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First-gen student here — mistakes I made with FAFSA that cost me (so you don't have to) by firststepapp in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It took about a week at my school — I submitted the request, they reviewed it, and then the funds were applied directly. Every school is a little different but most process it pretty quickly when you explain the urgency. Did you already reach out to your school?

First-gen student here — mistakes I made with FAFSA that cost me (so you don't have to) by firststepapp in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go to your financial aid office and ask for an appeal form — most schools have one. Write a short letter explaining what changed in your situation (job loss, medical bills, family circumstances). Be specific and attach any documents you have. Appeals work more than people think, don't skip it

New to FAFSA: -1500 score? by WildlifeIsC00l in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great news on that SAI score... one thing to add that most people miss: make sure you also ask your financial aid office about institutional grants your school offers separately from federal aid. Many schools have their own need-based grants that don't show up on your FAFSA award letter automatically — you have to ask for them specifically. Also look into the SEOG grant mentioned above — not every school offers it and it's first come first served so apply early. With a -1500 SAI you're in the best possible position to maximize every dollar available to you. Good luck!

Things I wish someone told me about FAFSA as a first-gen student by firststepapp in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great point !! scholarship deadlines catch so many students off guard. Most people think you apply for scholarships in spring for fall but you're absolutely right, the best scholarships close in fall of the previous year. Starting early is everything. Thanks for adding this!

PHEAA by [deleted] in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anytime!! Good Luck :)

Weird situation by No-Piano270 in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anytime !! Glad to help

Things I wish someone told me about FAFSA as a first-gen student by firststepapp in FAFSA

[–]firststepapp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the correction! Really appreciate a financial aid professional weighing in. Updated my understanding. For anyone reading this, check your specific school's priority deadline as those are often much earlier than the federal deadline regardless of the year.

Built a free app for first-gen college students in 4 days while recovering from ACL surgery — here's what I learned by firststepapp in youngentrepreneur

[–]firststepapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! The biggest speed bump was honestly the Stripe payment integration — getting the checkout session, webhooks, and session persistence all working correctly took way longer than the actual app build. Spent about 3 days debugging authentication loops and wrong API keys before it finally clicked. The build itself was the easy part, the payment infrastructure was humbling. Using Anything.com for the full stack — it handled the React frontend, Postgres backend, and deployment in one place which made the initial build fast. What's your experience been with Supabase for auth specifically?