Obama Wants Moms to Go Back to School

So Obama wants moms to go back to school - that is something that you may have read a little about lately. It seems a big deal is being made about a particular story that was posted in the media not long ago, about Obama encouraging mothers to go back to school.

Whilst some people embraced it, others were a little critical and wondering why the government were targeting moms in particular.

But there are some great things that the Obama administration has already done for mothers who wish to go to college.

Pell Grant Increase

On his first day in office, Obama increased the maximum Pell Grant by $200, up to $5550 for the 2010-11 academic year. Every dollar counts when it comes to studying and that $200 will be a great help to anyone applying for the Pell grant.

The Pell grant can be used for online studies which are highly suited to busy moms.

Single Moms

Single mothers are particularly being encouraged to return to school. With the popularity of online learning, it is now easier than ever for mothers to study whilst raising children.

The benefits are numerous:

You will be able to go and look for work once your kids are grown up
You will have the qualifications that are in demand
You will show your kids how great it is to be enhancing your knowledge and improving your life: something that will reflect on them as they grow up.

Obama wants moms to go back to school: do you want to go back to school so that you can improve life for both you and your family?

Minority Scholarships - Meant Not Just For the Poor

In finding a good job to land, it may not always be a requirement, but a college diploma plays a crucial role in getting the job that you really like. But many individuals today are financially deprived to even afford finishing their education. Good thing there are lots of scholarships and grants being offered today which includes the minority scholarships.

So what can these minority scholarships actually offer you to help you off in finishing your studies? Most of these would do some thorough checking up on your academic records and background as one basis for qualification. While some organizations check on the financial status of your household.

Hence, many students are hesitant to apply for such kind of scholarships, thinking that they won't pass for minority scholarships if they are not poor enough financially. You need not be utterly poor just to pass as a scholar. Majority of these organizations would just look into your household's income reach just for their statistics. But these data are not necessarily used to qualify or disqualify applicants.

Nevertheless, it must be clear to you that there would always be a set of requirements that you need to meet to be able to qualify as a scholar. Similarly, you cannot be accepted as a scholar just because you belong to a disadvantaged family. Some scholarships are made specifically for artists, musicians or aspiring athletes.

To gather more information on how you can find the right scholarship for you, you can start off searching the Internet as a great venue to look for. To apply for scholarships is much better than apply for a part time job and do the dual tasks of working and studying all at the same time. Such a decision would drain you until you come to a point that you are already too exhausted to even study at the end of each day.

May 1st Deadline - College Decisions Due

If you are planning to attend college this Fall then you know that May 1st is the big day in the college admissions process. Students must decide within the next few days whether to accept or reject an offer of admission and what college they will be attending. Maybe you got into your first-choice college and have no decision to make at all and already have started packing your bags. But, maybe your college choice is a little tougher than that. You could have been wait listed, received more than one acceptance letter or didn't get the scholarship you had hoped for to help pay for the private university tuition. Or maybe, like so many others, you just don't know what school you should choose.

This decision is a difficult one for many. The next four years are an investment in your future and how do you know if you are making the right choice. Should you go where you feel most comfortable? Should you choose the school where your friends are going? Should you choose your parents alma mater? Below are some factors you should consider when deciding if a school is a good fit for you. Take a look at these characteristics in order of importance to you and see how well each college matches up to each other:

* Academic
o Take a look at the professors at the school, their research, awards and backgrounds
o Review the course catalog online to get an idea of the types of courses and major programs offered and if they match your academic pursuits
o Sit in on classes - how big or small are they and do they teachers know the students on a first name basis?
o Talk to alumni regarding life after graduation - did they feel prepared in their chosen careers?

* Social
o Go visit the school in-person if you have not done so already - some schools will even let you stay overnight or for the weekend with another student. Can you picture yourself there - do you and the school click?
o Meet the current students to get a real sense of the school - where are they from and what are their backgrounds?
o Look at the extracurricular activities, sports, Greek life - does this school offer everything you are interested in?
o Look at the school's Facebook or twitter pages, read the college newspaper online - see what the admissions counselors aren't telling you

*Financial
o Can you, or your parents, really afford this school?
o Review not only the tuition, but the costs for housing, meal plans and transportation. Will you need to fly, take the train/bus or drive home on breaks?
o Compare the financial aid packages, scholarships, loans, gifts, grants and any work-study opportunities

This week you'll make one of the biggest decisions of your life. If you still have questions, talk to your guidance counselor, a favorite teacher or your parents who know you both academically and personally. They might be able to help you evaluate the pros and cons. This decision is a personal one and the final choice should be made yours, but it never hurts to ask for advice from people who know you well and care about your future.

