Entry bubble Student Financial Aid Gave Me an Opportunity

By: Ginger | April 10, 2009 | Category: General

A college student looking at a book in the libraryAs a sophomore starting high school, my mom and I met with a school guidance counselor as part of the standard routine required by my high school. The guidance counselor discussed some general school things and then she started talking to me about selecting courses. She told me to consider carefully which classes I selected. I should focus on classes that would help prepare me for college.

I thought to myself, “College? Is she nuts? My family can’t afford that.” I felt a flush of embarrassment and looked over at my mom. Mom had a surprised look on her face and blurted out, “Oh, Mary isn’t going to college.” There was an awkward silence. I don’t know how many shades of red there are, but I’m pretty sure my face must have blushed in every one of them. The counselor finally said, “But she scored in the 99th percentile for the state’s standardized testing, she has outstanding grades, and her teachers are recommending her for advanced classes. She should have a chance to go to college.” Mom told her that my family could not afford to send me to college.

That is when the counselor told my mom about financial aid. It may sound odd that my mom was not aware of such a thing, but in my mom’s background the only kids who went to college “came from money.” The guidance counselor told my mom that I could apply for scholarships, grants, and loans when I was a senior. She said that doing this could help defray the costs considerably. She went into some more detail about it all and told my mom to at least think about it. She recommended that I still take classes that would prepare me just in case I decided that I wanted to go.

I followed the counselor’s advice. At the appropriate time I applied for financial aid. I did go on to college with scholarships, grants, and loans. I earned a BS and later went back to school to earn 2 other degrees. If it hadn’t been for financial aid and the opportunity to go to college, my life would have taken a much different path. Heck, you wouldn’t be reading my blog now and THAT my friends would have been a real shame! LOL!

If you think you can’t afford to send your child to college, please check out these resources:

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