Know the Financial Aid Application Deadlines for Your State
Yes, states give financial aid too!  It is important, however, that you pay attention to the deadlines for submitting financial aid forms.  Missing a deadline seriously impacts your ability to obtain federal and state financial aid as well as institutional aid and scholarships.
We have compiled a list of state deadlines for May 2011 as well as provided some tips to help you and your family understand how financial aid deadlines work. 

Tips:  

• The FAFSA is the federal application for financial aid, but it is also used to apply for aid from other sources, such as the state.
• The deadlines for the state or colleges may be different from the federal deadlines and you may be required to complete additional forms.  
• Check with your high school guidance counselor or a college financial aid administrator about state and college sources of student aid.
• Refer to the state in which you live, not the state of the school that you may attend.
• Pay close attention to the college's definition of an application deadline - whether it is the receipt date and time or the process date and time of the application. 

State financial aid deadlines: 
Pennsylvania - May 1
Maine - May 1
Massachusetts - May 1
New Hampshire - May 1
Florida - May 15

If you state is not listed, it is because the state deadline is later than the month of May or may have already passed.  Visit collegepreparationevents.blogspot again for additional deadlines and tips.

For more information on completing the FAFSA form:  http://www.fafsa.ed.gov


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READ MORE - Need Additional Financial Aid for College? Don't Forget Your State!

 Summer time is a great time to either begin or continue your college prep research.  Want to know more about colleges and universities?  Visit one this summer!  There are 3 great ways to get on a college campus and really see if it's the best fit for you.
1.  Attend an open house program sponsored by the college.  Colleges all across the country offer open house sessions throughout the year. During the open house you can attend information sessions, meet the admission and financial aid staff, as well as faculty and students.  There are also tours of the campus during which you can see campus academic departments, classrooms, residence halls and other facilities like the library, computer labs, gyms and other athletic facilities. Don't forget to stop by the book store and get a great deal on a t-shirt or other campus "swag".  See the open house list below.

2.  Whether or not the college is offering a formal open house day, you can still schedule a visit through the office of Admission.  You can call or go to the college's website and schedule a date and time that may be more convenient for you and your family.  Request a meeting with an admission representative if you have questions and also ask for a campus tour. 

3.  Are you going to be in the area, maybe for vacation, but don't have a lot of time to schedule something formal with the college?  Take a stroll onto a college campus and take in the buildings and environment.  You may not have an opportunity to get a formal tour or get specific questions answered but, you can get a general feel for a college by walking the campus.  There will be sections of the campus or buildings that will be off limits for security purposes, so walk will you are allowed and soak up the atmosphere.  Stop by the office of admission and grab some brochures to learn more about the college.  Getting some campus swag, even as souvenirs, will still be fun.

Keep in mind that summer on some campuses can be very slow while at others the campus will be bustling.  If you request an appointment, ask if there will be students on campus if you want to see the campus at its busy time.  Try not to form a negative opinion of a campus if the students aren't there and it feels very quiet.  You may have picked an inactive period on the campus that is unusual.  If you are concerned, ask campus representatives and students you encounter about the inactivity to find out if it's standard.  However you do it, it's important to visit and it can be fun too!

Here is the part 1 list of events:

Pennsylvania

Cheyney University
Admission Information Session
July 17, 2010 11:00am

East Stroudsburg University
Weekday Campus Tours and Presentation:  Week of July 12, 19, & 26 and the week of August 26

Johnson College
Open House - July 28, 2010  6:00pm

Keystone College
"Sneak a Peek" session for students entering senior year
July 12 and August 9, 2010

Penn State - Wilkes-Barre 
Open Houses - July 13 and 21, 2010

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
July 29th - Open House for majors in Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Occupational Therapy

All other majors - July 22, august 5 & 12, 2010

Delaware
University of Delaware
Open Houses - "Discovery Days"
Saturdays in July


Maryland
St Mary's College of Maryland
Open Houses
July 10 and August 21, 2010

READ MORE - 3 Great Ways to Visit a College This Summer

Time is money-  and running out of time means No money for college!

Missing a deadline for financial aid - what does it really mean?
I was recently asked by a family, "what does it really mean if we are late submitting our financial aid applications", so I thought I would share my response to this issue.

FAQs:  Will my late application be reviewed, considered, processed?  I'm only a few days late, does it really matter that much?  Can I be considered for something else?

The short answer to the issue is that missing a financial aid deadline basically means that you will have  a very slim chance to get the funding from that source (e.g. college financial aid deadline, scholarship deadline, state grant application deadline,etc)

Advice- Yes, you may loose an opportunity to take advance of one resource but don't give up completely.  Keep up the search for other scholarships, grants and loans that still have open or available application dates.

There was a time when you may have been able to squeeze an application in if it was only a couple days late.  However, now with the economy in the state that it is in and people and foundations losing  money, and more families in need then ever before, a late application is less likely to be considered.

Advice -Pay attention and get or stay organized.  Every source of money for college has its own deadline and this creates much confusion.  Starting early and staying on top of your planning helps enormously.  If you are already late and have missed a deadline or two, know that the aid could be lower or you may have missed that opportunity altogether.  Contact the source of the aid (college financial aid office, scholarship contact, etc) and learn more about your next steps and other options.  Keep searching for additional sources.  Don't give up!  Stay connected and watch for the information posted here.

More State Financial Aid Deadlines

May 1:
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New York
Pennsylvania


May 15:
Florida
 

READ MORE - Time is Money - Don't Miss Financial Deadlines

Information for Rising High School Seniors

University of Pennsylvania - "Leadership in the Business World"
Sponsored by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Leadership in the Business World (LBW) is a summer institute for a talented and select group of rising high school seniors who want to learn about undergraduate business education, teamwork, communication and business leadership. 

Dates:  July 4-July 31, 2010
Cost:  $5,400 (scholarships available)
Deadline:  March 1, 2010
Contact:  Alex Snow (215) 746-8765
leadership@wharton.upenn.edu
http://precollege.wharton.upenn.edu/bw/lbw.html

READ MORE - Summer Institute for HS Students -Leadership in the Business- Univ. Penn