Prospective college students who are considering attending going to school but think finances are an obstacle should think again.
That’s according to Southwest Mississippi Community College Financial Aid Director Joni Wilkinson, who spoke to the McComb Lions Club recently.
Just about all students receive some kind of financial aid at the college, but many start out believing they aren’t eligible, she said.
“Times have changed. Today, it is affordable to go to college and students are more qualified than they might think,’ Wilkinson said. “It’s not always just about how much the parents make. I suggest anyone interested in attending college, contact the financial aid department at the college and find out for sure.”
Like many who attend SMCC, Wilkinson’s own life experience reflects that of a non-traditional student.
“My parents told me, ‘We can’t send you to college. We have to send our boys to school.’ I went to work instead,” she said.
She explained to club members why residents should consider going to Southwest.
“It’s affordable, attainable and attractive.”
The college bases all of its academic scholarships on the ACT test. Students who received a score between 21 to 24 are eligible for half off tuition at the college. Those who score a 25 or 26 get free tuition. A score of 27 or 28 grants the student full tuition plus $500 bookstore credit. A score of 29 or higher earns full tuition and room and board, plus the $500 bookstore credit.
The college does offer performance, athletic and foundation scholarships for students who participate in band and choir and cheerleading, she said.
Wilkinson said the college didn’t get than many students that scored a 29 on the ACT in the past, but that’s beginning to change for several reasons.
“We don’t get a lot of 29 students generally, but we are getting more,” Wilkinson said. “We’re getting more because our school is attractive.”
The small classroom size and faculty to student ratio is also appealing to students.
Classroom size varies between 25 to 30 students. The faculty-to-student ration is 17:1, Wilkinson said.
“My government class when I went to college had over 300 people in it. Here, you can talk to your teachers. You can get to know them, and they can help the students get through a hard time, or a difficult problem they can’t understand,” she said.
College also is attainable for students, Wilkinson said.
“We get six years of funding from financial aid for our students. That’s 12 semesters of funding, so completing college is definitely attainable,” she said.
Wilkinson expanded upon her life experience towards the end of the lecture.
“So, after working seven years I started night school at SMCC. The next year, I quit my day job and went full-time, then went to Mississippi State,” she said.
By then, she went to school at the same time as her younger brother.
Wilkinson said she then got some help from her parents.
“But I was finally able to go to college. You’re never too old to come back to school,” she said.
