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FUNDING YOURCOLLEGE CAREER

Find out how much you’ll needfor school — and where to find

the money to pay for it all

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016

16-pagespecialsection

Getty Images

Message from Chancellor James B. Milliken SEE Page 2

Invitation to the White House SEE Page 7

Dreaming of Carnegie Hall SEE Page 8

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| THIS SPECIAL SECTION IS SPONSORED BY THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

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cuny.edu/welcome

Brooklyn College

College of Staten Island

The City College

CUNY School of Professional Studies

Macaulay Honors CollegeJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice

Baruch College

Hunter College

Medgar Evers College

New York City College of Technology

Queens College

York College

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Hostos Community College

QueensboroughCommunity College

CUNY Graduate Center

CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health PolicyCUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Staten Island

Brooklyn

Queens

Brooklyn College

College of Staten Island

Kingsborough Community CollegeKingsborough Community College

CUNY School of Professional Studies

Macaulay Honors CollegeJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice

Lehman CollegeLehman College

Baruch College

Hunter College

Medgar Evers College

New York City College of Technology

Queens College

York College

Bronx Community CollegeBronx Community College

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Hostos Community College

LaGuardia Community CollegeLaGuardia Community CollegeGuttman Community CollegeGuttman Community College QueensboroughCommunity CollegeCUNY Graduate School of JournalismCUNY Graduate School of Journalism

CUNY Graduate Center

CUNY School of LawCUNY School of Law

Staten Island

Brooklyn

Queens

BronxBronx

ManhattanManhattan

The City CollegeCUNY School of MedicineCUNY School of Medicine

CUNY’S HIGH-QUALITY,affordable academic opportunities make it

“the American Dream Machine,” in the wordsof the late City College alumnus and Intel Corp.co-founder Andrew Grove. CUNY students dreambig, work hard and accomplish much, winning themost prestigious awards in the nation. In 2016,these included 10 National Science Foundation

Graduate Research Fellowships and 13 Fulbright Fellowships forresearch and teaching abroad — among many examples of thetransformative value of a CUNY education.

— James B. MillikenCHANCE L L OR

About The City University of New YorkThe City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847, the University comprises 25 institutions: 11 senior colleges, sevencommunity colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the CUNY School of Medicine, CUNY Graduate School and University Center, CUNY Graduate School of Journal-ism, CUNY School of Law, CUNY School of Professional Studies, and the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy. The University serves more than 274,000 degree-seekingstudents and 260,000 adult and continuing education students. College Now, the University’s academic enrichment program, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 highschools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate and master’s degrees through the School of Professional Studies.

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Prepares minority and otherstudents for careers in science,technology, engineering and math.

2016 Fulbright Fellowship to theInstitute of Experimental Pharma-cology and Toxicology of the SlovakAcademy of Sciences in Bratislava,seeking new heart medications.

To help students build a solid aca-demic and personal foundation fortheir lives.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

GOAL

HIS STORY

YoelRodríguezAssociate Professor, Chemistry, Physics,Environmental ScienceHostos Community College

DREAMMAKER

THECITYUNIVERSITYOFNEWYORK CITYCOLLEGEOFNEWYORK-1847 HUNTERCOLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYNCOLLEGE-1930 QUEENSCOLLEGE-1937 NEWYORKCITYCOLLEGEOFTECHNOLOGY-1946COLLEGEOFSTATENISLAND-1956 BRONXCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1959 CUNYGRADUATECENTER-1961 BOROUGHOFMANHATTANCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963KINGSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963 JOHNJAYCOLLEGEOFCRIMINALJUSTICE-1964 YORKCOLLEGE-1966 BARUCHCOLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIACOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1968 LEHMANCOLLEGE-1968HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTION

Navigate the state and federalresources for financial aid to make

sure you get your fair shareBy ERIKA PRAFDER

With the costof a four-yearprivate collegeeducation

surpassing the $200,000mark at many schools,there is still a bright side— billions of dollars areavailable in financial aid.Millions of students

and their folks vie for aidannually, so there’s noneed to feel self-consciousor falsely believe that youwon’t qualify to receivesome—even if you ownyour own home, have sav-ings in the bank ormake acertain income level.there are other myths

about the process. For example,that students receive the sameaid whether they’re consideringa community college or a very

expensive private school— untrue, according toKalman A. Chaney (right),author of “Paying for Col-legeWithout Going Broke”($21.99, Princeton Review).Another misnomer is that you

should wait to apply for aid untilafter your child has been acceptedto a college. “if you do that, you

may well be out of luck. it iscrucial to meet financial aid

application deadlines —and these sometimesprecede the deadlinesfor the actual admis-sion application to thecollege,” said Chaney.As you are preparing

your college applications, this is also thetime to apply for financial assistance. Fortu-nately, if you know how to ask for aid, UncleSam can help finance your college dreams.the first thing every family should do

when seeking government assistance is fillout the Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA) form, (fafsa.ed.gov) whichthe federal government uses to determinea student’s eligibility for aid. it must becompleted annually each year a student isenrolled in college.“the FAFSA has somany questions regard-

ing taxes and bank information—whathappenswithmany students is that if theydon’t have the PiN numbers for their parents’

accounts and documenta-tion, they run into a prob-lem rather than it beinga 20-minute exercise,”saidNancy Lee Sánchez,executive director forthe Kaplan EducationFoundation, a nonprofitcharity that helps under-served, low-income,high-potential communitycollege students transitionto top four-year universi-ties nationwide.New this year, students

are able to complete theFAFSA online startingOctober 1 (as opposed toJanuary 1 of the comingyear).“this is really good,”

said Sánchez, “sincemany schools can start makingadmission decisions about theirfreshmen class during the monthsof November and December. theFAFSA is lengthy and complicated(103 questions) so all of this paper-

work gives students more time—especially those with high financial

need — to get their financial aid packageinformation sooner and understand howmuch aid they’re going to receive.”Which parent must report their personal

data depends on whether or not they aremarried and living within the same house-hold, said Sánchez.“You are supposed to provide information

for the parent whom the student lived withmost of the time over the past 12 months —the person providing the most help. Some-times it’s both parents,” she said.if you are a student and work, “You need

to speak with a tax expert to determinewhether you’re required to file income taxesor not. there are many free tax-help ser-vices for students where a 1040 form (iRSform for reporting annual income) can beobtained,” said Sánchez.For more information, visit the NYC free

tax prep website (nyc.gov).“Unless students earn above $9,000 or

$10,000, [earned income is] not going toaffect them in a negative way,” said Sánchez.“Many [students] are low-income and areusing the money for expenses. i encouragemy students to work and take a summer job.”if you believe you qualify as an “indepen-

dent,” specific rules apply, said Sánchez.“Just because your parent or parents don’t

support you financially doesn’t mean you

NEW YORK POSTDECEMBER 11, 2016A4

Don’t gobroke: Despitesoaring costs,

there are ways foreveryone to afford

college.

