2008 Woodie Awards
College Goal Sunday helps students fill out FAFSA forms
Workshop took place in several in-state locations
By: Sarah Schuch
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: News
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She needed some help. And she knew just where to find it
College Goal Sunday, designed to help students file their FAFSA, took place at 27 locations around the state Sunday. Kook, along with many other students at CMU, headed to the fourth floor of Charles V. Park Library.
"I thought this would give me the best possible opportunity to fill (the FAFSA) out," Kook said.
Kristin Herndon, financial aid specialist for the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid, said College Goal Sunday sees a majority of high school seniors who are filing their FAFSA for the first time, though anyone is welcome to receive the help.
Herndon said most of the students are nervous about getting started, but once they are shown how to begin, things are fine.
Nine CMU financial aid helpers, along with some from other schools, answered questions the students or their parents might have had.
Hailey Hermes, a Mount Pleasant High School senior, said coming to CMU to fill out her FAFSA was more beneficial that doing it herself. They were able to answer her questions dealing with income issues and anything else she needed.
"Just having the one on one was really helpful," she said.
Hailey's mom, Judy Hermes, said they needed help to make sure they were doing everything right. There were three people helping them while they filled out the forms, which Judy Hermes said was helpful.
College Goal Sunday is a collaborative effort between the Michigan Guaranty Agency, the Michigan Student Financial Aid Association and EduGuide: Partnership for Learning.
Jon Morgan, user host for EduGuide: Partnership for Learning, said advising high school students is part of the organization's mission to help them attend college with the help of financial aid.
"I think a lot of the information (the FAFSA) is asking for is overwhelming," Morgan said. "Here it is set up so you have experts to ask. You don't feel alone."
Kook said now that she had the assistance she will probably be able to fill it out by herself in the future if she needed to. She found the helpers extremely helpful.
Last year about 50 students showed up for College Goal Sunday at Central. Herndon expected many more this year, but didn't have an exact total yet. Twenty-three computers were set aside to help as many students as possible.
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