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So you're starting college soon and you barely have enough to pay for the first two months of class.

First things first: Don't panic! It's going to be okay, so get down off that ledge! Please!

There are still plenty of ways to raise some funds for college even if you were just handed your diploma and none of your scholarships came through. Ideally, students should start thinking about and applying for scholarships in the ninth grade, but sometimes the selection process for such funds can be rigorous and even though you were up to snuff, there might have been some Poindexter out there who had just a few more hours of volunteer work at Good Samaritan Hospital. It's all right.

The most important thing to remember is not to panic and not to allow yourself to get depressed and as a result, ignore the problem at hand. Ignoring this problem won't make it go away in fact, chances are, it will make it worse. You need all the time you can get trying to pull that spare change out of the couch cushions, so brush it off and forge onward.

Uncle Sam, Can You Spare a Dime?

You might find it beneficial to hire a financial planner. This person will take a look at your family's assets and holdings savings accounts, real estate holdings, investment funds, stock options, etc and help determine a financial plan for paying for a college education. Similarly, you might visit your local bank and apply for a student loan.

During your senior year of high school, before graduation, you will want to fill out the FAFSA. Filling out your FAFSA is kind of like filling out your tax forms but nowhere near as scary. The FAFSA form will ask you to provide basic information such as your name, address, and the school you will be attending. It will also ask you to provide your W-2 information if you work, and it will ask you to fill out your parents' W-2 information if you do not. The questions are generally simple, stated clearly, and easy to answer. Sometimes there are helpful pictures. (No, there aren't. But it would be nice.)

The FAFSA is not at all daunting, and you can do it all online, either in one sitting or in several (just remember to save your information so it doesn't all disappear when you exit the browser). In fact, the IRS people could learn a lot from these FAFSA guys. (No, they couldn't! The IRS guys are awesome, and they have an unparalleled sense of humor! They're the most loved individuals in this country! And a boy with a nametag reading, "Internal Revenue Service" was certainly NOT

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