Showmethemoney

The Federal Pell grant, administered by thegovernment, is a grant that does not need tobe repaid. You automatically apply for it whencompleting the FAFSA. Intended primarily forlow-income families, the size of the award isdecided by the federal government and can’t beadjusted by the colleges you apply to.Amounts depend on need, cost of attendance,

if you’re a full- or part-time student, and yourplans to attend a full academic year (versusless). For 2016-2017, if you qualify, you canreceive up to $5,815 per year based on need, hewrites. You may not receive Pell Grants frommore than one school at a time, and those whoare incarcerated are ineligible to receive them.If you are awarded less than you expected, “You

can contest the award,” saidNancy Lee Sánchez.“If a parent becomes unemployed or disabled, orthere are significant changes to the householdincome in themiddle of the year, you can go back

to them and ask them to adjust it. It requiresmorepaperwork and proof of disruption.”If you have exceptional financial aid need,

such as thosewho support a family, youmay alsoqualify for the Federal Supplemental EducationalOpportunity grant (FSEOG).“The FSEOG is a federal grant that’s adminis-

tered by the colleges themselves,” said KalmanA. Chaney. “Each year, schools receive a lumpsum that they’re allowed to dispense at theirown discretion. The size of the award runsfrom $100 to $4,000 per year per student.”But, “this takes a lot of self-advocacy,” said

Sánchez. “You must show that your expensesare much higher than the average traditionalstudent. Remember that each school has alimited amount of funds to grant. You may havea high-need student who qualifies, but becauseof finite funding, none is awarded.”

— Erika Prafder

saved by the pell: you may be eligible for a graNt

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTION

can file this way. You have to work veryclosely with the [college] financial aidperson to claim a special circumstance andbe clear about what your status is. Multiplethird-party letters (from a shelter onbehalf of students who are homeless, forexample) are usually required.To save your family excess FAFSA

form-completion time, consider using theInternal Revenue Service’s (IRS) DataRetrieval tool (for more information, visitStudentAid.ed.gov)which automaticallychecks for declared incomewith the IRS.Also new this year, tax

informationwill be tak-en from the previousyear’s tax filing, ratherthan the current one.This saves havingto estimate yourcurrent taxes if youhaven’t yet filed andamending it later.Never leave

anything blank, saidSánchez. “It’s importantto answer all of the ques-tions. If you can’t comeup with an answer, speak toa financial aid person or your highschool guidance counselor. Zero is ananswer too, but leaving a question blankleads to an incomplete form.”After your personal data has been veri-

fied by the government, your expectedfamily contribution (EFC) is generated,says Sánchez.Once your information is processed, stu-

dents can access their student aid report(SAR) online. For those students whodidn’t provide an email address, a hard

copy will be mailed. The SAR is sharedwith all colleges listed on a student’sFAFSA and is used by those schools todetermine need and generate a financialaid package.For New York student residents, there’s

also grant money available through theNew York tuition assistance program(hESc.ny.gov).“It does not have to be paid back. For

2016-2017, the maximum grant award is$5,165 per year,” said Sánchez.

At the same website, check outother state grants, including the

New York State aid for part-time study, which providesassistance for eligible part-time students enrolled inapproved undergraduatestudies.

Grants from individualschools themselves are alsoavailable, but “since thismoney comes out of [theschool’s] ownpocketbook,they are, in effect, discounts

off the sticker price,” saidChaney. “Because this is not

taxpayermoney, there are no rulesabout how itmust be dispensed. Some

schools say they awardmoney solely basedonneed.Many schools also give outmerit-based awards. There is no limit on the sizeof a grant froman individual school. It couldrange froma fewdollars to a full scholarship.”If you intend to teach full-time in a

high-need field in a elementary or sec-ondary school that serves students fromlow-income families, you may qualify forthe teacher education assistance for col-lege and higher education (TEACH) grantprogram. This grant program provides up

to $4,000 per year.You must attend a school that has cho-

sen to participate in the program and meetcertain academic achievement require-ments, according to Chaney.Be forewarned: “Failure to complete all

of the service requirements for which youreceive the grant will result in the amountof all TEACH grant funds received beingconverted to a federal direct unsubsidizedStafford loan.”If you’re going to take out a loan, the

loans offered to you as part of your aidpackage in your award letter are primarilyneed-based, said Chaney.“The best need-based loans (the feder-

ally subsidized Perkins and Stafford loans)are good deals as both are far below pre-vailing interest rates,” added Chaney. “Inmost cases, no interest is charged whilethe student is in school, and repaymentdoes not begin on them until the studentgraduates, leaves college, or dips belowhalf-time status.”

NEW YORK POSTdecember 11,2016 A5

resourCesLinks to financial aid

calculators:www2.cuny.edu

FAFSA forecaster (estimateseligibility for federal financial

aid):StudentAid.ed.govLoan Calculator:

BigFuture.collegeBoard.org

hemoney

Getty Images (3)

