- hello, prospectivecollege students of america! i bet right now, you're goingthrough something like this. (class bell rings)- the cost of college is anywhere from ten thousandto forty thousand dollars a year? i can't afford this. i'mnot made out of money. of course you're not. humans are made of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous, andin my case, hair gel. and i bet you think financialaid isn't for you, right?
yeah, the only people who qualify are either geniuses or people so broke they've got moths in their pockets. (happy music) ha! nope, that's a straight-up myth! nearly everyone qualifiesfor financial aid, and all you gotta dois fill out the fafsa. fafsa? like simba'sdad in the lion king? no, you're thinking of mufasa.
fafsa stands for free application for federal student aid. the government loves acrostics as much as i do. ahh. and filling it out is really important. every year, students missout on millions of dollars that could help themcover the cost of college, just because they don'tfill out the fafsa. (sighs) - you don't understand, adam. no one has
any reason to help me. i’m not special. my parents have good jobs, and my basketball skills are subpar. (ball thuds)ow! see? - first of all, aid isn't only based on your parents’ income. they take several factors from the form you fill out and crunch the numbers. - yeah, like the size of your family
or the age of your oldest parent. i did the math and youare wicked eligible. - wait, you don't looklike a mathematician. - me? nah, i'm just ajanitor from humble origins in need of a second chance.(slow piano music) - it's a reference from a movie that came out when you were like two. (sighs)(upbeat music) - that's another thing: my age.
i'm way too old. igraduated from high school a few years ago. they'd never help me now. - actually, you can applyno matter how old you are, as long as you're not dead.(groaning and sinister music) jk! i’m fine! i'm gonna be the old man in class who asks too many questions. - no matter your age, race, or even if your parents are undocumented immigrants, you totally can and should apply for aid.
- i know one thing that will disqualify me. my grades are bad. - they can't be that bad. - no, they're literally bad.(music coming to a halt) - it doesn't matter. mediocre high school grades do not disqualify you. in fact, most federal student aid programs don't even take grades into account. - carry the two, drop the gpa.huh, how do you like them apples?
(apple soaring and thuds) - ow! you don't need any particular high school gpa to fill out the fafsa; you’ve just gotta fill out the form. how hard is that?- it doesn't matter. i'm busy applying to colleges. i don't have time to fillout some long, crazy forms. - well, let's ask an expert. - hi, i'm fafsi, the sentient fafsa form!
many humans think i'm terrifying. - they're right.- hey. - but i'm not that scary.you can transfer tax information from the irsdirectly onto me now. - it only takes about 30 minutes. they just need a little infoabout you and your parents. - parents? what if i support myself? - well, you may stillbe considered dependent, but either way fafsi will be your guide.
- yep! - so i do this and get free money? - you could. financial aid does include grants and scholarships,also known as “free money." - but it also includes work-study programs and low-interest loans. - and federal loans can beway better than private loans. for one thing, when it's time to repay, there are flexible repayment options.
- aha! there's the catch. these loans must have crazy rate hikes. - no, the rate never goes up. the only thing you'll be hiking is the mountain of your dreams. (exciting music) so if you're watchingthis and you're applying for college, fill out the dang fafsa! - hey!- sorry.
filling out the fafsa is the single most important thing you cando to get financial aid. by submitting, you'realso applying for funds from your state and possiblyyour school as well. you can submit as early as october. heck, you can do itright now. so trust me, you’ve got nothing to loseand a whole bunch to gain. and after you do, onto thehardest part of college, picking out the cheesy posterfor your dorm room wall.
oh, hey, this would go greatnext to my periodic table. (triumphant music)
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