Financial Aid Information for Parents:
Start the year with a plan and goals.
Seniors need to work with focus and purpose more so than ever. Attention to detail is essential for daily schoolwork and planning for transitions to college, work, gap year or military service.
College Testing
Many colleges require SAT testing for admissions. If your child is planning on applying to college, they should investigate the college admissions requirements. If testing is a requirement, registration needs to be done on-line at collegeboard.org. Test dates, registration deadlines and fees are all explained on the website. Helpful practice materials are also available at collegeboard.org! Fee waivers are available for eligible students.
College Planning
This should be an ongoing and current process if your child is intending to apply for enrollment in the fall of 2022. Many competitive colleges have application deadlines as early as November of this fall. Researching colleges, determining what colleges to apply to and creating a checklist of application requirements and deadlines should be happening now. All colleges have a website with admissions requirements, program options, support contacts, virtual tours, financial aid, and many other helpful details. There is a college for every person and every career pathway that requires training or academics after high school. Please help your child access the right college by helping them to organize their time, study their options and focus in on institutions that will meet their future educational needs. Some local colleges will visit, and these visits are an excellent opportunity for students to learn about admissions. College representative visits will be announced to students, and students should talk to Ms. Wacome, Career Counselor or Mrs. German, Student Services Coordinator at SCTC to sign up.
Military Options
The US Military may be the right option for your child. The six different branches offer a wide variety of career training with hundreds of job descriptions. General information can be found at todaysmilitary.com. Specific details about service opportunities, enlistment procedures, and service benefits are best learned by communicating directly with branch recruiters. Local recruiting offices are regionally based and can be looked up on-line. Some recruiters will visit SCTC, and some may reach out to students directly. When recruiters schedule a visit, the date and time of the visit will be announced to students and interested students will need to sign up to meet with a recruiter.
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is something your student should apply to receive even if they are not sure they will apply to college. There is no dollar cost to apply for federal student aid. It only takes time. FAME (The Finance Authority of Maine) will be having virtual sessions to educate parents and students about financial aid and how to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) They are on this link and scheduled for this month.
FAFSA Help Sessions
The Finance Authority of Maine will be offering FAFSA completion help sessions to support any families needing direction to complete the FAFSA on the following dates:
Tuesday, October 5 at 6:00 PM
Thursday, October 7 at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, October 12 at 6:00 PM
Thursday, October 14 at 6:00 PM
Wednesday, October 20 at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, October 26 at 6:00 PM
Thursday, October 28 at 6:00 PM
Wednesday, November 3 at 6:00 PM
Check out the FAME site for the FAFSA help sessions at this link: https://www.famemaine.com/education/topics/filing-the-fafsa/in-person-help-sessions/
Session registration will come on-line later in September so please check the FAME web site periodically.
There will be additional scholarship information given to students as we receive local and other scholarships.
Transition to Work
There are many jobs that are available to students who have just graduated from high school. Help wanted signs can be seen in windows all around Somerset County and beyond. If your child is uncertain about how to approach a potential employer, if they need tips to create a resume or help completing a job application, please send them to their counselor. You may also direct them to the Northern Kennebec Career Center located on the campus of KVCC in Fairfield, 207-623-7981, https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/locations/hinckley.shtml.
Please let me know if you have any questions. You can reach me, Lori Conway, Student Services Coordinator at lconway@msad54.org or 207-474-2151 ext. 4503.
