Hi Justusgirls,

The most important form to fill out is the federal student aid form called the FAFSA. Many colleges will ask for the FAFSA form by February of your daughters' senior year. You can now fill this form out online. This is the form that the federal government and colleges use to determine grant and loan money. Grant money does not have to be paid back like a student loan. Since you have triplets, when you fill out the FAFSA your total family income will be divided into thirds. For example, if you make $30,000 a year then your family income for each girl will be $10,000. This is where you will probably receive the most assistance money-wise. Encourage your daughters to fill out any scholarship applications avaiable- no matter how small the amount is. These scholarships can "add up". Churches, service organizations, clubs, foundations, and businesses all have scholarship money avaiable. Many students won't fill out these applications because they are time-consuming. Have your daughters start filling these out as early as possible. Your girls' school or school district should have information on local scholarship offers. Keep ahead of DEADLINES!!! All applications for all the above mentioned have DEADLINES. In addition to chasing scholarship money your daughters should ask colleges about job and work/study opportunities.
I hope this helps.
bamtriplets