In a 2013 study, when low- and moderate-income families with children between the ages of 17 and 30 came to H&R Block to have their taxes done, a portion of the families were also offered the chance to have someone sit with them, on the spot, to fill out their application for federal student financial aid.
Importantly, they weren’t just told or shown how to do it: The advisor actually guided them through completion of the form. With this single interaction, often lasting less than 10 minutes, the rate of college enrollment for students already out of high school increased by an impressive 20 percent, and for graduating high school seniors an astonishing 30 percent.
Why did it work? Behavioral research shows that we’re all naturally wired to put off or avoid daunting, unfamiliar, or complicated tasks. That’s why we wait until the last minute to complete our taxes, and only read the fine print on our insurance policies when our basements are full of water.
[For more of this story, written by Karen Weese, go to https://psmag.com/this-is-your...58fed3a34#.dvr9kdguy]
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