Student Loans

Credit Union of Georgia Can Help Plan For Your Future

High school is the time to begin planning for acceptance to the college of your choice. With all the things to consider, entrance exams, selecting a school, finances, and applications, it can seem overwhelming, but it needn’t be. Attending the college of your choice should be viewed as a goal. Like any other goal, you’ll need to develop a detailed plan with the necessary steps to achieve it. Once your plan is constructed, the rest is easy. Tackling your plan one step at a time will make your goal more manageable, and before long you’ll have achieved it. Here are a few things you’ll need to consider in devising your plan.

Know yourself. Evaluate your skills, abilities, goals, and interests. There are a number of resources available to help you do this kind of self-evaluation. Ask at a bookstore information desk, check with your school guidance counselors, or search the World Wide Web using key words to find such resources. Or visit Mapping Your Future at www.mapping-your-future.org.

If you already know what career interests you, find out what kind of education and training you’ll need to work in that field, and which colleges and universities offer it.

Take entrance exams. There are three standardized tests you should take if you want to go to college. These tests are: PSAT, SAT, and ACT. Check with your high school counselor or the schools in which you are interested, to find out which ones they require and when they are scheduled. You need to take these tests before applying to school.

Choose the schools to which you’ll apply. Begin by familiarizing yourself with the different types of schools and what they offer. Make up a list of the characteristics you want a school to have. You can find examples of these characteristics at www.mapping-your-future.org under “Selecting a School”.

Then begin gathering information about various schools. You can do this by calling college admissions offices to request catalogs, or by accessing this information from their Web sites. Here you’ll find information on programs of study, courses, tuition, room and board costs, and entrance exam requirements. Compare your list of required characteristics to the characteristics of each school on your list. Then narrow down your list by eliminating those that don’t meet enough of your requirements and keeping those that do.

Fill out an application for federal student aid. You need to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for federal financial aid programs, including student loans. The FAFSA collects financial information about you, your parents, and family from the most recently completed calendar year. Be sure to answer “yes” to the item on the FAFSA about your interest in a student loan so your eligibility for one will be determined. You’ll be notified in a final award letter about the financial aid for which you are eligible.
The FAFSA is available from your high school counselor, local library, or you may request one from the school to which you are applying. You can also print out a FAFSA or submit it electronically through the Department of Education’s Web site at www.fafsa.ed.gov . Applications should be submitted by March 31, if you plan to attend college the following fall.

Consider a credit union student loan to finance part of your education. We can provide you a student loan if it is determined that you are eligible for one through the FAFSA process. If the FAFSA asks what lender you want to use for your student loan, consider Credit Union of Georgia. Our lender code is 827971. Stop by a branch or call 678-486-1111 for a student loan application.