Return to School Grant - A New Hope For Moms

A lot of women give up their education when they become pregnant. Most of the time, these women may not have the chance to go back to school simply because the money allotted for their education is already spent on their child. However, with President Barrack Obama's Return To School Grant, there is a new hope for these single mothers, working mothers and all other mothers to continue their education.

Financial Assistance

Also known as the Federal Pell grant, this scholarship offers financial assistance for any mother who wishes to go back to school but does not have the capacity to pay for the fees. As long as the mother is within the suitable bracket of having a low income, then she is eligible to apply and finally be granted of the scholarship. As soon as the mother is granted with the scholarship, she can then pay for a college degree in almost 5,400 accredited institutions, colleges and universities in the United States.

Factors Considered

The Return To School grant has its own set of prerequisites and factors for mothers to be accepted as candidates. Things such as their EFC or expected family contribution and the cost of their college degree in their chosen institution or university greatly matter in evaluating all the applicants. Moreover, it would also matter if the applicant would be studying part time or full time or if she would be attending the college for one whole academic year or not.

This kind of scholarship is definitely one step closer into fulfilling the dreams of mothers who have given up much of themselves simply to take care of their children. With such a grant which promises a lot to these women, they may finally have the chance to pursue their academic dreams and build a better life for herself and her family.

Merritt College Offers Complete Online Courses

Brief History

Initially the college was opened as a general campus back in the year 1954 and named as the Merritt School of Business. Present Laney College also functioned alongside with the name of Oakland Junior College. It started functioning as the Merritt College from 1971 in the present campus.

Campus

Original campus of the college was at Grove Street of University High School during 1923-43 at 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. It shifted to the present campus in the year 1971 after a bond was issued establishing a new downtown Oakland campus building for Laney College and founding of College of Alameda.

Programs Offered

Occupational programs like nursing and other health professions are offered by the college. Community social services, substance abuse counseling, computer information, landscape horticulture, environmental hazardous materials technology, environmental management, restoration technology, and paralegal studies are also offered. One year Microscopy certificate is one of the novelties among the programs.

Special Programs

Instructional programs offered include allied health, insurance, communication, radiological science, real estate and legal administration. Degrees offered include Associate Degree in Nursing; Associate of Arts in Child Development; and Associate of Science in Radiological Science. However, the highlight is the online education and completion of courses online with only occasional academic meeting.

Admission

The college is open to all students that have completed diploma from secondary schools or equivalents. Applications can be filed online or by FAX and telephone. An assessment test is mandatory. Orientation can be scheduled with the help of a college counselor. Dual credit and career placements are the accepted credits for admission.

Accreditation

Merritt College has been accredited by the Commission for Community and Junior College of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Financial Aid and Student Support

Merritt College offers multiple financial aids for eligible students using FAFSA. One can visit the state university website for details of the aids, scholarships and loan facilities provided. College provides remedial services, PT cost defraying employment, academic and career counseling, on campus day care and career placement as student services

The Secret to Scholarship Success

With rising college costs, continuing inflation, and narrowing job markets; students all over the U.S. are seeking a variety of options for college financing. In many cases, the attainment of a scholarship is the difference in whether a student attends college or not. Scholarships are available from many sources,
but knowing how to qualify and be selected as the recipient of a specific scholarship is the big question
for most students and parents.

The key to winning college scholarships is through proper planning and taking the appropriate actions
at the right time. Some tips for being successful are as follows:

Start Early to ready yourself. Building academic and personal credentials takes time. Transcripts
reveal academic achievements from the 9th to the l2th grades, so the 9th grade is a good starting
point for high grades and test-taking success. Yet, acquiring a foundation for learning begins
earlier in elementary school. The higher the G.P.A. and the higher the SAT/ACT scores the
better your chances for scholarships.

