TGR Foundation celebrates National Financial Literacy Month, offers free resources
It’s that time of year again, when many high school seniors across the country eagerly and anxiously await college acceptance letters. With a May 1st college selection deadline, students not only have to decide where they would like to spend their next four years of higher education but how to pay for it.
April marks National Financial Literacy Month and we’re highlighting free resources from TGR Foundation’s digital initiative, TGR EDU: Explore, to guide students and families through the often-times overwhelming and confusing financial aid process.
Many are unable to pay for an entire year of college up front, let alone four. There are also several misconceptions about what financial aid is, who is eligible and what it takes to be eligible.
Financial Pur$uit, TGR EDU: Explore’s online 40-minute module, was created to help debunk misconceptions, build student confidence in their ability to afford college and provide a pathway with resources and information to help students – and their families – successfully access college financial aid.
Financial Pur$uit comes with an accompanying Financial Aid Family Discussion Starter, a resource for families, which provides additional support, links to helpful resources, tips for accessing financial aid and an activity that helps families break down the true costs of attending college.
As students begin to evaluate their financial aid packages, it is critical that they understand how much aid they have received. Through this process, students may find themselves internally, “how much do I actually know about financial aid?”
Research is a great way to strengthen financial literacy and encourage students to apply for scholarships if they discover they have a financial gap, which is when the financial aid award does not cover the full cost of attendance.
In our Are You Financially Fit for College? educator training video, students reflect on how much they know about the financial aid process and become equipped with resources to secure additional sources of aid.
During the video, students get out of their seats, engage in discussions and work through a scholarship case study. These activities prep students to participate in the Scholarship Case Study, the lesson bundle that accompanies the training video, where they have the opportunity to evaluate a sample application and experience being on a selection committee. One instance of this can be seen when students are instructed to stand up as a way to signal when a statement applies to them. This can be regarding physical features such as eye color to hobbies to emphasize that there are numerous scholarships out there for students. To deepen the conversation, educators are given the option to have their students form two concentric circles and begin to share their thoughts on what qualities contribute to a star applicant for a scholarship.
In addition to gaining a better understanding of what a scholarship can require, this case study highlights the importance of a student having an academic résumé to sparking a conversation about how to approach personal statements.
For students continuing their journey toward college, Financial Pur$uit, Are You Financially Fit for College?and the Scholarship Case Study: Reducing the Gap are some of the resources available at no cost on TGR EDU: Explore. During and beyond National Financial Literacy Month, look to these various activities, lessons and training videos that will help make affording college a reality.
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