Financial Aid

FREDERICK, Md. - A free workshop designed to provide information on college costs and ways to pay for college, including financial aid, scholarships and budgeting strategies, will be held Wednesday at Hood College. The workshop, which will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Hodson Auditorium in Rosenstock Hall, is for college-bound students and their parents. The program will be led by John Baworowsky, a nationally renowned expert on college financial aid strategies and the vice president for enrollment management at Hood College.

Financial aid forms due by March 1 CHARLESTON, W.Va. - March 1 is the deadline for all high school seniors, college students and other prospective college students to apply for 1998-99 financial assistance through the West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program. Approximately 8,300 grants are being awarded to qualified students this year through the grant program, the major state-funded source of financial aid funds available to West Virginia undergraduate students. The program awards grants ranging from $350 to $2,348 to financially needy and academically able state residents.

College application season is in full swing. Parents and students are filling out forms, editing essays, and checking their bank accounts.Students worry about getting a rejection letter, but some parents might worry more about what they will do once their son or daughter is actually accepted. There's a lot of information out there - both good and bad - about paying for college. I want to clarify a few of the less-than-true statements you may have heard. Myth #1: You can't afford college or you can't afford the college of your dreams.

HAGERSTOWN - After four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Anthony DelSignore worked in the business world for a short time. The Frederick, Md., resident decided to switch course and enrolled at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, where he is pursing a masters of arts in teaching. While DelSignore, 27, says he found teaching to be the best fit for him, he also found that financial aid opportunities for him did not exist. "There seems to me not to be any financial aid, any help for middle-income families," he said during a Thursday discussion with U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md.

For a lot of parents, the first question that comes to mind when their teenagers prepare to attend college is, "How am I going to pay for this?" Let's face it, college is expensive. The good news: More than half of all college students receive financial aid. Unfortunately, the financial aid process isn't something most of us know much about until we have to dive right into it. Hopefully this column can help you understand what you're getting into before you sign on the dotted line.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program, the state's primary student aid program, is notifying about 9,200 needy West Virginia students of their eligibility for state grant assistance for the 1998-99 academic year. The recipient total represents the highest number of students offered assistance in the program's 30-year history. "The importance of this program to West Virginia students cannot be overstated," said State College System Chancellor Clifford M. Trump.

Bike hike planned at outdoor school The second annual Fairview Bike Hike will be held on Saturday, Oct. 9 beginning at 9 a.m.at the parking lot of Fairview Outdoor Education Center. The hike will proceed from Big Pool to Hancock with a pause for lunch at Hancock before returning to Big Pool in the early afternoon. The Fairview Center is located off Draper Road near Clear Spring. Financial aid booklet now available The Maryland Higher Education Commission has available the 2005-2006 education of "College 411: Student Guide to High Education and Financial Aid in Maryland," and its companion "College 411: A Quick Guide to Cash for College and How to Get it. " More than 100,000 copies of the guides will be distributed to high school guidance offices, college financial aid offices and libraries throughout the state.

A story on page A1 of Thursday's Herald-Mail reported that Hagerstown residents could receive financial aid to help pay their utility bills this winter. To learn more about the program, residents may call the Washington County Community Action Council at 301-797-4161.

Youth calendar Southwestern fiesta all-night skating party Saturday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m. to Sunday, Sept. 17, 6 a.m. Family Skating Center, 17333 Virginia Ave., Hagerstown Admission is $12. Regular skates are included. To skate from 8 to 11:30 p.m., admission is $6. There will be games and contests. The party is chaperoned by adults. Speed and in-line skates can be rented for $2.50. For information, call 301-582-2020. College planning seminar Tuesday, Sept.

At a recent seminar at Hagerstown Community College, two local high school students were chosen to receive a $500 scholarship each for the college of their choice. Darlene Gladhill, of Hancock, and Kayla Kline, of Smithsburg, were chosen from a raffle drawing for 120 students who attended the "Paying for College" seminar. The seminar, sponsored by The Sallie Mae Fund and HCC, was designed to give students information to help them plan and pay for college. According to Carolyn Cox, HCC's director of financial aid, many who attended the seminar will be first generation college students.