Last Week’s Understanding College Finances was the first part of a series senior counselor Dillon Walker created to assist students in their college journey.
Walker provided seniors and students of all grade levels a night solely based on Financial Aid and Scholarships.
A Guest speaker James Powell, the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Oklahoma State. He spoke on four topics: Four Year Education = Great Investment, What is Financial Aid?, Federal Work Study vs. Work Study, Applying for Federal Aid, the FAFSA Timeline, Why You Should Do the FAFSA, Go-To FAFSA Resources, Common FAFSA Questions, External Scholarships, Money Saving Opportunities, Comparing Schools with the College Scorecard, Utilize a Net Price Calculator, and Questions to Ask Colleges/Universities.
“Understanding College Finances was designed to provide students and their families with more information about how to pay for college,” Walker said. “The cost of higher education is increasing, but there are ways to make it more affordable. The presentation focused on the many different ways to make it more affordable, including: the value of higher education, the FAFSA, external scholarships, work study options, money saving opportunities, and how to effectively compare the cost of institutions.”
A second college related event will take place in the spring semester, which is College Night.
“College Night will begin with a brief welcome,” Walker said. “I will go over some details and resources that I believe are important when navigating the college search process. Then we will transition into a question and answer panel where I will have eight different colleges/universities on stage answering questions that students and their families want to know.”
According to Walker the spring college 2022 was the schools largest ever college based event with more than 50 colleges/universities and over 750 people in attendance.
“Most events of this size are hosted by a district, multiple high schools, or an organization,” Walker said.
College Night 2024 will be Tuesday, March 12 from 6-8 PM in the Auditorium and Commons. All juniors and their families are required to attend. Freshmen and sophomores and their families are encouraged to attend.