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTION

Workingout yourbottom line

ByVICKI SALEMI

If you’re only looking attuition costs and roomand board feeswhenselecting a school, you

could experience stickershock if you don’t accountfor hidden fees.ShannonVasconcelos,

director of college financefor CollegeCoach, a nationalprovider of educationaladvising on the collegeadmissions and financialprocess, recommends factor-ing in additional costs.These add up fast. Consid-

er the costs of books, lab feesfor sciencemajors, Greeklife dues (if applicable),entertainment, studentactivity fees, technology fees,tickets for school sportingevents, transportation and, ofcourse,morning cups of joeand late-night pizza.Plus, “If you plan on

bringing a car to campus,beware of notoriously highparking fees alongwithusual car payments, gas, andinsurance,” saidVasconcelos.“And if you’re not bringinga car to campus, be aware ofpublic transportation costs.”Healthcare is another

issue to consider. But, “don’tpurchase the college’shealth insurance plan,” saidVasconcelos. “If your parentshave health insurance, youcan remain covered as adependent under theirfamily plan, and that usuallyprovides better coverage at alower cost.”Justmake sure you can

seek care at your college’shealth service centerwithlittle extra cost under your

parents’ plan by filling outthe paperwork towaivecoverage by the college.Travel is another hidden

cost.“Account for travel to and

fromhome if you’re goingaway to school, study-abroadprograms and spring breaktrips,” Vasconcelos said.Yet another price to

account for in yourwallet:taking longer than fouryears to graduate.“An extra semester,

year, or even twocan cost a fam-ily thousandsof dollars,” shesaid. “Whenestimating thetotal cost of anycollege, consideryour likelihoodof graduating ontime.”That’s one reason

why some peoplemay attend communitycollege for two years andthen transfer to a four-yearinstitution for the remainingyears. At BronxCommunityCollege, for example, in-stateresident tuition fees are$4,800 annually, plus studentactivity fees of $78 and tech-nology fees of $125.This compares to the cost

of attendingNYUwithinthe college of arts and sci-ences— theNYU fee thisacademic school year is$49,242with $24,000 for liv-ing expenses. This is antici-pated to increase 5 percent insubsequent years.Compare those costs

to the cost of attending aCUNY schoolwhile livingat home: $16,641 total per

school year. Itemized costsare: $6,330 for tuition; $475fees; $1,364 for books andsupplies; $1,148 formeals;$1,054 for transportation; and$1,800 of personal expenseslike cell phone bills andentertainment.Alternatively, living at a

SUNY school as aNewYorkstate resident costs $24,630annually: $6,470 for tuition;$1,590 fees; $12,590 for hous-ing (meals included); $1,340for books and supplies;$1,080 for transportation;and $1,560 of personalexpenses.Senior policy analyst

KarenMcCarthyat theNationalAssociation ofStudent financialAidAdministra-tors advises fullyresearching insti-tutions ahead oftime if your planis to transfer aftertwo years.“You can save a lot

ofmoney thatway,” shesaid. “Itmight not be the

best choice for all studentsthough—and research upfront tomake sure all yourcredits transfer because ifyou lose a lot of creditswhenyou transfer, then youhaven’tmade out financially aswellas youwould have. You’repaying for credits and nowyou’re not getting them.”Then, of course, there’s the

overall return on investment(ROI) after graduation. ScottWeingold, co-founder ofCollege PlanningNetwork, acompany that helps familiesnavigate the college admis-sions, funding and financialaid process, suggests begin-ning your college applicationprocesswith an end inmind.“If [you’re] truly focused

on financial ROI, look at theaverage earnings a studentwouldmake over theirlifetime from attending thecommunity college versuswhat theywouldmake overtheir lifetime going to a pri-vate institution,” he said.Thismeans being

completely honest aboutyour desired career path todeterminewhich school typeis a better fit.MarkKantrowitz,

publisher of Cappex, a freewebsite about planning andpaying for college, added: “Itis an open secret that in-statepublic four-year collegesprovide almost as good aquality education as themost elite colleges at half theprice. PayScale.com’s collegeROI report shows the dollarreturn on investment forpopular colleges andmajors[for bachelor’s degrees].”Plus, he said there are

some fields of study, suchas trades like electrician orHVAC tech, where an associ-ate’s degree pays better thana bachelor’s degree in thearts and humanities.for instance, on aver-

age, the cost of attending

APEXTechnical School inLong IslandCity is $17,747for a seven-month course,excluding personal costs fortransportation to the schoolandmeals.The annual cost of

attendance at the fashionInstitute of Technology(fIT) inChelsea is $4,590 forassociate-degree-levelNewYork state residents, withan additional $316 in healthservices, $200 in technologyfees, a $130 student activityfee and $10 per course fora classwith livemodels orspecialized equipment.Kelly Brennan, vice presi-

dent for enrollmentmanage-ment and student successat fIT, said, “Although thecollege is best known for itsfashion design program, fITin fact has nearly 50majors.”When comparison shop-

ping programs and com-prehensive costs,McCarthysuggests factoring aid intothe amount that the schoolmay award.“Sometimes people

automatically assume publicinstitutionswill be cheaperthan the private institutions,but sometimes a privateinstitutionmight [offer] a lotmore assistance in the formof gift aid,” she said.That’s whyVasconcelos

recommends applying toschoolswith need-basedfinancial aid.“That huge sticker price

will bemeaningless to you,”she said.It’s also important to

evaluate your options rang-ing from technical schoolsto elite colleges.McCarthyexplains that theUnitedStates’ higher educationsystem is considered the bestin the entireworld based onthe variety of options.“It’s set up to serve differ-

ent types of students fromdifferent backgroundswithdifferent strengthswhowant to do different things.Depending onwhat you’relooking for, there’s [an]option to get youwhere youwant to go.”

USE THETOOLS and dO

THE maTHUtilize the net price calculator on a

college’swebsite to determine the bottomline at each school you are interested in.Institutions have to disclose it somewhere,

usually on their website.They’re also compiled into the federal

website,College Navigator (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator) so you can select schools

and display institutions side by side.sometimes public institutions offer aseemingly low cost but the feesmight

bemore than the tuition.Don’tjust compare tuition fromone

school to the other.

What’s it all going to cost?College fees and tuition vary,

so make comparisons —and don’t forget to add up all

the hidden costs

aVERaGE COLLEGE COSTS PER YEaR aCROSS THE COUnTRY

$9,410for in-state

public colleges

$50,000for Ivy League

schools

$32,405for privatecolleges

$23,893for out-of-statepublic colleges

$3,347for community

colleges

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ages

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CUNY

DREAMSDOCOMETRUE

Almansouri, in a graduationspeech that moved MichelleObama to invite her to aWhite House summit onwomen, told how she brokebarriers that kept traditionalYemeni girls out of school.

Winner, Mellon Mays FellowshipWinner, Colin Powell Fellowship

Master’s in Near EasternStudies, then a Ph.D.

