You Enlist
Getting Out of the Delayed Enlistment Program
Financing College Without Joining the Military
Despite what the military's ad campaigns imply, enlisting in the armed forces is not the only source of college money. It's not even a good one. If you put in the necessary time, energy, and dedication, you can find a way to pay for school. You can also receive financial aid in the form of the thousands of grants, scholarships, and loans offered each year to prospective students by federal and state governments, by public and private foundations. You can make use of the many alternative ways to get to a degree, from community college extension classes to Americorps. You can put the pieces together in any number of ways -- and end up with a degree that will move you toward the future you want.
Over $6.6 billion of financial aid available from the private sector goes unused every year, mainly because students don't know how to find it. Spending time in the library looking through scholarship directories might seem boring or tough, but consider the military alternative: getting up at 6 a.m. to scrub floors, marching for miles, getting your face pushed in the mud at boot camp. Carefully applying for grant money may be difficult and time-consuming- but not as difficult as being ordered to kill or as time-consuming as eight years of military service.
How Much Will You Really Get from the Montgomery GI Bill?
How to Get Started
It takes more than money to get through college. It takes discipline, skills and perseverance as well as money. Saving for college is hard work. But there are people who you can turn to for help.
First you have to apply! Don't make the mistake of assuming you can't afford college and not applying. Your guidance counselor can help you through the process or hook you up with programs such as Talent Search or Upward Bound, which help students improve their chances of getting into college through tutoring, mentoring, and financial aid counseling. Some public libraries also have higher education assistance centers. To find out more, call the Division of Student Services, Educational Outreach Branch at (202) 708-4804.
Once you're ready, you should write to the colleges you are interested in to request their financial aid information. This information should tell you the cost of tuition, what types of financial aid are available, and how to apply for aid. More expensive schools often have more generous aid programs, so don't rule them out in advance.
Finding the Money
It may take some digging to find the right combination of loans, scholarships, grants and work. You can start at your public library, your school counselor's office, or FASTWeb, the Financial Aid Search Through the Web.
FASTWeb features a service in which you describe yourself and they email you listings of possible scholarships. The Scholarship Resource Network (SRN) is another free search service, geared especially for portable scholarships and loan forgiveness programs. For national-minority students, there is a subset of the SRN called the MOLIS Scholarship Search that may also be valuable.
Federal Aid
All schools will require that you fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available from your high school counselor or college financial aid offices. You must fill out FAFSA to be eligible for any federal aid and to be considered for any other aid by most colleges. Since the amount of money available from the federal government is limited, it is essential that you submit your FAFSA as early as possible. FAFSA forms are long and may be confusing; don't be afraid to ask for help filling it out.
Unfair as it is, if you're male, 18 years or older, and haven't registered for the draft, the federal and some state governments withhold financial aid to coerce you into doing so. The FAFSA asks everyone to attest that they have registered. (For more information on draft registration, see Questions and Answers About Draft Registration.)
Within six weeks, you'll receive your Student Aid Report (SAR), and find out the amount of money that the Federal government has determined your family can afford to pay for college, as well as the amount of federal aid you're eligible for.
Colleges will use the SAR to help determine how much aid (grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study) they will award you.
Often your federal award won't be enough: it's smart to begin looking for other money right away, even before you apply to college.
Scholarships and Grants
There are so many different types of scholarships and grants that most anyone can qualify for one! There are scholarships for people with specific skills or interests; for students who want to pursue certain majors; for employees of large companies and their children; and for members of particular ethnic and religious groups, and many more. Most scholarships and grants have deadlines. The sooner you begin your research, the better your chances.
Books like The Scholarship Book- (Cassidy, 1996) and College Scholarships and Financial Aid (Arco, 1996) contain listings of scholarships and contact addresses for applying. Most public libraries have scholarship books, and you can ask a librarian for help.
Loans
Loans, while often considered a last resort, can actually be a good way to finance your college education. The Federal government provides Direct Students Loans, Stafford and Perkins loans, which are available at low interest. You don't have to start paying them back until six months after you graduate or leave school. Your parents can take out a federal Plus Loan, regardless of your financial need. Plus Loans have variable interest rates and must be repaid within ten years. For information about other types of federal loans, call the Guaranteed Student Loan Center at (202) 708-9167. Your local bank can give you information about low-cost private sector loans, with repayment terms of up to 30 years.
Or Do It the Non-Traditional Way!
Thousands of people each year find creative ways to pull together funds, job-training, and school options. You might find the degree and the future you're looking for through:
Community Colleges
Community Colleges are the most accessible form of higher education. They are generally much cheaper than four-year schools. If you are unsure of what interests you or which career you want to pursue, you can begin at a community college. You can attend community college full- or part-time and earn an Associate of Arts or Sciences in only two years. And community colleges are an excellent place to begin your work toward a B.A.: most require only a high school diploma or GED (General Equivalency Diploma) for admission, and almost all will transfer credits earned to four-year institutions.
Americorps and VISTA
AmeriCorps is a federally funded program that offers money for college in exchange for jobs serving the community. AmeriCorps members earn minimum wage while working, and are awarded thousands of dollars for college upon finishing. VISTA, which has existed for 30 years, forgives student loans in exchange for student service. To find out about Americorps, call the Corporation for National and Community Service at (202) 606-5000. For information about VISTA, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Director of VISTA, Office of Domestic Opportunities, ACTION, 1100 Vermont Avenue, Washington D.C., 20425.
Other Ways to Save
You might want to consider living at home, off-campus, or with a relative. You might be able to get a loan from a family member or a local business person. Part-time and summer jobs have helped thousands of students supplement their aid packages. And going to school part-time can be less expensive, and while giving you more time to earn money.
College costs can make it seem like you will never be able to afford school. However, financial aid money is out there, and if you are persistent and dedicated, you can find it. Enlist the help of others in your search and don't give up!
Books
You can find additional college funding sources and strategies in reference books like You Can Afford College (Kaplan, 1996) and Fund Your Way Through College (Kirby, 1994).
The Other Route Into College: Alternative Admission Stacy Needle, 1991
Bear's Guide to Earning College Degrees Non-traditionally, 1996
Peterson's Paying Less for College, 1996
Less Competitive Grants and Loans, Student Aid Commission, © 1994
How to Obtain Maximum College Financial Aid, Rosenwasser, © 1994
Free College Money, Termpapers and Sex, Matthew Lesko [ed.], © 1994
Financial Aid Resources for U.S. Minority Undergraduate College Students, University of Southern California (send a self-addressed envelope with 55¢ postage to USC Community Relations Department, 835 West 34th Street Ste 102, Los Angeles, CA 90089).