Alise Shackelford

Pathways

Lesson 12

Financial Aid Reflection

1. Federal Financial Aid- What are the different types of federal financial aid available to

students? How do you apply for federal financial aid? What benefits do students receive

from this type of financial aid?

The different financial aids are Fafsa, Pell Grant, Cal Grants, and scholarships which are all

available for students. You can apply for financial aid through Fafsa. Students can use this

money to pay for tuition, supplies, and sometimes room and board.

2. State Financial Aid- What are the different types of state aid available to students? How

do you apply for state financial aid? What benefits do students receive from this type of

financial aid?

Cal Grants are available in California. This money does not have to be paid back. You can apply

for this through the Fafsa and by letting your financial aid office know that you are interested in

applying for it. You have to meet the GPA and unit requirements. This is free money that can be

used for tuition, books and supplies, and for housing.

3. School Specific Financial Aid- Which schools did you research? Describe one grant or

scholarship that is offered at each school. What benefits do students receive from this

type of financial aid?

Pell Grant is a type of financial aid that all of the schools that I am interested in will accept. Clark

Atlanta, UCLA, and Cal State San Bernardino are the schools that I researched and they all use

Pell grants. Pell Grants benefit students because it doesn’t have to be repaid and the students

can use it to cover all expenses and have some money to use for spending as well.
4. Private Scholarships- Describe two scholarships that you found interesting during your

research. What are the benefits of using this type of aid to fund your education?

I found a Posse Scholarship which is a private scholarship that is given to students based on

academic and leadership skills. Students must meet a certain GPA requirement, have excellent

leadership, and can be nominated by previous recipients. I found it interesting that this specific

scholarship is a full ride scholarship and you don’t have to go through too many hoops to apply

for it.

Another scholarship that I am interested in is the Essence Scholars program. It is a scholarship

for African American female students. It pays up to $10,000 per year. This one only required a

3.0 GPA and required that the student showed a need for scholarship based on their Fafsa. This

scholarship was interesting to me because the requirements are simple enough to apply for it. I

have noticed that so many scholarships require students to major in a certain field in order to

apply. I like that this one didn’t require that.

5. Military Financial Aid- Do you or your family plan to or have served in the military? If so,

describe at least one military financial aid program that is available to you? What

benefits do students receive from this type of financial aid?

I have no military affiliation.

6. Personal Financial Aid Plan- After reviewing the different types of financial aid available

to students, what plan do you have for covering the costs of post-secondary education?

I have had many conversations with my parents about applying to colleges. The one factor that

we continue to discuss is paying for college. My mother went to college and took out a lot of

student loans. It is very important to my parents that I don’t have any student loan debt. For that

reason, we feel that it is best that I complete an Associate’s Degree and complete my general

education classes prior to attending a university. I will spend the next 6 months applying for
different scholarships. I expect to receive some type of scholarship that will help me pay for my

two years of post-secondary education. I hope to not have to pay any more than $10,000 total

for all of my college years. My family will pay that out of pocket, in hopes of me never needing to

apply for any loans. I will utilize both pell grants and cal grants as well.