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This one's long!!!
Hootie--
I have all three!!! First the "easy" one: GRANTS
You need to fill out a "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA). This can be obtained from a University Financial Aid office, or you might be able to find it on the Web (not sure where--if you go thru Univ. Financial Aid websites you may find it). This application is FREE, don't fall prey to these websites that say they'll do it for you for $49.99. (If you can do your taxes, you can do this. If not, someone can help you.) If you are independent from your family, then they only use your income to determine if you qualify. THE BONUS: this also is the application for federal student loans, so it will tell you what you qualify for in loans, but you don't HAVE to accept the loan if you don't need it. HOWEVER, do this as early as you can to make sure everything gets done in time. Grants are free and you don't have to pay them back (they're the best!!).
LOANS: My knowledge is a little rusty on this one, so you may need to talk to a FinAid counselor for more info. Basically there are two types of federal loans: PLUS loans (that your parents apply for) and STAFFORD loans (that are in your name, not your parents). Then there are two ways the interest is handled. One way is that you start paying the interest on the loan as soon as you get the loan, and the other way is that they save up all the interest and you don't pay ANYTHING until 6 months after you leave school. It depends on your financial situation as to what you want to do for that. Just do the FAFSA to apply for a loan. (I'm currently in repayment with my loans, so I know lots more about repayment, but we can go into that later!!)
SCHOLARSHIPS: Free money, based on need and grades/academics/talent. There are tons of them out there (including some from Chi Omega!). Some have no restrictions (as long as you have the GPA, etc.), while some are for certain majors or ask that you do something to "pay it back" (i.e. a teaching scholarship that asks you to teach in a needy, rural school for 2-3 years). There are TONS of places to search for scholarships. . .but there is no need to pay someone to do the searching for you (I've seen that advertised also). The FinAid office should have lots of resources for scholarship info. You can also check out Kaplan.com, Petersons.com, Monster.com, etc. for additional info. I know Chi Omega gives scholarships, I believe NPC does, and I know that Balfour gives a scholarship to Greeks each year (Chi O should have their contact info).
The best thing to do is to sit down with a FinAid officer and tell them your situation in order to get the most current info out there. Good Luck to you!!! Hope this helps!!
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