Looking for ways to pay for a college education
or preparing for a career can be taxing for a lot of people. But
thanks to a public service Web site that provides college, career
and financial aid information and services, help is just a click
away.
On Thursday, June 13, Mapping Your Future will host another live
chat event titled “Summer Financial Aid Questions and Career Planning”
from 6-7 p.m. The chat session is designed to help students who
are planning to attend college learn more about financial aid, college
and scholarship resources on the World Wide Web. Students and their
families will receive advice from experts from across the country
regarding many aspects of planning for both college and a career.
“Earning a college degree is one of the most important goals that
someone can achieve in his or her lifetime,” Chancellor Hans Brisch
said. “We are so thankful that events like these chat sessions will
help students, not only in Oklahoma, but also around the country
learn more about what kinds of opportunities and resources are available
to help them realize their dream of a college education.”
Participants in the chat will learn more about paying for college,
completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),
determining eligibility for federal student aid, setting career
goals, job search techniques and much more.
Anyone with Internet access can join the chat by visiting the Mapping
Your Future Web site at www.mapping-your-future.org. Simple instructions
will show you how to join in on the discussion.
Other special chat events this summer include a daytime chat titled
“Online and Distance Education” July 11 and another evening chat,
“FAFSA and College Admission,” August 8.
Mapping Your Future is a public service Web site providing college,
career, and financial aid information and services. The site is
sponsored by the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program (OGSLP)
and guaranty agencies in other states that participate in the Federal
Family Education Loan Program.
In Oklahoma, loans for higher education or post-secondary education
made to students by private or public lending institutions are guaranteed
by the federal government through OGSLP, which is administered by
the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded Oklahoma with a state GEAR UP grant totaling $20.5 million in August 1999. The grant has been matched by more than $25 million from state and partner resources. With funds totaling $45.5 million, GEAR UP receives 45 percent of total funding from the federal government and 55 percent from other organizations.
