We want to thank FRANK for sponsoring and sharing this awesome story!
We’ve got a great story from C.M. in Arizona. He found a company that helped him get more funding for his son’s college education! If you’ve got a child in high school, you will want to read this!
My College Education Debt
When I got out of the Marine Corps, I knew I wanted two things. One, I wanted to live somewhere warm. Two, I wanted to go to college. I had grown up in the Northeast schlepping through the snow every winter with a wind-chill factor of about a million below zero. Knowing I didn’t want to go back to that, I looked for a good college far from the Northeast. With a little research and a map in hand, I decided to move to Phoenix, Arizona and attend Arizona State University!
Coming out of the military, my tuition was covered and thanks to the GI Bill I was receiving a monthly stipend. However, the money I was receiving barely covered rent and utilities. I needed a part time job, but didn’t have much work experience coming out of the military. This made it really difficult to find a part-time job that worked with my school schedule. I had to take out student loans to supplement my income. By the time I finished college I was about $25,000 in debt!
That was over twenty years ago! Now, as a father, my son is gearing up for college and I don’t want him to be in debt like I was. I’d like to say I have a college fund set aside - but let’s be realistic. Life happens and boys eat. A LOT.
If I was going to be able to help my son out with his college tuition, I was going need to find another way!
My Son’s College Tuition Covered
My son is smart; and with those smarts come expensive colleges. His top choices made me proud, but also kept me up at night. I would crunch numbers. How on earth was I going to provide my son with an education and set him up to achieve his dreams?
We started with filing FAFSA (no easy task). When we got it back I was no more prepared to send him to college than before. FAFSA seemed to think I had some secret money hiding in the Caymans. He was offered a small grant, but mostly LOANS. This is where my nightmare begins.
I call the college financial aid office for help, advice, anything… I’m jumping through hoops trying to get someone to talk to me - long hold times, phone cutting out, being told to simply look at the website. I felt defeated and was considering driving for Uber on the weekends to make some extra money.
Then, on one of my sleepless nights I was scrolling through Facebook and saw an ad for a company called Frank. There was a tagline about being able to afford the college of your dreams. So obviously, I clicked. I scheduled an appointment with an advisor, and the rest as they say, was history.
I received a call from Stefanie later that week. She let me ask all the questions I had and really helped me understand the financial aid process. Turns out, I had filed my son’s FAFSA incorrectly (she assured me this was common, which made me feel a little better). After fixing my FAFSA, she also walked me through applying for scholarships and more grants!
With Frank’s help, we received significantly more aid! In fact, we received enough to the point where I am able to cover the rest of the cost of his dream school (No Uber job needed!). My son is now entering his sophomore year and I’m proud to say, he will not be held back by mountains of financial debt!
We are so happy for C.M. and his son! What an awesome resource! Are you or a a child of your heading off to college soon? How are you preparing for the financial mountain that a college education tends to create? Maybe FRANK can help you too!
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