College costs never black and white
WILLMAR — Parents shouldn’t make hasty decision about colleges based on price.
Rather they should ask a lot of questions and compare financial aid offers, a Willmar attorney specializing in financial aid advice said Monday.
Todd Johnson spoke at a college fair at Willmar Senior High, which was attended by about 20 colleges from Minnesota and surrounding states. Johnson is a Willmar attorney who also runs a consulting business helping students navigate the college financial aid and admissions process.
he beginning of his presentation, Johnson talked about a parent’s possible reactions to a child who is looking at two colleges, one that costs $50,000 a year and one that costs $18,000 a year. Those would be the approximate costs of a top private school and a state college.
Depending on the circumstances, the more expensive school might cost a family less, Johnson said.
Johnson spoke to about 60 people in the school theater. Many of those in the audience were parents of high school juniors. A few students attended with their parents.
Many parents, like Brian Hunstad of Willmar, took notes while Johnson spoke.
Hunstad has a daughter who is a junior in high school and is starting to think about where she wants to go to college.
Even though he’s had two children go to college already, he said, he found Johnson’s presentation helpful. “It changes all the time, so you’ve got to keep up,” he said.
Hunstad praised Johnson’s presentation. “For him to donate his services to the students of this community is pretty generous,” he said. “Todd does a good job.”
Willmar High School junior Chayla Johannsen and her mother Jill Roschild also attended the college fair. Chayla had picked up information from four colleges that interested her. College will be the first step in her goal of becoming a psychiatrist. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders, so I’m sure she’ll make a good decision,” her mother said.
Roschild said she was glad to “hear more details of how things work” during Johnson’s presentation. “I think it helped me very much,” she said.
Johnson described the ways in which colleges offer financial aid — grants/scholarships, loans and work study.
The government determines a family contribution to a child’s college education, using a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Everyone should file a FAFSA, even if they think they won’t qualify for aid, because a family’s circumstances can change, he said.
The family’s contribution will stay the same no matter what college a student attends, he said, but the level of aid offered by the college could vary greatly.
Johnson offered a list of questions families should ask college financial aid offices:
- What percent of the family’s need does the college meet? Some colleges will provide 100 percent of the cost beyond the family contribution in a combination of grants, loans and work study, he said. Most colleges will offer less, all the way down to about 60 percent at some schools. That leaves the student and family to find a way to fill the “gap” to pay for college.
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