One of the most common questions I hear at financial aid offices is, “have you completed your FAFSA?” Most students, this time of year, have. However, there may be other requirements that you need to complete before receiving your federal loans. Your financial aid is sent to the institution, but before they disburse the funds, you may need to sign the master promissory note and complete entrance loan counseling. Here’s what you need to know:

Students are being affected by “Summer Melt”. No, we aren’t talking about the record-high temperatures we have been having in Alaska. This is happening across the nation. Students who graduate from high school in May/June with postsecondary plans are not entering the doors to classes and training programs in the August/September.

Before you can attend any classes, you have to schedule them. Here are some tips to maximizing your time at school.

You completed the FAFSA, you received the Student Aid Report (SAR), now what? Many students aren’t aware but one out of three students will be selected for verification. To ensure that the information provided by students and parents on the FAFSA is accurate, the U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to verify financial and other demographic information.

Résumés are the perfect place to keep track of this information. As a living, breathing document, your résumé should be kept current. You never know when an awesome opportunity will present itself. Be ready for it! Having prior experience could lead to starting a little farther along in your educational pursuits and help with the costs of attendance. If you have don’t have to take as many classes, you won’t be paying for credit hours, textbooks, or lab fees for those courses an instit...

We can all agree that college is not cheap. Figuring out a clear plan for you to achieve the goal of finishing takes a great deal of time, energy, and finances. Choosing how to invest your money is something to seriously think about, and above all—life happens. With all the people who start college or career training, more than half do not finish. We encourage those who haven’t finished to go ahead and try again. Here’s why:

Adapting to college life can be challenging. To make the best of your experience rely on the “go-to” people who can be a valuable resource to you. There will be a number of people you will meet throughout your college life but a few key people to keep in mind as you start your journey include the following:

My sister, who is 30 years old and a mother of two, decided to go back to college to finish her degree in Human Resources – Yay, sister! After the excitement subsided, the reality of life sunk in and it came time to review resources available to assist her with the college journey. First, we talked about financial aid options, and then we went over admissions. After all that, she had questions about other resources that could assist with childcare. That made me think, every postsecondary stud...

It's finally time to say your goodbyes and head to your new “home” for the next x-amount of years. You get there and the homesickness settles in. Homesickness can make the experience of moving away nerve-wracking, but it may not be home you miss, but rather what is familiar to you. I have a few tips to help you overcome homesickness:

Over the past few years, I have seen more and more advertising about online classes and education. It shouldn’t be surprising as more and more students find online education more appealing. There is more to it than staying in our pajamas all day or any other stereotype people can think of. Let’s look at some quick pros and cons to online education: