Adult Financial Aid

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1. You can apply for financial aid online.  The FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) doesn't take nearly as long to complete as you might imagine, and you may even discover, as I did, that you are eligible for grants and/or scholarships.  Though there is an annual deadline to apply, I completed mine in mid-August, and began my classes on time in September.  For more information, check out GSC's Financial Aid page.
2. If you fill out the FAFSA, you'll need a PIN.  This isn't a big deal at all, but serves as your electronic signature.  A link to the Federal Student Aid web site is provided on the FAFSA web site.  Creating a PIN only takes a moment, and is very easy.
3. You can meet with an advisor, even if you haven't formally decided to enroll.  I first met with an advisor from GSC a couple of years before I actually enrolled.  He answered all of my questions, and never once made me feel as though I was wasting his time.  Though I didn't actively enroll at that time, that meeting prepared me for the later step.
4. Download and view the Winter 2011 catalog, or prior catalogs going back several years.  Once you start reading about the courses offered by Granite State College, you'll soon find yourself wanting to take many of them!
5. Register online!  According to GSC's web site, you can even register for a class now and apply later.  Registration for the Winter 2011 term is now open through December 29th, 2010, and classes begin January 8th, 2011.

• Modern America & the Movies
• Readings in World Literature
• American Sign Language I
• Managing Conflict
• Introduction to Anthropology

• Career Development and Life Planning
• Survey of World Architecture
• Autobiography as Literature
• Comparative Religions
• Observational Astronomy

1. To encourage those adults who are currently contemplating returning to, or even beginning, college.  For years, I had given much thought to finishing what I had started all those years ago, but was held back by fear.  When I finally took those steps at 40 years old, I was encouraged by a couple of blogs I'd discovered written by other non-traditional students.  Had Granite State College offered this blogging program earlier, I may have decided to take those steps even sooner.  Over the past several months, I've enjoyed reading the various blogs written by faculty and students, and consequently have felt more personally connected to the college, even though I live in a remote location.
    
2. To share some of my experiences over the past couple of years with others who have found themselves in a similar life situation.  When I first started, I wasn't entirely sure if I would prefer taking evening college classes, where I would have face-to-face interaction with my professor and classmates, or online classes for college, in a format that would afford me a much broader range of educational choices and greater flexibility with my already busy life schedule.  I'll be writing more about those experiences in coming days.

Use your academic advisor for EVERYTHING - this person is your lifeline to Granite State College.  They can tell you where to get adult financial aid information, which classes to take and how to enroll.  Never let confusion or questions interrupt you mission to success!

Plan your degree - GSC has all of the classes they will offer through the spring of 2012 posted at this link:  http://rockon.granite.edu:8080/courseofferings/index.html

Plan each week - Each Sunday evening I take my calendar out and write down each commitment I have for that week, from work schedule to my child's schedule to individual homework assignments.  Each morning I look at it so I know what I have to get completed on that day.  Become good friends with that calendar.

Take an online class - The world is relying more and more on technological advances; don't be left in the dust!  You need to be familiar, if not comfortable, with completing tasks in a virtual environment in order to be successful.

Take a summer class - They are only 8 weeks long instead of the normal 12, and you will earn your degree that much quicker.

Participate - There are opportunities to get involved with the college to build a community.  The Granite State College Council is one way.  And it is a great way to give back.

Recognize your successes - Adult college courses are time consuming, but what better investment can you make in your and your family's future by strengthening your odds of success in your career?  Take your family out to dinner after the term ends.  Tell the kids when you earned an A on a project. 

Have a sense of humor - Whether you want to or not, you will build relationships as a student.  Recently in a class my group was struggling with an assignment.  As we commiserated, we began to laugh about the comedy of errors we had made.  It was a big help to get us back on track.  And keep in mind on the toughest days that there is a 5 week break in between the Fall and Winter terms.  ;)

 

By spending the majority of my time around prospective students and having been an adult learner myself, I’ve developed a pretty good idea about the often tortuous decision-making process involved in returning to college. There always seem to be so many things to consider, so many factors involved in the decision. Let’s face it: our lives are complicated; when balancing work and family obligations, it’s hard to imagine fitting college into the picture. Many prospective students postpone making the choice, waiting for what I like to call ‘celestial alignment’: having one’s personal stars, moons and planets reach a perfect state in which returning to school becomes as simple as going for Chinese take-out. These individuals wait, and wait, and wait, hoping that one day everything will sort itself out and the decision will be easy. Sadly for most of us, celestial alignment rarely just happens. Fitting college into a working adult’s busy life take intentionality and some effort, but it is do-able and not nearly as hard as one would imagine.

At Granite State College we have become experts at helping our students overcome the obstacles that non-traditional learners face when starting their adult college program. Our Academic Advisors really listen, and help develop manageable plans of study that are based on the student’s needs and life schedule. Our Financial Aid counselors assist students in navigating the Federal Financial Aid process and figuring out the big question: How am I going to pay for this?  And our faculty understands our student body and is flexible in helping students meet course requirements when ‘life happens’.

I often tell prospective students that the hardest part about returning to school at Granite State College is ‘pulling the trigger’; making the decision to go forward and take their first adult college course.  Over the last three years I’ve lost count of the number of students and graduates that I’ve run into who have told me that I was right!

So, here I am writing my first blog post. It's a little intimidating because I've never blogged before. But there's a first time for everything and I'm excited about this new endeavor. Of course the challenge will be finding the time, between working and classes and family responsibilities.

It helps that I am surrounded by other adult college students, many of whom can relate to my balancing act, because they are also working full-time while taking part time classes. In fact, many of my classmates are only able to afford their adult college classes because at GSC taking just one class a term means that they are eligible to apply for financial aid. Another huge incentive is that the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at GSC is only $15 per credit! Offering the lowest tuition of all four institutions in the University of New Hampshire System, GSC is a NH state college where my classmates and I can earn an affordable bachelor degree, associate degree or even teacher certification. 

I suppose I sound like I'm going for a hard-sell. But that's only because I have such a positive impression of Granite State College. One of the best aspects of my job at GSC is being a point-of-contact for prospective and new students because I want so much to help people see their potential become reality. If a student calls our Claremont NH College, needing to know how to post a comment to the discussion board in Blackboard for their online class, I can walk them through it over the phone, because I've been in their shoes.

When a potential student calls or walks into our center for the first time, they are often worried about how they'll handle taking adult college courses on top of their work and family responsibilities, and I can relate. But it really is doable! For me, taking online classes is one way I have been able to manage to keep all the balls in the air, so to speak. Sure, my first online class was a little scary in the beginning, but my classmates were incredibly helpful - explaining where to find resources and how to submit assignments. It was a great feeling to learn some new technology along with the actual course material. That's just one of the perks of taking online classes for college!

Because I really enjoy the occasional human interaction, I also take face-to-face evening college classes, as well as weekend intensive classes. I find that I can fit these into my hectic schedule quite nicely. Currently, I'm taking Managing Diversity as a weekend intensive, and The Emerging U.S. Health Care System online. It's a splendid combination of formats and learning!

Well, I better get back to the books, because I want to make sure I get my assignment in before the deadline tomorrow. 

As a mom of a newly-minted high school graduate, I now understand the difficulty parents experience when it comes to letting go of their college-age children.  As parents we dedicate so much time and energy to taking care of our children, guiding...helping.  It is hard to recognize when we cross the boundary into new territory where the most helpful thing we can do is to let our children help themselves and make their own decisions.

I have been comparing notes with friends whose children also just graduated and are on their way to various New Hampshire Colleges and Universities this fall.  Many have already attended orientations where the children are herded off to one session, the parents to another.  The parent orientations talk about financial aid, what we can expect from our children once they are in college - but the main focus seems to be on teaching us to let our children have their own academic experience, complete with poor decisions and the occasional failure - and for us to resist the urge to do everything for them.  Point taken.

Even though GSC is known for Adult Higher Education, we are seeing more and more traditional age students.  As an Academic Advisor at Granite State College in Conway, NH, I have been in the position to gently point out to parents who are emailing or calling me for course suggestions, that perhaps it might be better for the student to communicate with me directly.   Of course, there are also laws that prohibit advisors from sharing adult student's information.  

For parents of new Granite State College students, however,  it is a somewhat easier transition.  Because we are not a residential college, the student is still living at home.  Also, unlike many other colleges,  Granite State College employs full time academic advisors who are designated student advocates.  Parents can take comfort in knowing there is someone there to provide guidance and help when needed.

So, fellow parents, join me in learning how to let go so we can watch our children learn to soar. 

The most difficult part of starting college after being out of school for many years is not the admission process, not the financial aid paperwork, not the entrance exams, it is finding the confidence in oneself to believe you can learn and grow in the academic world.  It is so very difficult when you are doing relatively well in your life to put yourself into a position where you feel vulnerable to failure.  When I finally found the courage to pursue my adult college degree I did so by attending online classes for adults where I thought I would be protected and could hide my inadequacies from my fellow classmates.  After my first semester of adult college classes I found my confidence and was able to really put myself out there and start attending live evening college courses.  I have not stopped since I started three years ago.  I not only found my confidence, I found a true love of learning and applying this knowledge in everything I do.

My success, my enjoyment and my overall academic experience has now tweaked the confidence in those around me to also pursue their adult education diplomas.  My own 22 year old daughter is now talking about beginning classes to attain her degree.  As a mother, I could not be more thrilled.  Another person I have influenced is a friend from work.  She has accomplished so much more than I professionally but still doubts her ability to thrive in the classroom because she claims she did not do well in high school, some 35 years ago.  She is not the same person she was at the age of 17.  She is bright, ambitious and well grounded.  I was shocked to hear of the fear she felt in not believing she has what it takes to attain her adult college degree.  I have no doubt she will thrive and excel in this pursuit.

Where are you in your life?  Do you have the courage to go after your adult college degree?  All you need to do is find the courage it takes to visit Granite State College and the confidence in yourself will soon follow.
 

It's no secret that the cost of education is on the rise, and it can sometimes be hard to swallow the expense you may incur if you decide you want to attend college. Here at Granite State College, we offer affordable college study that is flexible and convenient. 

That being said, your education here at Granite State College is still an investment, so it is important to make sure you are ready to make the financial commitment associated with going to school.

Here are a few tips to help manage your expenses:

1. Think about the degree program you are interested in. How much does a career in that field usually pay? This is important to consider, because it will give you an idea of what you should realistically borrow if you need to use loans to pay for your education. By knowing roughly what you will make in your career field once you graduate, you can make sure to borrow responsibly so you do not end up having more loans than you are able to handle financially when the time comes to pay them back.  

2. Always have an idea of how much you have already borrowed. Some students graduate and have no idea that they have been using loan money to pay for their education. By having a handle on how much you have borrowed, you will be able to prepare for making payments when the time comes.  Want to get an idea of what you payments will look like? Use the FinAid Loan Calculator.

3. Try to avoid using your refund checks for living expenses, if possible. I know this is easier said than done with the economy the way it is, but this will make a huge difference when the time comes to start paying back your aid, since typically these checks are made up of Stafford Loan money. If you do not need the money, it is always wise to send it back to your school, or use it to pay your lender directly in order to keep your loan amounts down.

If you need to supplement your income while going to school, consider participating in the Federal Work Study Program. This program allows you to work part-time at the school, or participating companies, and earn a pay check while giving you the flexibility to set your schedule around your classes. The pay is typically pretty good too, which is always a bonus! For more information on the Federal Work Study program, visit our website.

There's not doubt that trying to pay for college can be stressful; however, with proper planning, it doesn't also have to be a burden. Let us help you budget your expenses today! Feel free to contact the Granite State College Office of Financial Aid with any questions or concerns.