More than a year ago, when I was researching colleges as a high school senior, I chose only to apply to private institutions. My mother assured me that, as long as I was happy with my school, she would find a way to cover the price tag.

I graduated high school in June 2008, just a few months before the economy started crashing and burning. Would I have received the same reassurance from her today, if I was applying to college again? I highly doubt it.

Undeniably, financial aid becomes an important, and often decisive, factor for many parents and for most students in choosing a college. After all, with the current state of the economy, the high unemployment rate, and the dwindling endowments, it’s hard to swallow $200,000 worth of debt for an undergraduate education.

So how exactly should you go about seeking and requesting more financial aid, given that crying, stealing, and begging are not options? Here are some tips I’ve picked up as a college student:

Work Early and Work Fast

- File your taxes as soon as the W4 arrives. This applies to your parents’ earnings and your own earnings.
- Once your taxes are complete, complete your FAFSA and CSS profiles. They’re long, tedious, and often redundant, but do not procrastinate on submitting them!
- FAFSA offers you federal aid, but your state may also support your educational endeavors. For example, in New York, the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) offers state financial aid on top of federal financial aid. If you’re given such an offer, do not wait on completing their applications and requests.

When the Government’s Pot of Gold is Empty

- If you don’t receive enough financial aid through FAFSA, try turning to your school for help. E-mails are not enough. Phone calls allow you to convey your emotion to an actual person. And if you live within driving distance to your school, ask for an in-person meeting.
- If you’re still choosing between schools but are conflicted because of different financial aid packages, tell your top choice school. It’s not a threat if you say, “I need more money from you or else I’m going to X University instead.”
- Tell your story. Financial aid officers need to work fast to process a ton of paperwork and thus often only see numbers. If there is a situation you are experiencing that numbers can’t explain, don’t keep it a secret.

Of course, there are other options such as applying to outside scholarships from private organizations, picking up a summer job or two, and asking relatives for contributions. In the end, if you still can’t afford your dream school, don’t fret. Keep in mind that though undergraduate studies are important, they most likely don’t mark the end of your educational pursuits. From there on, the price for even higher education (e.g.: master’s degree, doctoral degree) only increases while the financial assistance becomes practically nonexistent. So if you have to make the heartbreaking decision of rejecting your dream school because of financial concerns, consider it a thoughtful investment in your future.

Best of luck bargaining.

Students looking to stay within their home state for college generally have a strong selection of state-sponsored schools to choose from. Residents of New York have the largest selection of state-supported system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the world, through the State University of New York (SUNY). They also have the third largest university system, behind SUNY and the California State University system, with the City University of New York (CUNY). CUNY and SUNY are totally separate and independently run systems, though both receive funding from New York with CUNY also getting funding from New York City.

So What’s The Difference?

Well, for starters, the cost. CUNY, because it is sponsored by both the State of New York and the City of New York, has a lower base tuition. CUNY tuition and fees are about ~$4,500 a year, before financial aid. SUNY tuition and fees are about $7,300 a year, before financial aid or room and board. These figures are for New York State residents.

Readers will note that room and board was not mentioned for CUNY. That’s because it is an entirely commuter school (with 2 minor exceptions). SUNY, on the other hand, is known for its campuses and all the positives and negatives associated of dorm housing that come with that.

While CUNY does not provide the traditional college experience, and indeed feels more like high school with adults at times, it does have its benefits. The cost is certainly one of them. Total tuition for a CUNY student is less than one year at most private schools, and a semester at some of the more costly schools. It also benefits from being in New York City. This is a rather important benefit. Students have access to one of the largest cities in the world and all the opportunity it holds. Students have many of the world’s financial, media, advertising, marketing, fashion, and entertainment companies all headquartered in New York City offering internships, networking, mentorship, and eventually, job offers. This is part of the trade off that comes with commuting daily from home, or renting an apartment in New York City (which can easily cost more than the tuition).

SUNY, with the exception of the Fashion Institute of Technology, does not have any campuses in New York City. Most of the SUNY campuses have a suburban environment, with some bordering on totally rural. The majority of SUNY students are New York state residents who benefit from a relatively low tuition and still get a “real” college experience.

Though most of the colleges in the SUNY or CUNY system do not have nationwide name recognition (though SUNY does financially support four of the colleges at Cornell University), many of the schools are widely known and respected within the state and city, respectively. This might matter to an out of state student competing for jobs outside of New York.

With the economy the way it is today, students should pay more attention than ever to the state-sponsored schools available to them. New York students should especially look into SUNY and CUNY as viable college paths that can offer a great education that won’t break the bank.

By Awad Sayeed

It’s that time of the year College applications are over and done with for first-year students, but are just beginning for some transfer students. More importantly though, it’s time to fill out your FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) and CSS profiles (www.collegeboard.com)! For most first-year students, financial aid applications are due Feb. 1st! Following that is the deadline to update your financial aid applications with accurate information from your IRS 1040 statements and the hassle of sending in copies of your tax forms to your school(s). Students re-applying for financial aid should check-in with their school for respective financial aid deadlines.

Fill out all your applications for financial aid for aid consideration. Don’t miss your opportunity to snag free money for college!

Let’s start with scholarships. There’s free money out there waiting for you to claim it! Apply to anything and everything if that’s at all possible. But since you’re not a supercomputer that can easily whip out scholarship applications, I would suggest applying to a few scholarships that offer large monetary prizes, and many that offer small monetary amounts. Your chance of winning $500 is much higher than winning $10,000. Also, small monetary scholarships really add up! Although, one benefit to winning a scholarship that has a large award (besides the obvious financial benefit) is its prestige. To be able to tell prospective colleges that you’ve won a $10,000 scholarship or even a $100,000 scholarship makes you the type of student they’re looking for (not that you aren’t already)!

Also, don’t forget to look at colleges that offer in-school scholarships! They’re the greatest ways to fund your college education. I’ve got a Bentley scholarship worth $33,030!!! A school that really wants you will try to buy you by giving you lots of money to attend! But don’t count on them literally paying you to go to school (i.e. giving you enough money that you can collect personal checks from them without giving them a dime).

Lastly, working your simple 10hr minimum wage job isn’t going to significantly help you finance your college education unless you attend a public school. You get more money, in the long run, if you win scholarships instead of wasting your time flipping burgers. Let’s do the math: you work 10hrs/wk for $8/hr to make $80 a week for 10hrs of work; instead, you can write a strong essay for a scholarship worth $500 within 5hrs and there you go! You’ve just made $100/hr. Simple huh? Now go out and apply for some of those scholarships that are waiting to be awarded to you. Doesn’t this look more appealing than flipping burgers, standing behind a register, or mopping the floors at a fast-food joint?

To start your scholarship search, check out our myCollegeSTAT homepage for our special offers and opportunities for cash-for-college.