If you applied for financial aid for the 2009-2010 school year, you should have your financial aid award letters in hand by now. Most schools send them out the 1st of April, although the letters may trickle in throughout April and into early May. Unfortunately, there is not a uniform format that all schools follow, so comparing your offers may seem a bit daunting. Here’s a quick rundown on what to look for and how to convert the letters into a common language so that you can make sense of what you are being offered — and what you will still need to fund. What you need to look for When you open each letter, you should be looking for three essential pieces of information: 1)    How much total financial aid you have been awarded 2)    How much of this aid is in scholarship...