Well the weekend has come and gone, and I still have no students
seeking advice. Please email me your questions, I’m begging you! It’s
partly my fault because I’m still slacking on advertising this blog.
There’s a lesson for all the students out there. Don’t slack. I slacked
a lot of my way through college. It works for the time being, but later
on it will come back to haunt you. Try to instill solid work methods
now while you still have a chance, or else when you’re twenty-something
and working a full-time job, you will only think about ways to get you
work done without actually working.On to today’s topic: Paying
for College. Getting the funds for college and living expenses is one
of the biggest challenges you will face, perhaps even tougher than
getting into college. If you slacked your way through high school and
ended up with poor grades, your chances of a scholarship are not as
high. But hopefully you listened to your teachers and parents and did
well in school. In Florida we have what is called a Florida
Bright Futures Scholarship. Based on your grades, SAT/ACT scores, and
community service, every graduating senior attending college can
receive a 75% tuition scholarship or a 100% + books scholarship.
Florida is awesome when it comes to providing every student the means
to attend college. I am not sure how other states work, but I would
imagine each state has similar scholarship programs. Scholarships
are what every student needs. Tuition can be very expensive depending
on where you go to school and how many classes you take. Out of state
schools will cost a student more money. Private schools will also be
more expensive. Scholarships give students the ability to attend
colleges on someone else’s dime. Pretty sweet deal huh? Not all
scholarships are based on financial situation like most people think.
Generally, students who are in need of financial aid will be given a
high priority when it comes to winning a scholarship; however, this is
not always the case. Don’t be shy when asking about scholarships.
Consult your school counselors, parents, teachers, and friends. You’d
be surprised that the company your parents work for probably offer
scholarships. Even if it is only for $1000, that is still free money
you can’t pass up. Scholarships are not limited to incoming
freshman either. Current sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible
for scholarships. Often upper level students are awarded scholarships
to further their study in their specific major, such as Education
majors. Visit your school’s financial aid office for more information. One
of the best, if not the best, resources for scholarship information is
FastWeb. Every student needs to visit them. Yes, even you seniors.
There are thousands of scholarships that go un-awarded every year. So
get off this web page (when you’re done reading of course) and go get
one. http://www.fastweb.com Another method of getting money
for college is from Uncle Sam himself. No, not your mom’s half brother
that you only see on Memorial Day barbeques. I’m talking about the
United States Government. The federal government gives out free money
to college students. It’s called FAFSA, which stands for Free
Application for Federal Student Aid. FAFSA grants are determined by how
much money your parents make. You have to fill out a form in your
school’s financial aid department or online via their website,
www.fafsa.ed.gov. Every student needs to do this. Even if your parents
make $500,000 a year, there is still a chance you are eligible for a
free grant. A grant is money you do not have to pay back. Ever. Let’s
say your parents give you $2000 a year for college. You use this for
tuition, books, rent, and food (and with all these expenses plus more,
$2000 does not go that far). Let’s say you have filled out your FAFSA
forms and are given $1000. This is awesome! But wait, it’s been two
years and now your little sister is going to college and your parents
can’t afford to give you $2,000 each. So they split it up and you each
get $1000. What a bummer!! Or is it? FAFSA adjusts your grant according
to not only what your parents make, but how many siblings you have in
college. The more brothers and sisters you have going to college, the
more money you get. The most dreaded, but probably most popular,
method of paying for college are student loans. Almost all students
have them, so don’t feel bad if you are forced to get one. If you’ve
taken a finance or economic class you’ve probably heard the terms “good
debt” and “bad debt”. Victoria’s Secret credit card debt is “bad debt”,
while student loans are “good debt”. Student loans offer the lowest
interest rates of any type of loans. Often they give you a grace period
after graduation where not a single cent is due. Student loans can be
paid off over a long period of time with fixed interest rates. Subsidized
student loans are loans you get through your school’s financial aid
department that the government pays the interest for. Not a bad option
either if you are in need of tuition money. Visit your bank or
financial aid office for more information on student loans. All banks
offer them, so go ask today. Finally, the last method of paying
for college I’m going to discuss is through good old hard labor.
Getting a job can help pay the bills. Waitressing, bartending, retail,
and tutoring are all prime examples of college jobs. If you aren’t into
working at a restaurant or mall, visit your student career resource
center. Jobs on campus are given out to students who are financially
needy. The best thing about working on campus is they will fit your
work schedule around your classes and tests. You will never have to
miss class or work. One of the disadvantages of working on campus is
the pay is generally low. You will make a lot more money working at
Chili’s than you will your school’s bookstore. I hope you enjoyed
this article. If you have any further questions about paying for
college, please ask. Email me at collegesos@yahoo.com. http://collegesos.blogspot.com/ I
am a recent graduate of the University of Florida. I am currently
employed full-time but have a strong desire to help incoming and
current college students. My goal is to give everyone a better college
experience by providing the help and answers they need to all the
questions they have that real advisors can't give.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Lithman
|