AWARDS

GOAL

HER STORY

OrubbaAlmansouriCity College of New YorkSalutatorian 2016B.A., English and History

THECITYUNIVERSITYOFNEWYORK CITYCOLLEGEOFNEWYORK-1847 HUNTERCOLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYNCOLLEGE-1930 QUEENSCOLLEGE-1937 NEWYORKCITYCOLLEGEOFTECHNOLOGY-1946COLLEGEOFSTATENISLAND-1956 BRONXCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1959 CUNYGRADUATECENTER-1961 BOROUGHOFMANHATTANCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963KINGSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963 JOHNJAYCOLLEGEOFCRIMINALJUSTICE-1964 YORKCOLLEGE-1966 BARUCHCOLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIACOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1968 LEHMANCOLLEGE-1968HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016

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CUNY★AMERICANDREAMMACHINE

Behavioral science researcher,champion wrestler, Melendeztackles both.

National Institutes of HealthRISE Program Scholar2016 National WrestlingAssociation ScholarAll-American

Ph.D., behavioral science

AWARDS

HIS STORY

DennisMelendezHunter College, 2017

GOAL

SCHOLAR-ATHLETEʼSDREAM: A PH.D.

Born in Turkey, Ak came toQueens College’s AaronCopland School of Musicfor a conducting workshopin 2014 and stayed for amaster’s degree.

To be a role model forwomen conductors in thismale-dominated field.

GOAL

HER STORY

NisanAkQueens CollegeMaster of Music Performancein Orchestral Conducting,2016

DREAMINGOF CARNEGIEHALL

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CUNY★AMERICANDREAMMACHINE

Behavioral science researcher,champion wrestler, Melendeztackles both.

National Institutes of HealthRISE Program Scholar2016 National WrestlingAssociation ScholarAll-American

Ph.D., behavioral science

AWARDS

HIS STORY

DennisMelendezHunter College, 2017

GOAL

SCHOLAR-ATHLETEʼSDREAM: A PH.D.

Born in Turkey, Ak came toQueens College’s AaronCopland School of Musicfor a conducting workshopin 2014 and stayed for amaster’s degree.

To be a role model forwomen conductors in thismale-dominated field.

GOAL

HER STORY

NisanAkQueens CollegeMaster of Music Performancein Orchestral Conducting,2016

DREAMINGOF CARNEGIEHALL

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTIONNEW YORK POSTDECEMBER 11, 2016A10

Doawaywithdebt

Some smart choices nowcan save you years of loan

repayments laterBy ERIKA PRAFDER

As a freshman in high school, Kristina Ellis learnedfrom her mother that she’d have to cover collegecosts herself. she went on to win over $500,000 in

college scholarship money, later penning the widelyacclaimed book, “Confessions of a scholarshipWinner,”and offering her insights on the scholarship applicationprocess and how to best impress award committees.In her follow-up book, “How to Graduate Debt Free:

The Best strategies to Pay for College,” (Worthy Publish-ing, $15.99), the author and sought-after speaker focuseson how to conquer the financial obstacles of paying forcollege, recommending that students approach findingmoney for college like, in her own words, “an entrepre-neur on a money hunt for funding.”

1DON’T PROCRASTINATE.Fight any urge to keep putting

things off, and instead work on tack-ling your financial goals immedi-ately. sit down and write out what itwill take to make them happen, andimplement daily habits to supportyour efforts. Perhaps this monthyou can apply for three scholarshipsand skip that $4 coffee at starbucksso that next year you’ll have notonly some scholarship money butsavings.

2AvOID DEbT.The business of debt has left

too many people trapped in a des-perate cycle that’s hard to escape.With a $100,000 student loan at6.8% interest for 10 years, you willbe paying back the original moneyyou borrowed and an extra $38,097in interest over the loan’s duration.On top of other living expenses,paying this back isn’t realistic oreven remotely possible for most newgraduates. Debt most often causesmore harm than good and should bestrongly avoided.

3vAluEYOuRTImE.If you could graduate from col-lege in four years but take six yearsinstead, you lose not only whateverit costs you to attend school forthose two additional years (whichcould be well over $50,000 in tuitionand fees), but you forfeit the incomeyou could have made during thattime. Time is money, so be inten-tional with how you spend it. Earn-ing advance placement (AP) credits

as a high school student is one wayto reduce redundancy in your col-lege curriculum, lighten your collegeacademic load and reduce collegecosts.

4SAvE ON STANDARDIzEDTESTS.

Picking the right standardized testis another way to curb spending asentrance exams aren’t free and manyfamilies shell out additional moneyon sAT and ACT prep courses. Testfee waivers are available to somehigh schoolers who meet certain cri-teria. Visit your guidance counselorto verify your eligibility.

5STARTA CROWDfuNDRAISER.Crowdsourcing websites like

GoFundMe and Indiegogo arehousehold names today. Maybe youhave people in your life willing tocontribute to your college educa-tion? If so, consider this alternativeto help build your college savings inthe years before you enroll.

6ChOOSEA SAvINgSvEhIClE.Understand the differences

between 529 plans, Coverdelleducation accounts, Roth IRAs andmore. There may be withdrawalpenalties, tax-deferred interest andincome qualifications dependingupon which you select, so know theupsides and downsides of each.

7STAYAbREAST OfThE fAfSA.For the 2017-2018 school year,

the Us Department of Education’sFree Application for Federal student

Aid (FAFsA) will be undergoingsignificant changes (see page A4.)students will have to provide finan-cial information from an earlier yearand application submissions will beallowed three months sooner.

8gETA PIECE OfThE SChOl-ARShIP PIE.

Billions of dollars are given awayeach year to help students with col-lege expenses. source scholarshipsusing books, high school guidancecounselors, online scholarship data-bases like Unigo.com and apps likescholly. Don’t write off those withsmaller amounts of award money,as they can stack up; every little bitcounts.

9PAYASYOu gO.If you’re willing to do what

it takes to graduate debt-free, thepossibilities of working your waythrough college are endless. Therange of job opportunities includework study, internships, traditionaljobs, freelancing, employment atyour college and tuition-assistanceprograms. Remember to find theright work, life and school balance,and to evaluate how your earningsmight impact your financial aidpackage.

10TRYAlTERNATE ROuTES.There are many paths to

earning a college education. Onlinedegrees, community college, and theUs Armed Forces can offer tremen-dous savings toward earning yourdegree.

