| |
Georgia high school seniors will be shown how to apply for
college financial assistance during the annual College Goal
Sunday event at Dalton State College on February 10.
Financial experts will be on hand to meet with students and
their families and to show them how to fill out the necessary
forms to get access to the billions of dollars in federal funds
available for college students.
“Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
form that can qualify students for federal funding for their
college educations can be a daunting task,” says Dianne Cox,
Director of Financial Aid at Dalton State.
“But for high school seniors across the state, College Goal
Sunday provides a chance to receive guidance from those who can
make the process seem easy, or at least easier.”
Georgia has 16 regional sites for College Goal Sunday, with one
at Dalton State College to serve students who live in the
northwest corner of the state. Students who attend an event at
any of the regional sites do not have to plan on applying to
that particular school, Cox stressed, noting that the event is
specifically to aid all Georgia students in their financial aid
process no matter which school they plan to attend.
And, students who attend the Sunday afternoon
program have a chance to win a $500 scholarship for the
2008-2009 academic year.
The event will begin at 2:00 pm in room 102 in the Sequoya
building on campus. There is no cost to attend.
“We find that many people are intimidated by filling out the
necessary financial aid forms that are required when applying
for federal student aid,” says Cox, who also serves as this
state’s Co-coordinator for College Goal Sunday.
“For many families, the forms are much more complicated to
complete than their tax returns, so it can be a frustrating
experience. As a result, many students and their families become
overwhelmed by the process and don’t meet the priority
deadlines, which are March 1 for most institutions.”
During the event, Cox and other financial aid officers will
explain the process of filling out the FAFSA form, line by line.
Seniors and their families who have all of the necessary
paperwork available will be relocated to a computer lab where
they will receive personalized assistance in completing the
forms online.
“Seniors and their families who attend will have two options,”
says Cox. “They can either participate in the presentation,
which will explain the FAFSA process in detail, or they can
bring the necessary paperwork with them and work on their
applications online.”
Those students and their parents who would like to work on their
FAFSA applications online should bring copies of their completed
2007 tax returns, copies of the student’s and parents’ W-2
forms, and balance statements from the family’s non-retirement
investment accounts. Volunteers will be stationed in the
computer labs to help those who have brought in the relevant
paperwork.
During the event, a drawing will be held for a $500 scholarship
to be given to a senior who attends the event, Cox said.
The College Goal Sunday program currently exists in 35 states
with a mission of providing answers to questions that students
and their families have about completing the FAFSA forms. The
volunteer program was started 1989 by the Indiana Student
Financial Aid Association with funding from the Lilly Endowment
and with supplemental support from Lumina Foundation for
Education.
For more information, please call 706-272-4545.
|
|
