Many people have common misconceptions about college enrollment. They think that that they have to meet enrollment deadlines months before classes start or that they will have to come up with a lot of money out of pocket to begin classes. The fact is the college enrollment process may be a lot easier than you think.
In this post, you will learn about the top 5 steps to enrolling in college you can take to avoid the pitfalls that hold many people back from getting started with the enrollment process. My hopes are that you will be able to put your inhibitions at rest and start on a path to a successful career. Here are the most common concerns that we hear from potential students and the answers that can help you overcome your anxiety about going to college:
1. “I’m worried that Admissions process is going to take a long time and be really complicated.” A lot of the students that we speak with at Bryant & Stratton College Online think that it will take a long time to enroll, or that they will not have time to complete everything before classes start. Enrolling as an online student can be done in as little as one week and your Admissions Representative will guide you through every step of the way!
Step 1: Fill out an Application. To be conditionally accepted into the college, you will need to fill out an eApplication, your FAFSA, a Transcript Request Form and complete a short Admissions essay (writing sample). You will be offered full acceptance once we have an official transcript showing high school graduation or a copy of your GED.
2. HELP! I don’t think that my Financial Aid will process in time for the start of classes!” No worries, contrary to popular belief, the Financial Aid process can be done online (insert HUGE sigh of relief- right?).
Step 2: Submit your Application online. It’s not only quicker, but the turnaround time is so fast that most people get their information processed in 3-5 business days! Once your FAFSA has processed, the Bryant & Stratton College Financial Aid team will put together an award package for you to view right away to see what kind of aid options are available to you. Our Financial Aid department works quickly to get your information together so that this nightmare quickly becomes something of the past.
3.“There is no way that I will pass the placement tests!” No need to worry; placement tests at Bryant & Stratton College Online do not determine your acceptance status. Placement tests are taken by students after they have been accepted to the college to give them the option to test out of the required pre-college Math and English courses.
Step Three: Take a simple placement test to evaluate what courses you will need. The placement tests consist of an online math test and an essay (writing sample) that don’t take long to complete. Many learners we speak with who have been out of school for a while find that pre-college courses can be a great way to ease back into the classroom.
4. “I don’t have any money to pay out of pocket for school.” It is not uncommon for people to be worried about how they are going to pay for school. At Bryant & Stratton College Online 84% of our students do not pay any money out of pocket upfront toward their education.
Step Four: Research Finance Options for Ways to Pay for School. We offer things to our students that you will not find at other schools like a free eApplication and having a book allowance included in your Financial Aid award package. You can even order the software you need for your computer with your book allowance through our online bookstore if you need to. Many students also do not realize that if they have to take loans out for school, they do not have to start paying them back until six months after they graduate. (You must stay continuously enrolled or else it is six months from when you last attended.) You do have the option of making payments on the interest accrued on your student loans while you are in school, and if you can afford to do so it will help make your loan payments lower once you graduate.
5. “Uh oh! I have horrible credit so I won’t qualify for Financial Aid.” All Financial Aid is needs based, not credit based. Your personal credit history has no effect on your eligibility for Federal or State Financial Aid. You do not have to have a certain credit score to be eligible for educational loans.
Step Five: Fill out a Financial Aid application. All you need to do is fill out our free eApplication and the FAFSA form. As soon as that has processed, a Financial Aid Advisor will call you to go over all of the grant and loan options available to you. At Bryant & Stratton College Online, you can always review all options available to you before having to make a decision to attend.
As you can see, there is nothing in our college enrollment requirements holding you back from discovering what Bryant & Stratton College can offer you. If you are ready to get started, click the following link for our free online eApplication: https://www.bryantstratton.edu/utilities/applynew.