LEAVE NO STONEUNTURNED

THERE are scholarships for everything fromrugby to rodeo, welding tomycology (study of fungi).scholarships have grown increasinglywacky due tocompetition and the rise of identity politics.Most arefor $2,000, although some are for $5,000.It’s well worth skimming this list to see if you are an

outlierwhomay fit in, or consider your own quirks andspecial features andGoogle them.In the age ofmultiple births, colleges feel the paren-

tal pain. For example, lakeErie College in Painesville,Ohio, gives twins scholarships in alternating years(lec.edu), and the IllinoisOrganizationofmoth-ers ofTwinsClubs, Inc. offers a scholarship for fourmultiples. (iomotc.org).little PeopleofAmerica (LPA) associationmem-

bers can get scholarships. LPA supports people 4’10” orless in height, and their families (lpaonline.org).Conversely, there is aTall Clubs International

Scholarship. Tall Clubs International (TCI) offers a$1,000 scholarship for tall people, and individual chap-tersmay also offer awards.Womenwho are at least5’10” andmen at least 6’2” are eligible (tall.org).Make a promoutfit fromDuckbrand duct tape,

send a photo toDuck Brand andwin a few grand. Thisyear’swinners, Noah and Jenna, used 39 rolls of tape fortheir pink andwhite ensemble (Stuckatprom.com).Full rides are the dreamofmany football and basket-

ball high-schoolers, butmore obscure sports are alsosupported—200 golf caddies a year can shoot for theWesterngolfAssociation’s Chick Evans Jr. Schol-arship for golf caddies (wgaeSf.org).NationalRifleAssociation juniormembers vie for

theOutstandingAchievementYouthAward for huntingand shooting clinics, theNRAPostalMatch (fire ona paper target andmail it in for judging), going to theNational FirearmsMuseum inVirginia, ormaking artfor theNRAWildlife Art Contest (explore.nra.org).Mibsters (marbles players) have theNational

marblesTournament Scholarship to look forwardto if theywin the annualNationalMarbles Tournament(nationalmarblestournament.org). surfers can EastCoast Surfing Scholarship from the Buddy Pelletiersurfing Foundation (Buddypelletier.com).TheDavid lettermanTelecommunications

Scholarship, established byDavid Letterman in 1985,honors average academic studentswithTV and radiopotential at Ball stateUniversity (cmS.bsu.edu).The J.D. SalingerAward atUrsinusCollege looks

for creativewriter “oddball geniuses.”Winners live inthe dormwhere the author of “TheCatcher in theRye”stayedwhen hewas there in the 1930s (Ursinus.edu).TheAynRand Institute offers young, bow-

tie-wearing libertarians the chance to compete in“Anthem,” “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas shrugged”essay contests (aynrand.org).It’sworthGoogling your nameplus “scholarship”

—NorthCarolinaStateuniversity offers the JohnGatlingGrant to those bornwith a surnameofGatlingorGatlin.harvarduniversitydoes the same for Ellis,Hudson, Thayer, Downer andBright. Thevanvalck-enburgmemorial Scholarshiphonors variants of itsoldDutch name,VanValckenburg.—Josephgallivan

TOP TIPS TO AVOID A BIG BILL

FindingScour the scholarships to

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTION NEW YORK POSTdecember 11, 2016 A11

freemoneytop up your savings and bolster your college fund

Nadya Okamoto(right), 18,

a native Newyorker, iscurrently inher first yearat HarvardCollege andhas receivedseveral companyscholarships — butit wasn’t easy.It involved a lot of writ-

ing, she said.“Some [scholarships

require] application videosexplaining why you arepassionate about yourfocus or about a certainpassion project you may beapplying with,” she added.Okamoto mainly found

out about scholarships bytalking to college students

and college counsel-ors. as a result, she’snow a recipientof awards fromthe Gates Millen-nium ScholarsProgram, TheCoca-Cola Com-pany, Elks and

PEO (PhilanthropicEducational Organiza-

tion) worth around $70,000— a big help toward the$63,000 annual cost ofHarvard.Okamoto said that hav-

ing a loaded résumé is notthe key to winning scholar-ships.“I think that authenticity

is key, because when youmake it to another round ofscreening for the scholar-ship, if you truly mean

and are passionate abouteverything you said in yourapplication and in yourrésumé, then you can speakmore honestly and respect-fully on it.”However, she cautions

against spending too muchtime on scholarship apps.“I barely got sleep my

first semester of senioryear because I was jugglingabout five scholarshipapplications per week inaddition to college applica-tions,” she said.Some judges gave her

feedback, telling her, “befocused, identify your pas-sion and show what youlove. I ended up having toexplain on many occasionshow I was able to juggle[all the applications]. The

judges don’t want to pushstudents to overwork them-selves.”Scholarships need to

be researched well aheadof time. Okamoto startedlooking in the summerbefore her senior year ofhigh school, in time for thefirst October due dates.“I started bymaking a

spreadsheetwith everyscholarship, their require-ments, their applicationlinks, their due dates, and theaward amounts,” she said.Okamoto aimed both

high and low.“Prioritize big money but

also make sure to apply tosmall local scholarships,because those are muchless competitive.”

— Joseph Gallivan

By JOSEPH GALLIVAN

AS the cost of college tuitioncontinues to rise, schoolsand charitable foundationsare offering more scholar-

ships to help low-income orhigh-achieving students.Unfortunately, navigating the

complexweb of what’s offered islike getting through the 13th storymission on “dying Light” (that’s ahorror video game, parents).Here’s a little help.There are need-based scholar-

ships, also known as grants,aimed at students from lower-andmiddle-income households.Then there aremerit scholar-ships, which reward studentsfor being good at something orfor being a good representativeof some sort of subgroup. Thesemay be awarded by the college inthe form of reduced costs.If your home state is New

york and you want to attenda college in New york, thereare many small scholarshipsto look for, often sponsored bycompanies.For example, Foreclosure.

