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From left to right: Joe Glennie, entrepreneurship and marketing sophomore, Ashleigh Gerrior, human resource management sophomore, and Ravid Patel, business, marketing and management sophomore enjoy their college experience at Oklahoma State University. Photo by James Pratt


3.


Choose a school that’s affordable


This may seem obvious, but with the accessibility of student loans, going to a more expensive school is a consideration for some students. Attending a small school—which can be less expensive, seeking out schol- arships, and living off campus are all ways to make a college education more affordable.


“I wanted to go to Oklahoma State and study engineering, but I couldn’t afford it. I had scholarships to pay for Southwestern,” Adney says. “At first I didn’t want to go here, but after I came here I realized how many opportunities I have that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else.” Among other experiences, Adney has had the chance to travel and compete as part of SWOSU’s Moonbuggy Team and participate in the Great Moonbuggy Race—an international NASA-sponsored competition in Alabama. Adney has been able to pay for her tuition completely with scholar-


ships. She says being at a smaller school means she has closer contact with professors. When a scholarship comes up, she is sure to hear about it. Another way she has found scholarships is through online scholarship search engines. She once received a $1,500 scholarship just for having her profile posted. Whitehead says his high school counselor was a great resource to him as he applied for financial aid and scholarships. He recommends all students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)— even those who don’t think they will qualify for federal grants and don’t want to borrow student loans—because some scholarships require it to be on file. “Apply for everything you can, every scholarship you find—even the ones you don’t think you have a chance for,” he says. “I wasn’t planning to go to Western but I got scholarships so I changed my mind. I didn’t have to pay anything my first year and hardly anything my second.” To save money, Adney and Whitehead both chose to live off campus.


Adney rents an apartment near campus while Whitehead lives with his parents and commutes approximately 25 miles to class. Since room and board can be costly, living off campus—if allowed by the school—is a good way to cut college costs.


20 WWW.OK-LIVING.COOP 4.


Take a tour of campus


Acceptance letters and financial aid awards have been received. Now it’s time to make the big decision—which college to call “home” for the next few years. A campus tour can help immensely with this choice. Ravid Patel, a sophomore at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, Okla., went on campus tours of several schools, both in and out of state, before settling on OSU. He says the tours were a deciding factor for him.


“I went on two tours at OSU. The first one, my freshman year of high


school, was an eye-opener. It gave me an idea of what I could expect. I went on another one as a senior,” the Choctaw Electric Cooperative member says. “That was when I knew ‘this is where I want to go.’ I would definitely advise students to go on a campus tour.” Whitehead notes campus tours are often given by students and are a good opportunity to ask questions and see firsthand what the college experience will be like.


“If you’re on the fence about your decision, taking a tour will either reaffirm your decision or change your mind,” he says. Another benefit of visiting candidate schools is the opportunity to experience the drive to campus. Students should take into account the college’s proximity to home when making their selection. Hannah Franklin had always planned on going to a large university— until her senior year of high school. She realized she wasn’t ready to move far away from her family. In the end she decided attending Carl Albert State College, a community college in Poteau, Okla., was a better fit for her first two years. A second-semester freshman studying speech- language pathology, Franklin is happy with her decision to stay closer to home.


“I’m from a small town and I didn’t realize how scary going off to a big university 300 miles from home would be,” she says. “Being 45 min- utes away from home gives me the freedom to experience being away from my parents, but I also have the comfort of knowing if I need to go home, I can.”


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