Students and parents should consider cost right from the moment they start applying to colleges, said Rohland W. Thompson, coordinator of guidance at North Haven High School. That means students and parents should be realistic about their chances of getting financial aid based on the student's academic records and other activities. It's not an easy decision to make. Students and their parents shouldn't throw in the towel right away, if a school's financial aid award looks insufficient, experts advise. Scour the Internet for scholarships, they say.
Thousands are available to all students regardless of backgrounds or majors.
Parents should also ask at their place of work. They should seek out every source that might be a source of free money,'' she said. Students who think a school has granted too small a financial aid package can appeal if they think the school has unfairly evaluated their financial circumstances or academic records. Quinnipiac's deadline for appeals for this fall. New parents should prepare early for sending their children to college, said Hoyte Brown, registered investment adviser and president of Creative Financial Planning in Hamden.