com awards one $5,000 and four$1,000 non-renewable scholar-ships to the winners of an essaycontest. For 2016, the topic is“Those who do not learn historyare doomed to repeat it,” withreference to the United Stateshousing market. (Better hurry totheir website, though; applica-

tions close on Friday.)But Kalman a. Chaney, author

of “Paying for CollegeWithoutGoing Broke,” cautions not tooverspend your time looking forcompany awards.“Most of the money available

in scholarships comes from thecolleges themselves, not fromoutside scholarships,” he said tothe Post. “Only 5 percent comesfrom Coca-Cola, the Boys Club,the Elks, etcetera.”He says part of the college

funding myth is that you just doyour research and all of your col-lege money problems are solved.“But most people don’t get

anything,” he said. “I was inthe 99th percentile for math atmy school and I didn’t get anyscholarships.”at the high end of academia,

students do not need to competefor talent in the same way— IvyLeague schools don’t give outmerit-based scholarships.“Schools are using scholarships

to buy kidswho dowell in stan-dardized tests and athletic talentto boost their [college’s] profile,”he added. In fact, at some schools,the application process includesscholarship paperwork. at others,youmay have to submit scholar-ship applications separately,usually earlier.Chaney recommends check-

ing out your target colleges’websites’ scholarship sectionsand getting a jump on the appli-

cation procedure. Most highschool seniors should know bydecember where they want togo, which is when many scholar-ship deadlines are due.High school counselors are

good, but talking to the financialaid office of a college is better.Hewarns against applying for

high-profile national scholar-ships if you are not very strongacademically.“The problem is time man-

agement; if you spend all yourtime applying, it can affectperformance in the classroom,and that’s worse for your collegeadmissions,” he said.Instead, talk to people at local

businesses, fraternal orders andplaces of worship, which oftenhave $2,000 scholarships withlimited competition.also, see what strings are

attached. If the money iscontingent on a certaingrade point average eachsemester, can you main-tain that?also, be careful if you

qualify for need-basedaid, since a scholarshipmight be subtractedfrom the amountawarded, leaving youno better off.“you don’t get mer-

it money on top of need-based money,” said Chaney.“Getting the merit only helps ifit’s more than need-based.”

Places to start lookingfor scholarshiPsYou can Google, or you can try these

aggregators of scholarship listings.They allrequire you to build a profile.

The College Board (CollegeBoard.org)From the nonprofit that brought you the SAT, ahandy college admissions sitewith a deep schol-arship bench (2,200 programs, nearly $6 billion).

FastWeb (FastWeb.com)Over 1.5million scholarshipsworthmore than

$3.4 billion dollars.Chegg (Chegg.com)

The old textbook site has branched into scholar-ship tracking.

Peterson’s (Petersons.com)The college research site nowhas a useful schol-

arship tracker.Scholarships.com (Scholarships.com)

If you think bigger is better, this one boastsmore than 2.7million scholarship and grantopportunitiesworthmore than $19 billion.

harvard for free student works the scholarshipsto amass a small fortune

Getty Images; L’Oreal Paris (below)

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTIONNEW YORK POSTDECEMBER 11, 2016A12

BorrowingbigbucksStudent loans are inevitable for many. Here’s how to find the best deal

ByVIRGINIA BACKAITIS

Students and parents,nationwide, are frazzled overcollege finances, accordingto a study, “HowAmerica

Pays for College 2016” by collegelender sallieMae. Another studyreleased inOctober byCitizensBank found that 71 percent of thosewho have been through the studentloan application process found itevenmore stressful than the actualcollege application process.While that’s the bad news,

everyone from college financecoaches to moneymanagers toindependent and private lenderwebsites geared toward risingcollege students and their parentsaim to make the process moretransparent and easier.And the good news is that most

of them agree that the first collegeloan that families should look atis the direct loan, or the staffordloan as it is sometimes known,offered by the federal government.It comes in two flavors— subsi-

dized and unsubsidized, accordingto david Levy, editor of edvisors.com, a website for students andfamilies looking to plan their col-lege finances.subsidized government loans

are available to students who candemonstrate financial need. theyaccrue no interest and requireno interest payments while thestudent is in school.unsubsidized government loans

are available to college studentsregardless of need, but they doaccrue interest. the interest rateon these direct loans is fixedat 3.76 percent for undergradu-ate students and 5.31 percent forgraduate students for the 2016-2017 academic year. Interest rates

are calculated each July.there is a 1.08 percent fee for

applying for these loans, “Butyou don’t need to pay it up front,”said Barry Fox of Barry Fox Col-lege Finance inMerrick. the feebecomes part of the loan.the amount that can be bor-

rowed in a given school year islimited. undergraduates are eli-gible to receive up to $5,500 subsi-dized (up to $3,500 unsubsidizedfor eligible students) freshmanyear, $6,500 subsidized (up to$4,500 unsubsidized) sophomoreyear, and up to $7,500 subsidizedjunior year ($5,500 unsubsidized)and each year thereafter, up to acumulative total of $31,000.direct loans also offers “protec-

tions” which allow you to defermaking payments on your loan forup to six months after graduation,or in case of disability, unemploy-ment andmore.If the free money you are being

offered, plus the direct loan, plusthe amount your family can con-tribute toward your education areenough, then voila!If not, there are other options,

ranging from PLus loans offeredto parents by the us departmentof education (these are sometimesreferred to as Parent PLus loans)to private student loans and par-ent loans offered by private (non-government) lenders.Additionally, parents or other

third parties can borrow againsttheir homes via home equity loansand home equity lines of credit, ordraw from retirement plans suchas a 401k or IRA.there’s now even crowdsourcing

from friends and relatives— “evensecondmortgages,” saidKevinMcKinley ofMcKinleyMoney.However, he considersmany of

these options to be last resorts.the first additional loan that

families should look at is the PLusloan, where the parent(s) are theborrower and the us departmentof education is the lender.“It’s the bestway to go,” said Fox.

“You can get asmuchmoney asyou need to fund your child’s totalcollege bill— including tuition andfees, room and board, books, trans-portation andmore—minus otheraid that has been offered.”the rate for the Parent PLus

loan is 6.31 percent and afee of 4.276 percent issubtracted before itis sent to the par-ent. It shouldalso be notedthat PLusLoans arehard to getif you havean adversecredithistory. Ifthat’s thecase, the par-ent needs tohave a cosigner.Much like stu-

dent loans, PLusloans offer defermentoptions and a few extras,such as if the parent who took theloan or the student for whom theloan was taken, dies. there is alsoa provision that erases the loanafter 120 consecutive paymentsare made (10 years’ worth). thereare a few creative workaroundsas well, like consolidating theloan, working in a job that thegovernment deems worthy of loanforgiveness and so on.Lenders like discover, sallie

Mae, Citizens Bank andmanyothers provide solid alternatives

to some government loans, firstand foremost because the primaryloan relationship is between thelender and the student.While par-ents or other third parties almostalways need to cosign the loans,the student will be the one whopays back the money.they might pay as little as $25

per month on the loans whilethey are in school, and privatestudent loan providers some-times also offer discounts forsetting up automatic payments or

getting good grades (3.0 orhigher) and so on.

