Free College Grants 101: Claim your chunk of change

During college, opening the annual love letter from my university detailing exactly how much tuition would cost became like ripping off a Band-Aid -- just get it over with, and deal with the damage once you know what you're looking at. (Trust me, a nearly $10,000 private loan for freshman year alone will do that to a girl.)

So when that same letter junior year contained the pleasant surprise of a free college grant, I was ... well, pleasantly surprised. As it turns out, my family's income dipped just enough to earn me a need-based federal grant I never knew existed (plus my Mom was a stickler for filling out the FAFSA, but more on that later). If college was Monopoly, then this was hitting the Free Parking space -- I only wish I had known how to actively pursue free college grants all along.

If you're aiming for an education, get educated about what free college grants are out there, and stake your claim instead of waiting for a lucky roll of fortune's dice.