Students and families across the state took part in College Goal Sunday to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at 25 locations in West Virginia.
At West Virginia State University, six counselors helped more than 51 students and families fill out the form.
Katherine McCarthy, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, compared the FAFSA form to filing taxes and said some families prefer one-on-one guidance when completing the application.
"Even though there's been some enhancements to the FAFSA over time to make it more user friendly, it can still be a daunting process," McCarthy said. "Students and their families, many of them understand it, but they just like confirmation that they have the right information and they're doing the right thing."
WVSU has participated in College Goal Sunday for three years, and McCarthy said it's been successful. Counselors were working nonstop on Sunday.
"There's so many different sites available that families can go wherever is most convenient," McCarthy said, adding that students at the workshop didn't have to apply to WVSU to participate.
By having this workshop in mid-February, McCarthy said it helps to remind high school students to fill out the FAFSA, which they need to complete for the PROMISE scholarship and higher education grants, both of which have deadlines quickly approaching - March 1 and April 15, respectively.
Kathy Jordan, of North Charleston, brought her son, Matthew, to the workshop to fill out the FAFSA. Jordan said she hadn't attempted to fill it out and wanted one-on-one guidance to make sure she did it right.
Jordan said her son, who is a senior at Capital High School, is the first of the family to attend college, so the process is completely foreign.
"He's too smart to not go to college, but the hardest part is finding the money, so that's why we're here," Jordan said. "Hopefully [we will] figure out what we need to do next - that's what we need is a lot of guidance. This is all new."
Kim Moles, of St. Albans, brought her son, David, after her daughter had success with the workshop a few years ago.
"We did the College Goal the first time and then [my daughter] completed them [from] there on out on her own," Moles said. "That was the goal here: to get him familiar with it and re-familiarize myself."
David Moles said he thought the workshop was helpful, and realized how important it is to keep track of passwords.
Kim Moles said although she doesn't have any more children applying for college, she hopes others take advantage of these opportunities.
"I think it's very helpful and I hope they continue to do it," Moles said.
For more information about how to seek help for completing the FAFSA, visit www.CFWV.com.
Reach Laura Haight at laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.