<p>Do colleges usually offer you money before you tell them you are going there or after you are enrolled. If I’ve been accepted to colleges and havn’t heard anything from them about scholarships besides things I got last year saying I was eligible does that mean I won’t be receiving anything?</p>
<p>Most colleges let you know about scholarships in March or April before the May 1 date that you have to let them know whether you’re coming.</p>
<p>Contact the colleges that have accepted you and ask them. The info also may be on their web pages.</p>
<p>Make sure that you’re applying to places that are likely to give you the kind of aid that you need. Check the college dataset stats, which you may be able to find on their web pages or pined to the top of one of CC’s first two discussion boards. Those datasets give information about what percentage of students who need aid get it; how much of their need the college typically covers; and the percentage of their financial aid that is in grants, loans and work study.</p>
<p>Do keep in mind that if you’re applying to colleges far from your home, things like transportation, long distance, and even clothes for a new climate will add to your expenses. Also, remember that the college, not your family, is who determines your financial need, and it’s very possible that the college may determine that you need far less money than your family thinks it can afford. Considering your mother’s fatal illness, you probably will want to go home more than in December and at the end of the school year, which is usually all that financial aid offices budget for students’ transportation costs.</p>
<p>Make sure you have a financial safety: A college that you know you will get admitted to and know you can afford and would be willing to attend. Often a financial safety is a public institution within commuting distance.</p>
<p>This may be an obvious question, but knowing how your family is in crisis because of your mother’s illness, I’m asking it anyway: Have you filed yet your need-based financial aid forms and have you applied for any merit scholarships that require extra applications? The need-based forms may require your dad to do a lot of work, so make sure you give him the forms early and do what you can to help him fill them out. </p>
<p>Make sure that you do this because many colleges have merit aid that has an earlier application deadline than the admissions deadline. Public schools usually have only a limited amount of financial aid funds and usually can not meet 100% of the documented financial need of students. Much of their aid also may be in loans. Public schools may also give aid on a first come, first served basis.</p>
<p>Haunt your Guidance office to get info about local scholarships, too. Due to your family’s financial situation, you probably would have a good chance of getting some scholarships if you do careful applications and make their deadlines.</p>
<p>Make sure you get your forms in on time… Hopkins didn’t release its aid until a week into the semester, because I didn’t turn in one form, and my scholarship delayed its aid by 3 weeks, meaning I didn’t have textbooks for a month. That was BAD, since I’m in 2 courses of 17 or fewer. Also, apply for scholarships. They tend to like sob stories.</p>