Before we get started, I’d like to ask you to do three—totally optional—things that should take about 8 minutes and will definitely help you maximize your time.

If you’re super short on time, no problem, skip to #3.

(Oh and by the way, if you see a box like the one below, that means it’s time to take some action)

1. Money Mission

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Action Item: Grab a sheet of paper—virtual scratch paper is fine—and answer this question as authentically as you can:

“What does successfully paying for college look like for you?”

Here are some sample sentence starters:

• When I graduate from college …

• To make college affordable, I need …

• To me, an affordable college education would mean...

Take one minute to really think it over. When you’re finished, keep reading.

What’d you come up with?

Graduating debt-free? That was my goal.

Making life easier on your folks? That one was up there too.

How about...

Getting a full-ride scholarship? We’ll talk about these in the next section.

Graduating with an acceptable amount of debt? The national average is $36,000, btw, which I think is entirely too high for some students.

Being the envy of your peers because you got “all the scholarships”? I love your ambition.

Setting a specific goal up front will let you keep track of how close you are and keep you motivated. Right now, the “how” you’ll get there is less important than your conviction that you can succeed. And, because you’ve read this far, I already believe in you.

2. Get a College Affordability Squad on speed-dial

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Action item: Think about at least one person—but hopefully more like two or three people—you feel should be included in your “paying for college” conversation.

Top picks include:

• Your parents/guardians

• Your high school counselor/college access advisor, 

• Another trusted and possibly knowledgeable adult like,

  • Your teacher

  • Your coach

  • Your employer

  • Your older sibling/cousin

  • Your aunt/uncle/godparent/relative

  • Your religious community leader

The three characteristics you’ll want to consider when thinking about who to include are... 

1. Willingness to help keep you motivated and on task, 

2. Ability to be encouraging, and 

3. Willingness and ability to find answers to financial aid questions you may have.

Take one minute to add the names of three of the people you just thought about right beneath your Money Mission. Look up their email address/phone number if you need to.

3. Decide what’s most important to you as of right now

This guide was created for you to jump around depending on where you are on your paying-for-college journey.

Whether you need to fill out the FAFSA, apply to scholarships, find an affordable college or make a responsible decision about where to attend, there’s an on-ramp to get you started with what you need.

Not sure where to start? We’ve got that covered too.

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Action Step: Check out the financial aid timeline below to see where you are.

Paying for College Timeline

Great! Let’s talk other people’s money. Click here.

Ideal Timing: Any time during high school … or middle school if you’re an overachiever like I was, but especially helpful between August and February of senior year.

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Sweet. This is perhaps the most important step. Click here.

Ideal Timing: Typically junior spring-senior fall, though the earlier the better!

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I got you. Click here.

Ideal Timing: Typically this is an October/November conversation, though you can push it as late as February 1 without consequences in many cases.

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No problem. This is the easiest part. Click here.

Ideal Timing: February/March/April of senior year.