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Access to Education


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Picking a university. Negotiating the college application process. Looking for scholarships. And, finally, paying tuition.

It can seem overwhelming, especially if youÕre the first person in your family to go to college.

Ohio State can help. The universityÕs Economic Access Initiative was created in 2006 to help high school students achieve the American dream of a college education.

Tally Hart, the senior advisor to the initiative, has some advice on how students can prepare for collegeÑboth academically and financially.

Start getting ready early in high school:

  • Take the hard classes: Algebra I as soon as possible, Algebra II before you graduate, and the highest sciences offered. ÒYou can get through graduation requirements and take more general math and science,Ó Hart says, Òbut that isnÕt going to make you a strong candidate for success in college.Ó
  • Take the ACT and SAT tests junior year. (Fee waivers are availableÑif you canÕt pay the test fees, ask your guidance counselor for help.)
  • Visit some colleges to decide where you want to apply. Then narrow the field by talking to faculty (ask them questions!), going to a class or two, and spending a night on campus.
  • Send out those applications. Hart recommends that high school students apply to a safe school they know theyÕll get into; a dream school theyÕd ideally attend; and one or more schools that fall in between.

Look for scholarships:

  • First and foremost, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which yields a whopping 97 percent of tuition help. (Each February, financial experts throughout the nation offer free help filling out the form at College Goal Sunday, which Hart helped launch in 1989. Check out www.collegegoalsundayusa.org for locations.)
  • Look for scholarships offered at your place of work; your parentsÕ offices; your church, synagogue, or mosque; and clubs.
  • Seek your high school guidance counselorÕs help. ÒIf your guidance counselor says, ÔLook into this scholarship,ÕÓ Hart said, Òdo it.Ó
  • Use your web savvy to your advantage. Sites such as www.fastweb.com hook students up with individual donors looking to help fund educations. When youÕre looking for a site, Hart said, pick one thatÕs free; that promises never to sell your personal information; and that will contact you directly when a scholarship for which youÕre eligible becomes available.

Avoid common mistakes:

  • DonÕt wait to be admitted to a college to apply for financial aid. Many students make this mistake, Hart said, and miss deadlines because of that.
  • DonÕt be afraid to apply for financial aid because you might be offered loansÑyouÕre not forced to take anything offered to you. ÒItÕs not all or nothing,Ó Hart said.
  • DonÕt be afraid to take a job during school. ÒThis largely comes from parents: ÔMy child should never work while theyÕre in college,Ó Hart said. Actually, she said, students who work a moderate amount (12 to 15 hours each week) do better in school than their unemployed peersÑand work-study opportunities can link students with employers who can link them with academic resources such as tutoring and are flexible around exam time. Moderation is key, though: Students who work full-time while taking a full load of classes are the worst off. ÒThat,Ó she said, Òis not a formula for success.Ó