When I decided that I wanted to go back to school about a year ago, the decision was not made lightly. Morrigan was about 8 or 9 months old. We had just moved two hours across the state. Money was tight and motivation was a bit lacking.
But I knew if I put off school any longer, I would never go back.
After some soul searching, I decided to try it. Luckily Columbus has a very good community college downtown (Columbus State Community College) that would be within reasonable (less than an hour) driving distance, reasonably priced, and had a degree program I wanted. I applied.
The told me about the FAFSA - The Federal Application For Student Aid. At first I laughed, thinking Ben made too much for us to qualify for anything. I don't consider us 'poor' because we live fairly well, have regular meals, and our house stays a balmy 68 degrees. The school urged me to apply anyway.
I did, and to my surprise, I got funded. Fully funded for tuition and with the option of a student loan for books. I've also recently found out that when Ben goes back to school, he will receive even more benefits than I am because we have two students in the same house.
So if you're thinking of going back to school, please don't brush off the FAFSA. Even if you don't think you qualify, you really should put in an application just to make sure. It's not hard, and it's all online. All you need is your previous year's tax return and your W2's.
For more information, please see www.fafsa.ed.gov
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment