HELP!! College advice?

Question

This is it, I'm a new college student and just got my schedule lined up... how do i know what each class requires and what books to get? I filled out a fafsa and haven't got anything back. How do I go about getting a loan asap? I need the info fast!! I don't want to lose this, please help me!!! any other advice is welcome..

Answer 1

Take a copy of your schedule to the campus book store.  They will have all the books lined up on the shelves by course number or some schools will just have you hand the book to a clerk behind the counter and get them for you.  They will usually take cash, check or credit cards.  (Sometimes you can "charge" your books against your financial aid, but it doesn't' sound like you have gotten that far in the process yet).

Contact the financial aid office immediately and find out why you have not received an "Award Letter" yet.  This letter details what kinds and how much financial aid you will get....  often student don't realize the school is waiting on THEM to do something before issuing this info.

Answer 2

When you go to class the first day the professor should hand out a course syllabus that will explain the class requirements as well as what textbooks are required. Then you can go to the bookstore and spend ungoldly amounts of money for the books.

My advice, assuming you are a freshman, would be to make a friend early on in the class so you have someone to share / get notes from if either of you miss class. Also, try not too skip unless you actually have too. I found out the hard way that skipping class doesn't pay: I failed some courses and had to make up an entire semester, not fun.

Good luck!

Answer 3

My first piece of advice is to take it easy. College is not a sudden surge of responsibility like counselors will make it seem like. Try to make deadlines and stay on top of things but college registrars are very forgiving and so is the Finanical Aid office. They are there to help you and not to hold a noose above your head. Don't stress out too much.

First, make sure that you submitted your school information in your fafsa. If you have not, then go back onto the website and put it in. If you did, your school should have sent you a notice of your eFan (it might have a different name at your school) which tells you how much you got in loans and the steps you need to complete in order to recieve them. Your school's financial aid office should have the money transfer automated for you.

If you have not heard anything about your loans I strongly suggest just calling your school's financial aid office and asking them. I am certain they'll clear it all up. They should be able to help you take care of everything.

For books your school may have a website that lists the books you'll need. A lot of campuses have that type of resource somewhere, but it may be student-run so you'll have to do some searching. Chances are that there won't be that kind of information. Many professors do not even pick out their books until a few months in advance. Your best bet is to e-mail each one of your professors.

Some good sites for used books are:

half.com

uloop.com (if it is available for your school)

screwthebookstore.com

Answer 4

If you got your schedule, most likely the professor names are on it and you can go to your school's website and look up your professors e-mail addys on the faculty directory. Just e-mail your professors asking which textbook you need for the class. If you buy your books at like www.bookbyte.com or www.valorebooks.com or www.cashforbooks.com, you can get your books way cheaper and then be able to sell them back for the best buy-back prices I have yet to find after 4 years of school. As far as the FAFSA, call your school's financial aid department and see if they have received your financial aid information and how much the difference is going to be. They might have some student loans or grants you can apply for, if not you might want to look into a student private loan through your bank.

Answer 5

First off: Relax =), don't freak out!

Second: Professors will contact you before classes start and tell you if you need anything on the first day of class. If they don't walk in with a notebook and a pen. They will most likely hand you your syllabus with all of what you need. So no worries there, there won't be a pop quiz on your first day.

Third: The FAFSA stuff, you won't hear back from the government, contact the Financial Aid Office at your university. Easiest way to get a straight answer, go to the actual office if you can--best time: first thing in the morning.

Don't worry! College is a great experience (I'm a rising Junior), just remember: go to class, get some sleep, and you'll do just fine! (And don't forget to have a little fun in there)