“It’s good forstudents to havesome skin in thegame,” saysJodi Okun,discoverstudentloans brandambassador.Andwhen

it comes toloan-relatedfees— likeapplication,

origination andearly repayment

— sometimes therearen’t anywith private

lenders. Check the fine print.If a family prefers to leverage

assets they own by taking onprivate equity loans, privateequity lines of credit or secondmortgages, they can enjoy lowerinterest rates — variable intro-ductory rates on home equityloans are advertised as low as 2.24percent APR.But “if you can’t pay it back, you

lose your house,” said Fox.the same can be said of draw-

ing against retirement. this ispretty much free since “you’re

borrowing from yourself,” addedMcKinley. But if you lose your jobor don’t pay back your 401k beforeyou retire, you pay a 10 percentpenalty and taxes on the money,which could reduce $50,000 to$35,000 and leave you with a billinstead of cash to live on.that being said, sallie Mae’s

“HowAmerica Pays for College”report indicates that 5 percent offamilies used retirement fundsto pay for their children’s schoollast year. And— get this—mostwithdrew every penny of theirretirement savings.What’s clear is that students

and their parents draw frommanypots, and as a result, they typicallyneed to repay multiple lenders.that’s where newwave lenders

who are lumped into a categorybranded “social finance” come in.they offer graduates opportuni-ties to consolidate their loans andto pay back only one lender.soFi is one of them. danMack-

lin, the company’s co-founder, saidthat the time to look to soFi forloans is post-graduation, once youhave a job.“Many graduates are paying 8

to 9 percent on their loans. that’stoo much,” saidMacklin. soFi’sfixed rate loans range from 3.375to 6.74 percent APR and variablerate loans range from 2.185 to 6.110percent APR.“Paying back the government

and private lenders at higher ratesdoesn’t make sense,” saidMacklin.Why not start with soFi in the

first place?“We don’t offer student loans,”

saidMacklin. “We offer studentloan refinancing.While you’rein school you should work withstudent loan providers. You wanttheir protections,” he added.

student loans are nottaxable since they are notconsidered income. they are,instead, interest loans thatnever go away. think of themas more like a mortgage on ahouse you’ve never seen.Are scholarships and grants

taxable? Generally, no.If they are spent on college

tuition and fees, books, and sup-plies for specific classes, and youare enrolled in a proper degreeprogram (an accredited post-secondary institution of highereducation), they are not taxedand the student doesn’t have to

submit themon a tax form.According to Carrie schwab-

Pomerantz of Charles schwab,“scholarship money, for themost part, isn’t taxable becauseit isn’t considered income. thegood news for [the student’sparent] is you still may beable to claim an education taxcredit on your return as longas you pay qualified expensesabove and beyond what yourchild’s scholarship covers.”Room and board are not

tax-free, so any portion of thescholarship that goes towardroom, board and travel must

be declared as income.sometimes a scholarship is

considered general income,such as when a graduatestudent is also a teachingassistant. this kind of fellow-ship must be declared on aW2, which the school wouldsend to the student.schwab-Pomerantz also

points out that education taxcredits can offset your child’scollege expenses. You mayaccess one or the other (notboth) of these:the American Opportunity

tax Credit (AOtC, available

through 2017) allows an annu-al maximum credit of $2,500per student for four years ofundergraduate education forthose with a modified adjust-ed gross income (MAGI) of$80,000 or less.the Lifetime Learning Credit

(LLC) allows amaximumof $2,000 per year per taxreturn (not per student), butit can apply to undergraduate,graduate or professional degreecourses, with no limit on thenumber of years with aMAGIof $55,000 or less.

—JosephGallivan

The Tax man comeTh? maYBe, So STudY up...

InTeReSTInGSTuFF

Ratesvaryaccordingcredit-worthiness,market conditionsandmore,

but currently:Sallie Mae offers variable rates for

undergraduates from 2.50% to 9.59%APR,and fixed rates from 5.74% to 11.85%APR.Discover‘s variable rates currently rangefrom 3.62% to 9.12%APR and fixed ratesrange between 6.24% to 11.49%APR.AtCitizens Bank variable ratesrange from 2.60% to 9.60%APRand fixed rates from 5.25%

to 11.75%APR.

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New York City has 121,000 blocks.He’s walked all of them. But when itcomes to teaching, he still asks forthe introductory sociology class. “Itgives me the chance to turn peopleon to what I love doing most.”

Author or editor of 15 books,including, “The New York NobodyKnows: Walking 6,000 Miles inthe City.”

“You get students to realizetheir dreams by encouragingthem to ask questions...If I don’thave the answers, we’ll findsomeone who does.”

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

GOAL

HIS STORY

WilliamHelmreichDistinguished Professor of SociologyThe City College of New York/CUNY

DREAMMAKER

THECITYUNIVERSITYOFNEWYORK CITYCOLLEGEOFNEWYORK-1847 HUNTERCOLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYNCOLLEGE-1930 QUEENSCOLLEGE-1937 NEWYORKCITYCOLLEGEOFTECHNOLOGY-1946COLLEGEOFSTATENISLAND-1956 BRONXCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1959 CUNYGRADUATECENTER-1961 BOROUGHOFMANHATTANCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963KINGSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963 JOHNJAYCOLLEGEOFCRIMINALJUSTICE-1964 YORKCOLLEGE-1966 BARUCHCOLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIACOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1968 LEHMANCOLLEGE-1968HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016

