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Here at Send Your Kids to College, we are a team of professionals who help students and families at all stages of the college planning process. From tutoring and test prep to financial planning for college to filling out financial aid forms and appeals forms, we are here to help. If you're new to our site, you may not know that you can actually work with us to ensure all of your FAFSA, TAP, and CSS profile are filled out properly, and we can take all of that off your hands.
Today on the blog, we wanted to specifically outline WHY someone should or would choose to hire a Certified College Planning Specialist to take on FAFSA & more!
It's Hard
It takes Time
Mistakes Can Cost You
No One Available to Help
Though People Think It Won't Help, It Does
1. FAFSA is Hard.
If it's your first time filling out a FAFSA form, you're going to struggle a bit. The form is becoming a bit simpler to fill out, in an effort to increase the total amount of students applying, but regardless the process can be intimidating and frustrating. The most simple reason why you find a CCPS, FAFSA & TAP are not exactly the easiest forms to fill out.
2. The FAFSA Takes Time.
One main reason WHY the FAFSA is hard to sit down and do is it requires some thinking and reflecting and fact-finding. If you are reading through articles and information on what is needed to complete the form, you're spending quite a bit of time just figuring out what you need to do before you can even do it! That's why we are here. We know these forms like the back of our hand and that's why we provide the service, we can tackle it quickly and painlessly for you.
3. Mistakes Can Cost You $$$
What's not so clearly outlined amidst information on filling out FAFSA is the impact it can have on your final college bill. Many people don't know that if you wait too long to fill out the FAFSA, you can miss out on grants and other forms of aid that are only available to a certain amount of applicants. By waiting too long, you may end up losing potential money, and if you make a mistake on the facts of your FAFSA, you could also end up missing out on money that doesn't come in the form of loans, which need to be paid back with interest.
4. No One Available to Help
If you've already started attempting to fill out FAFSA, TAP, or other financial forms, you may have found yourself screaming down an empty hallway. School guidance counselors try to help, but have a lot of students to get to. Financial aid offices at your prospective schools may be a bit helpful, if you feel like waiting to talk to someone, or if you trust someone with no skin in the game. When you get in touch with us, we take a personal involvement with your case and do our best to ensure you're getting the most possible aid.
5. It Really Can Make a Difference
A lot of people, especially people who come from households who aren't necessarily struggling financially, tend to think that the FAFSA is just a mandatory boring form that is required. That's true, but it's also an opportunity to lower your final college bill. By working with a CCPS, you can trust that you're doing all the right things from a financial perspective. The earlier you meet with a college planning specialist the better, as we can help get the FAFSA forms in ASAP so you are in the best position to succeed. We've even seen being able to get more funds available based on appeal letters and communication that only we can provide.
These are just 5 BIG reasons why someone should look into working with a CCPS like Send Your Kids to College for FAFSA forms. One bonus reason is by choosing to work with our organization your $79 fee is automatically applied to our scholarship fund. This fund pays 3 WNY students $1,000 to go toward college! So you aren't only saving yourself potentially, but helping WNY students! Everyone wins! Thanks for reading and stay tuned to the blog for more helpful FAFSA tips!