Extensions

In this extension, you will add a new sheet to your spreadsheet to organize important deadlines, including the federal deadline, your state's deadline, and deadlines for at least two colleges you are interested in attending.

To be considered for federal financial aid, you must submit your FAFSA by a certain date.

Some states and colleges have priority deadlines that you don't wanna miss because this money is available only on a first come, first serve basis.

To begin, open your FAFSA spreadsheet, add a new sheet and name it.

Now, label three column headers to organize your deadlines.

Bold your headers to make them stand out.

Select the entire sheet, and wrap text to ensure it is visible and does not get clipped or cut off.

Then, increase the width of the columns to make it easier to read all of your information.

Next, find the application deadlines for the federal FAFSA and your state.

Click on the link next to this video to go to the FAFSA Application Deadlines page.

Scroll to find your state.

Now, go back to your spreadsheet and enter the federal deadline to complete the FAFSA.

Then enter the deadline for your state.

Next, open a new tab and search for the financial aid deadline of a college you are interested in attending.

Make sure you are on the college's official website, so you are getting credible information.

Now, go back to your spreadsheet and enter the college's name and deadline information.

Enter a brief description of the deadline.

Then, type the deadline date.

Now, repeat these steps for another college.

Now, it's your turn: add a new sheet to your FAFSA organization spreadsheet and name it, label and format three column headers, wrap text of entire sheet, increase column width, and research and add deadline information to your sheet for the FAFSA, your state, and two colleges you are interested in attending.

In this extension, you will share your spreadsheet with a trusted adult who will help you gather items to complete the FAFSA.

This could include a parent or grandparent, guardian, family member, or school guidance counselor.

To begin, go to Google Drive, and open your spreadsheet.

To share your spreadsheet, add the recipient's email address.

Then you need to select the permission you want to use.

This means that you can decide if the people you share your spreadsheet with can view it, comment on it, or make changes to it.

If you select "Editor," the person you share it with can make changes directly in your spreadsheet, "Commenter" allows them to make comments, but not change the spreadsheet, And "Viewer" lets them only view your spreadsheet.

Feedback is most helpful when you let the other person know what you are wanting feedback about.

Include a note letting them know about your FAFSA spreadsheet and inviting them to share their feedback.

Then, share your spreadsheet.

They will receive an email inviting them to comment on your spreadsheet.

Now, it's your turn: open your spreadsheet, and share your spreadsheet for feedback.

In this extension, you will use Google Calendar to invite someone to help you complete the FAFSA application.

A digital calendar makes it easy for you to stay connected, organized, and on task when scheduling time with your parents, guardians, or others to complete the FAFSA.

To begin, open a new tab in your browser.

Then, go to your Google Calendar.

Your calendar is set to show one month at a time.

But you can change it to view each week.

Select a date and time to meet with the person or people you are inviting to help you apply for the FAFSA.

Title your event.

Then, select "More options." Enter a description for your meeting.

Next, invite those who are helping you with the FAFSA by typing in their email addresses.

It can also be helpful to attach a document with more information about the meeting.

In this example, you can attach your FAFSA organization spreadsheet or another document of your choice that is relevant to your meeting.

This way, the people helping you with your FAFSA can review it to prepare for the meeting.

When you are done, save the meeting, and then send the calendar invitation emails to your guests.

Whenever someone accepts your invitation, you will receive an email.

Or, you can check the guest list in Google Calendar.

Click on your event to view the list of names.

Anyone with a checkmark next to their name has accepted your invitation.

If someone declines your invitation, you will see that as well.

If someone hasn't responded yet, you can send them a reminder.

Now that you know how to send a meeting invitation in Google Calendar, use the app to help you stay organized in more ways.

For instance, you can: keep track of project tasks, share your calendar with a friend, family member, or teacher, or create new calendars for school assignments or jobs.

Now, it's your turn: select a meeting date and time, enter a title and description for your meeting, invite guests, attach your FAFSA spreadsheet or other document, and send the meeting invitation.