Webinars

Understanding your Financial Aid Award Letters

Financial aid award letters are not nationally standardized; some colleges provide a detailed breakdown of the award offer while others fail to clearly communicate this crucial information. This free one hour webinar includes the following:

a detailed breakdown of the various components of your financial aid award letters
how to calculate your out-of-pocket cost
how/when to appeal need and merit-based award offers.

Check back for dates and registration links.

Appealing merit and need based aid offers

You must approach merit and need based appeals differently-there are specific financial situations that warrant need-based appeals while merit appeals require a different focus. We’ll discuss how the two differ and how to tailor your request to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Thursday, February 12th
6:00-6:45pm
Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Tuesday, February 24th
6:00-6:45pm
Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Parents of Sophomores and Juniors: an early introduction to the financial aid process

Don’t make the mistake of waiting for senior year to familiarize yourself with the college financial aid process- get a head start and learn the basics of both merit and need based aid eligibility, including how to position the student for lucrative merit awards. I’ll provide an overview of the application process with a brief discussion of the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms. I’ll also share the tools available to determine your eligibility for need and merit-based aid. As a former college financial aid director and current business owner, I have 40+ years’ experience in all aspects of the college financial aid process and I love sharing my knowledge- don’t miss this webinar!

Tuesday, March 24th
6:00-7:00pm
Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Tuesday, April 7th
6:00-7:00pm
Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Separated and Divorced Parents

Understanding the application process is vitally important for these families because this population often has additional application requirements that may reduce need-based aid eligibility. I’ll discuss when non-custodial parents are required to participate and how it affects aid eligibility, including strategies to maximize aid eligibility for this population.

I’ll answer these questions and more in this free one hour webinar:

the financial aid definition of “custodial” parent (it deviates from the legal definition) and how to determine which parent completes the FAFSA
when non-custodial parents are required to complete a CSS Profile
how step-parents affect the process
situations that may qualify for a non-custodial waiver of the CSS Profile

Tuesday, April 28th
6:00-6:45pm
Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Thursday, May 21st
6:00-6:45pm
Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Parents of High School Seniors: an in-depth review of the financial aid process

This free one hour webinar covers the following topics:

discussion of the FAFSA® / College Board CSS Profile® applications including general information for families with separated/divorced parents
creating a timeline to stay on top of your college’s financial aid application requirements and deadlines
student loan debt
various types of aid you might see on the award letters
overview of merit aid
how/when to appeal a financial aid and/or merit award.

Jodi Conway has presented this information to high schools on the South Shore and Cape Cod for over 25 years.

Check back for dates and registration links.

Searching for Private Scholarships

Applying for private scholarships should be on every college-bound student’s “to-do” list – the earlier you get started, the better!

This free 45 minute webinar includes the following:

tips on how to search for scholarships
how to build a spreadsheet to stay organized
essay assistance and best practices.
attendees receive a free 15 minute session with Jodi for essay assistance and proofreading.

Check back for dates and registration links.

Educational Loans – comparing federal vs. private loan options

This free one hour webinar is for families who need to supplement college costs with educational loans.

a comprehensive comparison of private vs. federal educational loan programs and the details to weigh when comparing lenders
loans vs. school payment plans
strategies to minimize debt.

If you need to borrow for college, this webinar is your roadmap to finding the best loan program for you.

Check back in Spring 2026 for dates and registration links.

Presentations

I offer both live and virtual presentations—reach out for details.

Over the past 20 years I have partnered with the following schools:

Cape Cod Academy

Falmouth Academy

New Bedford High School

Pembroke High School

Plymouth South High School

Plymouth North High School

Saint John Paul High School

Sandwich High School

Upper Cape Cod Regional Tech

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The following schools added in 2025:

Scituate High School

Middleborough High School

Marshfield High School

Rockland High School

Lovell Academy

Reviews:

“I learned more from this presentation than I did from my financial aid advisor (who I am paying)-thank you!”
“It was clear, articulate and extremely informative. I have had 6 children go to college and have never-ever heard such a well done presentation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Very informative, sincere, very knowledgeable. I am thoroughly impressed with how she can deliver complicated information in such a simple way!”
“Wonderful program-extremely helpful-so very glad I attended!”
“Jodi is a great speaker who really knows what she is talking about!”
“Jodi is well informed about the financial aid process. It was worth missing part of the Red Sox World Series game!”
“It was well organized. You present well- knowledgeable, easy to listen to and understand. This is a very complex and complicated topic and you covered it well. Thank you so much!”