It is that time of year again, as seniors make final decisions about plans after high school, the prices for furthering student’s education are not going down and the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) can help.

FAFSA is the free application for federal student aid. It can be filled out every year by current and soon to be college students. FAFSA can help provide state, federal, and college sponsored funding. FAFSA can also provide funds for grants, loans, and work study programs.

The state deadline is on April 1, 2014. It’s important that students check with the colleges and universities that they are interested in to find out what that school’s deadline is, because it may be at an earlier date than the state and federal deadline.

Senior Yazmin Ruiz plans to attend Florissant Valley Community College after high school. Ruiz knows that she wants to go into the medical field, which can be expensive. She has not started the FAFSA application.
” I do not know where to start,” Ruiz said.

On February 9, 2014 at 2 pm – 4pm, in the RHS library, students came for assistance while filling out the FAFSA application, to ask any questions or mention concerns.

Senior Aishwannae Session has been so focused on where she wants to go for college that she has not thought about filling out the FAFSA application.

“I want to go to Forest Park or Washington University to be a pediatrician,” Session said.

Now is the time to apply, and students should make sure they don’t miss it. To start a new FAFSA application, students can go to www.fafsa.gov . There are also a few materials that may be needed to complete the application. The list of items can also be found at the website listed above.

Applying for financial aid is just the tip of the iceberg; students can also apply for scholarships. There are numerous scholarships available for students. Students can go to the Ritenour website and below the guidance counselor’s page there is a list of scholarships available for students. Some scholarships may have requirements that need to be met before applying.

If students were unable to attend the FAFSA event on February 9, 2014, they can fill out a request form in the guidance counselor’s office to get help from the college advisors. They can help with applying for FAFSA, or answer any questions that students may have about the process.

Senior Ashlynn Haynes plans to go to college to become a teacher. Haynes has begun filling out the FAFSA application and feels accomplished.

“The process can be overwhelming, but it is going to help me pay for school,” Haynes said.