By Bethany Barnett

By Bethany Barnett

Rent, insurance, gas, food, and on top of all that and more, rising college fees. It might seem enough to make any student go insane, not to mention broke. But it doesn’t have to be.

Now, more than ever, RCC offers financial assistance in the form of scholarships as well as help in filling out the much dreaded FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, forms.

Scholarships are available for anyone, you just have to look for them. There is substantial information in the Student Financial Services Building.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to a selected student with a cumulative 3.5 grade point average who is a sophomore by Dec. 31, and who transfers to a four-year university by the fall of 2005. The deadline to apply is Jan. 18.

There is a scholarship for Riverside Community College students who served or have immediate relatives who served in the Vietnam War. There are similar scholarships available to those who served in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom. For more information on these scholarships, visit www.datatel.com/dsf. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2005.

These are just a few examples of available financial assistance. There are some scholarships for RCC students, as well as some specifically designed for students planning on transferring to a four-year university.

RCC has a packet called the Scholarship Brochure for the Riverside City Campus for Continuing and Transferring Students. This packet is available on a rack outside of the Student Financial Services Building as well as inside. It contains information on everything you need to know to successfully apply a scholarship. It answers questions on specific scholarships; whom they are available to as well as the corresponding deadlines. It also features information on how to apply and workshops to help you get started.

Another pathway to financial assistance is applying for FAFSA, which is makes you eligible for Federal Student Aid. Although it can be daunting to consider, filling out a FAFSA form will be one of the best things you can do.

RCC’s Student Financial Services Counseling/Outreach Office, located behind the cafeteria, has a staff that is willing and able to assist you in this process and answer any questions you may have along the way. Applying is easy.

First, go on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov, and get a PIN, personal identification number. Next, fill out the form and submit it using your already assigned PIN. Then, you will receive notification of what you kind of assistance you are eligible for. It is that easy.

Lack of finances should never get in the way of your education. So don’t let that be your excuse. And don’t wait. Fill out your applications now and you will be one step closer to your future.