Financial aid is a major concern for many seniors and many will depend on the money to help them get through college. However rumors of the cancellation of Cal Grants this year have left many Venice High School students wondering.

“I thought I heard Ms. [Ann] Keitel say that there aren’t going to be as many Cal Grants as there were before. I think that sucks!” said senior Richie Henson.

Ms. Keitel, Venice High’s college counselor, said this is just a rumor right now.

Many U.C.s have raised fees by 20 percent but Ms. Keitel was told Cal Grants may also be more generous to compensate. This is the reason she believes the reports of the removal of Cal Grants aren’t true.

According to Ms. Keitel, about seven out of 10 students don’t get money for college because they are not aware they have to fill out and mail two extremely essential forms in order to apply for Cal Grants. The first application comes from the federal government and is called the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The FAFSA takes many things into consideration such as the family size, the number of children in the family, and the age of the parents but the most important is the family income. This application is usually made available at financial aid offices after Nov. 1. Students should apply as soon as possible after Jan. 1 of the year they plan to go to college.

The second application seniors should make sure to fill out and mail is the G.P.A. Verification form. “This application goes to the state of California and allows schools you are applying for to see what kind of work you did at Venice High School,” said Ms. Keitel.

She uses the students ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades, not including P.E., to determine the overall G.P.A. Then she waits till after winter break to give the form to the students so they can send it to the school of their choice.

It does not take a high family income to get grants. In fact, low income students are the most qualified to get financial aid, regardless of what type of school they plan to go to whether it be community colleges, Cal State Colleges, or Universities of California. Students must keep their grades up and the sooner they apply for the grants, the more money they might receive, says Ms. Keitel.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR SENIORS

SAT registration deadlines and testing dates:

September 26 for the November 1st test.

October 30 for the December 22nd test.

Applying for the FAFSA:

Available Jan 1st, deadline for mailing is March 1st

Getting College applications:

Oct. 1st through Nov. 30: Cal State applications.

Nov. 1st through Nov.30: U.C. applications.

*Forms will be available in the College Office or online (Ms. Keitel prefer students to get it online. She says it’s easier and no big mistakes can be done.)