someone who can.