Melanie

Completing the FAFSA Just Got Easier … Use the New App!

Happy New Year! What are your New Year’s resolutions? I hope one is to complete and submit your FAFSA application (if you haven’t already done so). It’s time. Although the 2019-2020 FAFSA was released in October, there is still time for high school seniors and returning college students to complete the form. Remember, some financial [...]

2021-02-08T20:55:12+00:00January 11th, 2019|Categories: Melanie|

Going Back to School after Dropping Out

Whether you stopped attending school because of finances, family problems, academic issues, or left because life just happened, you are not alone. A lot of students have had to drop out for a variety of reasons, you’ll find that it’s never too late to go back. Here are a few things to help prepare [...]

2021-02-08T20:57:10+00:00June 22nd, 2018|Categories: Melanie|

A Few Things to Help You Survive College

These are things I wish someone would’ve told me BEFORE I started college. I ended up learning about them either the hard way or later in college. Hopefully, these will help you have a better college experience from the start. Get involved in campus groups and activities. This can be a great addition to your resume, and it’s [...]

2021-02-08T21:01:38+00:00February 22nd, 2018|Categories: Melanie|

Make Smart Use of Your Financial Aid Refund

Welcome to “Coaching Corner,” a blog we hope will help you make smart decisions with your money and get through school without breaking the bank. Each semester millions of college students ask an important question – “What should I do with my financial aid refund?” That’s the money left over from your financial aid after [...]

2021-02-08T21:02:47+00:00January 12th, 2018|Categories: Melanie|

Tips for Completing the FAFSA, part 2

So have you decided to fill out the FAFSA? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is released every year on October 1. You need to fill out a new one each year, and it may provide the grants, loans, and work-study you need to pay for school. Our last post looked at some of [...]

2021-02-08T21:04:07+00:00December 8th, 2017|Categories: Melanie|

Tips for Completing the FAFSA, part 1

Getting good grades isn’t the only challenge on the road to graduation. Many of the students I talk to worry about how to pay for school. For a lot of them, their biggest support comes from federal financial aid (grants, loans, work-study). That means you need to fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for [...]

2021-02-08T21:04:35+00:00December 8th, 2017|Categories: Melanie|

Managing Your Money: Needs vs Wants

We recently talked about how to make your financial aid refund last through the entire semester. Whether you get money from financial aid, your parents, or working, you need to manage it wisely. Setting up a spending plan helps you do that. Making Decisions Part of putting together a simple budget (spending plan) is identifying [...]

2022-01-19T20:47:22+00:00September 29th, 2017|Categories: Melanie|