Get Involvedin school and community activities. Good grades are important, but college and
scholarship committees have many applicants with outstanding G.P.A.'s and test scores. Leadership,
involvement, and community service show a student's potential, diversity, and concern for others.

Find Scholarship Sources. Securing sources for scholarships is much easier today because of computer technology. Go to college web sites, on-line web sites, high school guidance offices, college financial aid offices or libraries. These sources are readily available at no cost. However, sources are just sources. A source is only as good as the person using it. Seek professional guidance help, if needed.

Showcase Yourself with a Resume. Resumes show your personal credentials, academic achievements, honors and awards, school activities, community service, leadership, special skills, and career objectives.A well-balanced and eye-appealing resume catches the attention of scholarship committees and gets you invited to interviews.

Let Your Application Show the Best of You. Follow directions exactly, complete the application fully,
adhere to proper grammar and spelling, and show extreme concern for neatness. Applications can have
a positive impact.

Reference Letters are a vital part of scholarship success. Notice that scholarships usually require
references. Remember that you determine the content of your reference letters. Your character,
manners, and reputation allow a person writing the reference letter to acknowledge your strengths
to scholarship committees. Also, your selection of people who write the letters is as important as the
reference letters.

College Essays are often the winning edge of a college application or scholarship competition. Essays give you a chance to shine and let you introduce yourself to decision-making committees. A great essay gets the attention of the reader and leaves a lasting impression of you.

Remember that it takes time and hard work to secure scholarships. Finding scholarship money and
keeping yourself out of debt is well worth your time and energy.

If You Want College Scholarships, Apply Early And Often

Traditionally speaking, school starts in late August or early September, but with colleges these days, students are starting almost any time. For students who are preparing for next semester at college or for those high school seniors looking to be in college within the next year, the writing on the wall is: Apply Early and Often.

As an example of a California high school who advocates doing exactly that, the Poway Unified School District was awarded a total of $13.7 million in scholarships this year, and the graduates from Westview High School were awarded $7 million of that. The graduating class was only 527 students strong.

With the cost of college rising every year, students need to pay more attention to getting those college scholarship applications filled out. It is getting to the point where very few students can get through college without some type of student loan of financial support, and without any scholarships, it is money that needs to be paid back, and will put a severe dent in the family finances or the student's budget after graduation, even with tremendously attractive interest rates on federal student loans.

According to various studies, the cost of average tuition and associated fees increased approximately 6% over the past year. Currently, that means that the average annual cost (that means every year) is almost $13,000 for students who are enrolled at four year public colleges, and over $22,000 for the equivalent four year private colleges. By comparison, the cost of attending a college like Stanford or Harvard is almost $50,000 per year.

The number and variety of scholarships available today is almost staggering. But even more staggering is the fact that across the country, a good number of scholarships actually go unawarded each year, simply because nobody applied for them!

There are several options for those in financial need, which include the federal Pell Grants, but many universities, corporations and various organizations also offer merit or academic based scholarships. The amount of each scholarship varies widely also, such as $150 scholarship from the local bicycle shop to a $10,000 scholarship from a corporation such as Nordstrom's or Macy's.

Some students think that they should only apply for the big-ticket scholarships, but that is simply untrue. Any student can apply for and be awarded many scholarships. If a student is awarded 10 $500 scholarships, is that any worse than being awarded a single $5000 scholarship? No, it is almost exactly the same.

Last year, a Florida high school senior spent almost every waking hour over the course of two months completing scholarship forms for any scholarship he could find and meet the eligibility requirements for. By the time he started college that fall, he had been awarded over 36 different scholarships, which covered more than 90% of his total college costs, including tuition, books, and housing.

It is important to note that not all scholarships require you to have a financial need or an exceptionally high grade point average. While it is certainly important to read the eligibility requirements before completing the application, there are many scholarships available to just about anyone.

The bottom line is to apply early and often! Fill out as many college scholarship applications as you can find, and when you've done that, find some more. The cost of college is certainly not decreasing, and you will need the financial help, and hopefully be able to graduate from college being debt-free!