Every year thousands of students fill out the FAFSA, a form designed to help working class families receive financial aid for college. Simple right? Fill out a form, get some money, go to college. Well, not quite.
The FAFSA isn’t as easy to complete as it may seem. It encompasses 180 questions ranging from your family dynamics, to how much you and your parents earn, to citizenship and immigration status.
Not only are there many questions, but they are often confusing. Those in most need of the FAFSA’s support, low-income and first-gen students, are often the ones who struggle the most. Some students’ parents don’t speak English well, so they have to take on the extra effort of translating. Others are in unique living situations, and might not fit neatly into the categories the FAFSA wants.
The process is time-consuming and draining.
Check out my episode to hear directly from students who have experience filling out the form, as well as people who provide FAFSA and college readiness support, such as the guidance counselors.
To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Never miss an episode! Subscribe on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher
Donate to The Bell.
P.S. Weekly: An Exclusive Interview with Chancellor David Banks
P.S. Weekly: A High Schooler Working at Bloomberg — Plus “Shotgunning” College Applications
P.S. Weekly: Students Speak Out About Special Education
P.S. Weekly: A New York Chapter on the Banned Books Controversy
P.S. Weekly: Migrant Students Navigate a New Reality
(Re)introducing P.S. Weekly
Instagram, Cyberbullying and Free Speech at a Queens School
Missing Voices: Part 4 – Where Do We Go from Here?
Missing Voices: Part 3 – Trials and Triumphs
Missing Voices: Part 2 — The Quest to Revive High School Journalism
Missing Voices: Part 1 — Tale of Two School Newspapers
Ep. 10: Student Homelessness in a City of Riches
Ep. 9: The AP Course Divide
Ep. 8: The Price of Creativity
Ep. 7: Food Fight — The Battle for Better School Lunches
Ep. 6: Locked Up Phones
Ep. 5: Responding to Racism in Schools
Ep. 4: Examining the Regents
Ep. 2: We Need to Talk About Sex
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Every L Podcast
The Empty Rooms of Gorski Manor
The Secret Room | True Stories
This is Love
The Sicilian Inheritance