FINANCIAL AID SPECIAL SECTIONNEW YORK POSTDECEMBER 11, 2016A14

LearningfromothersTips for avoiding the pitfalls of

financial aid applicationsBy VICKI SALEMI

When Tomhoebbel ofBrooktondale, nY, submit-ted his daughter’s Free

Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA) in 2007 for her firstyear of college, he accidentallyinput his son’s Social Securitynumber instead of hers. Thatinnocent error instantly createdseveral headaches and lost valu-able time.“Their numbers were only

different by one digit — it was anightmare to get sorted out!” hesaid.After the form was rejected

because her name and SocialSecurity number didn’t match onfederal records, hoebbel scurriedto resubmit the form with correctinformation in a last-minute rushto ensure she would qualify toreceive aid.“She did in the end, but we

were definitely stressed,” he saidof his daughter, who graduatedfrom the University of Texasat Austin and now lives on theUpper east Side.Typos are common FAFSA

errors, along with using nick-names instead of full legalnames, omitting or incorrectlyentering school codes, mixingstudent and parent data, using anaddress other than a permanentresidence, leaving fields blankand completing the form withoutthe parent and student signingoff with their respective FSA IDsobtained through the Departmentof education (fsaid.ed.gov).(IDs must be obtained online toapply for the FAFSA.)Alicia Stewart, a college admis-

sions counselor at IvyWise, aMidtown-based independenteducational counseling firm,pointed out, “Always read a formbefore submitting anythinginvolving personal information;take a minute to carefully lookover it.”Since identify theft is a prob-

lem, being careless with docu-ments is a concern. Definitelytake a few moments to eyeballeverything to ensure everythingis accurate.Another issue? Procrastina-

tion. Kayla Graniero graduatedfrom Pace University last Mayand recalls submitting her FAFSAapplication at the very lastminute in January 2013 for theupcoming fall semester.

“While I personally hit ‘send’the day before my applicationswere due, I would have avoidedmany panic attacks and possibly[losing] dollars in support if I hadjust finished everything beforethe holidays,” she said.Although the deadline seemed

far away at first, she added, “Theanxiety really crept in. My big-gest regret is devoting too muchtime to worrying and not enoughtime applying.”Completing the application

won’t even take that long, whichdebunks one myth. Jerry Inglet,director of the M&T CollegeFinancial Literacy Initiative, said,

“The online function (fafsa.ed.gov) takes approximatelyone hour to finish for first-timeusers.”Plus, he said many people erro-

neously believe it’s too compli-cated to complete independentlywithout the assistance of paidhelp.“Most colleges are prepared

to field questions and provideinsight to prospective students atno cost while the FAFSA help line(800-433-3243) is also a viableoption,” he added.Additionally, some parents

mistakenly believe they will notqualify for any need-based aidand think that the effort is a wasteof time, meaning they don’t evenbother.“If college costs are a concern

as a parent and student, fillingout the FAFSA is a no-brainer,”said Inglet. “The optimal wordwithin the FAFSA acronym isfree — one hour of your time willallow you to definitively knowand uncover what financial aidyou will receive from the federalgovernment.”As for the really good news? It

gets easier as time marches on.“This form should get com-

pleted for each year a student isplanning to enroll at an accred-ited college,” he said. It’s also anongoing process since income,assets and other information canbe fluid from year to year.Although each school has its

own deadline, he says the moreimportant deadline is the openingdate of the FAFSA, or October 1(it moved from January 1 to Octo-

ber 1 this year).“And [you can] use prior

income data in the calculation asopposed to the previous year’sincome data — as an example,parents filing for the 2017-2018academic year will use 2015income data,” he said.In fact, Stewart, a former assis-

tant director of student financialplanning at Columbia UniversityMedical Center, mentions thatthe FAFSA website’s online data

retrieval tool can pull informa-tion directly from the IRS to pre-fill some questions on the FAFSA.“If you choose not to use the

tool, youwill bemanually enteringyour information from federalincome taxes and youmaymake amistake,” she added. An error, shesaid, will result in getting an awardletter thatmisrepresents the fund-ing you’re eligible for since yourinformationmay be verified andcorrected at a later date.Keep in mind that timing is key.

“Schools will provide federaland state funds which are need-based entitlements, but mostschools will have additional grantand loan funding that inevitablyruns out after a certain pointin awarding the funding,” saidStewart. “If you are late to thegame, you may lose out on fundsyou otherwise would have beeneligible to receive.”Aside from the FAFSA, some

schools may want an additional

form filled out.“Don’t delay in filling out

all required paperwork,” saidStewart. “each school is different;make sure you do the researchon the requirements from eachschool.”Considering schools are

required to verify things like citi-zenship and dependency status,if you don’t respond to a school’srequest for information, you maydelay your award letter and loseout on funding.

DON’T LEAVEIT ALL TO

YOUR PARENTSStephanie Shyu, founderofAdmitSee, a collegeadmissions online plat-form, recommends stu-dents become involvedin the entire process bycompleting the form andfollowing up on addition-ally requested informa-tion by schools insteadof relying solely on their

parents.“I applied to college in2005 and letmy dadhandle all the FAFSAdocuments since he’sa CPA,” said Shyuwhenremembering her deci-sion not to learnwhateverythingmeant.“Because you need tore-file tomaintain youraid every year, applicantswho don’t handle FAFSAapplications themselvesare often not prepared tomanagetheir financialaidpastthe initialapplication.”By being proactive aboutyour aid andmanagingthe process, she said, youwill“develop the financialliteracy you’ll need later

on in life.”

It’s achore, but

don’t delay withform filing — anddouble check all

your info.

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“Most schools will have additionalgrant and loan funding thatinevitably runs out after a certainpoint... If you are late to the game,you may lose out on funds.”

—Alicia Stewart, IvyWise

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HaoTangAssistant Professor, Computer ScienceBorough of Manhattan Community College

Left China to become a softwaredeveloper, but Tang’s City Collegementor urged him to think bigger.Earned a CUNY Ph.D. in computervision. Now, helps students realizetheir own dreams.

Homeland Security Departmentgrants support his researchon natural and manmade threatsto safety and security.

“To connect the classroom tothe real world.”

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

GOAL

HIS STORY

DREAMMAKER

THECITYUNIVERSITYOFNEWYORK CITYCOLLEGEOFNEWYORK-1847 HUNTERCOLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYNCOLLEGE-1930 QUEENSCOLLEGE-1937 NEWYORKCITYCOLLEGEOFTECHNOLOGY-1946COLLEGEOFSTATENISLAND-1956 BRONXCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1959 CUNYGRADUATECENTER-1961 BOROUGHOFMANHATTANCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963KINGSBOROUGHCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1963 JOHNJAYCOLLEGEOFCRIMINALJUSTICE-1964 YORKCOLLEGE-1966 BARUCHCOLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIACOMMUNITYCOLLEGE-1968 LEHMANCOLLEGE-1968HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016

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Register now for classesat all 24 CUNY campusesstarting in January 2017.

Get a Jump on January!

cuny.edu/winter

WinterSession’17