Parent to Parent Email Newsletter
November 2008 | December 2008 | January 2009 | February 2009 | March 2009 | April 2009 | May 2009 | June 2009 | July 2009
Greetings from Ouachita!
Greetings from Ouachita! We're happy to send another edition of our electronic newsletter for the parents of our prospective students for next fall.
As we begin 2009, those of us on campus are looking ahead to the beginning of the spring semester. Registration is scheduled for January 13 and classes will begin the next day.
This is a busy month for our financial aid staff as they counsel a large number of applicants about financial aid options. Chris Kear, Ouachita's director of student financial services, provides a few tips this month for students and parents. If you have questions about this process, or you need help in developing additional funding sources for the education of your daughter or son, you may wish to contact Mr. Kear at kearc@obu.edu.
We will continue to remember your family in our prayers as we begin this new year.
Rex M. Horne, Jr.
President
Ouachita Baptist University
Getting Ready: January 2009
Believe it or not, all of us in Student Financial Services and the Admissions Counseling Office have been working on the entering class of 2009 for over half a year. As a result, we feel like we are already hitting the home stretch for 2009. Already this year the number of applicants and admitted students is significantly higher at this point than ever before.
Outside of securing Ouachita funded aid, you and your student should be looking at every possible source for additional funding: organizations, company, church, community groups and other associations. This includes the U.S. Department of Education. The DOE provides the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This application will determine your student's eligibility for student loans, work study, and grants. Your family should submit this application before June 1, 2009. Eligible students who do so can be assured that we will have their federal funding in place by registration day, August 25, 2009. The FAFSA application can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
One other avenue for funding your education that is worth pursuing is private scholarship searches. Private scholarship searches require patience and persistence on the part of the family (along with getting an early start). These searches are free of charge. Please do not pursue scholarship searches which require a fee for processing your application information! Some searches you might try are www.fastweb.com, www.fundmyfuture.info, and www.scholarshipexperts.com. These searches are free of charge. Please do not pursue scholarship searches which require a fee for processing your application information!
Please call us at 870-245-5570 with any financial aid questions and be sure to explore Ouachita's financial aid site, www.obu.edu/finaid, for other resources. Our staff will be more than happy to help with questions or concerns your family might have.
Chris Kear
Director of Student Financial Services
Ouachita Baptist University
Email us your questions
- Financial Aid and Student Accounts - Student Financial Services (finaid@obu.edu)
- Pre-registration Information - Marsha Whalen (whalenm@obu.edu)
- AP, CLEP - Bill McCrary (mccraryb@obu.edu)
- Transcripts and Immunizations - Judy Jones (jonesj@obu.edu)
- Housing information - Margaret Frazier (frazierm@obu.edu)
- General Questions - Admissions Office (admissions@obu.edu)