Kelsey Anspach
News Editor
On Oct. 28, the Guidance Department held its annual financial aid night in the Wagner room. Guidance counselor Lori Lewandoski said the main purpose of the event was “to disseminate information about the financial aid process.”
Ms. Lewandoski explained the benefit of organizing a presentation on financial aid. “Parents don’t want to just read the information,” she said. “Having somebody to present the process makes it much less daunting.”
This year, Kimberly J. Droniak, the Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Fairfield University, came to speak about the process. Guidance counselor Jane Mitchell said, “If you get someone from the college level to present, they’re up to date on the process and current trends.”
Financial aid exists to help students and families pay for college, and comes in three forms: work-study, scholarships, and loans. Scholarships don’t have to be repaid, while loans do. Money for scholarships comes from the federal government, the state of CT, specific colleges, and independent foundations.
With the current economic downturn, Ms. Lewandoski noticed that more people have come to financial aid night. “We had a big increase last year,” she said.
However, hard economic times also mean that colleges have less money to offer students. “Colleges are trying to be as generous as they can, but they also have to pay their bills with less endowment,” Ms. Mitchell said.
In order to receive financial aid, it’s very important that students and families applying for financial aid don’t miss deadlines. “Check with each college to know what forms they need and when they should go in,” Ms. Mitchell said. “Read everything that you receive back from either the college or the federal government, and know that you can always ask questions.”
Students interested in applying for financial aid should first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which can be completed at www.fafsa.ed.gov starting Jan. 1. The FAFSA assesses how much each student’s family can afford to pay for college, and needs to be renewed each year a student wishes to receive financial aid. Students should also go to www.pin.ed.gov to receive a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete this process.
For more information on the financial aid process, students and parents can visit
http://www2.newcanaan.k12.ct.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=11515&.
