Save Money Through College Scholarships

For many of us, the chance to go to college is a dream that we have had for a long time. It is a chance for education, a chance for training and a chance for the type of future that we long to have. Many people feel that college is out of their reach simply because of finances and they fear that their dream won't become a reality. The truth is, with all the college scholarships available this dream can come true.

Most of us know about the two main types of college scholarships: academic and athletic. We have all heard that if we work hard and get good grades that we would qualify for many academic scholarships. Similarly, those who have an athletic ability can get part or all of their tuition paid if they agree to pay sports for the college and keep their grades up.

Both of these are excellent opportunities, but what about those who don't have the 3.5 and above grade point average or who don't have any athletic ability? Do they not deserve the same opportunity? The answer is yes! Thankfully others feel the same way and scholarships are available for a variety of different people.

Minority scholarships are available for just about any race and ethnic background from African American students to Native American students to students planning to study abroad in a country other than their native country.

Scholarships have been established for many unique traits, hobbies and demographics. For instance, there are scholarships for left handed people, twins and people entering certain fields such as nursing. The best way to find out if there is a scholarship available that fits you is to search the internet. Search by any category that you can think of.

There is plenty of money out there just waiting for students to find it. All you have to do is to take the time to search for it. Taking a couple of hours to research scholarships could get you a free or discounted trip to the college of your choice.

Paying For College - Grants, Scholarships, and Loans

Congratulations! You've decided to continue your education at a college or career school. Whether you are a traditional student seeking a certificate or an adult looking to earn a Ph.D., one big question you have is, "How am I going to pay for college?" The problem may seem even bigger if you have a job and a family; money is tight these days, and few people have the extra cash on hand to pay for tuition and the other costs associated with higher education.

There are four basic ways to pay for college:

1. write a check;
2. get gifts of money from other people;
3. borrow money;
4. earn money.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that option #2, "get gifts from other people," is a sweet deal. Many students are able to create a financial plan with elements of all three methods.

The U.S. Department of Education provides information about college funding options; here are a few highlights:

Scholarships

It is possible to get gifts in the form of scholarships. A scholarship is a gift of money from an organization or an individual to a deserving student. Examples of scholarships given to graduating high school seniors include scholarships from civic organizations such as the Rotary Club or the local Chamber of Commerce. Colleges also award scholarships to selected students; this is an example of institutional financial aid. Colleges determine scholarship awards when your annual financial aid package is determined, and at the end of the school year when academic scholarships are awarded to outstanding students.

Scholarships are generally merit-based. This means that the eligible student must have attained a certain grade point average. Scholarships can be awarded within defined academic areas, such as a scholarship for the outstanding chemistry student or for the top French student. There are also many athletic scholarships awarded to outstanding athletes.

Scholarship awards may also be based on other criteria including financial need, ethnicity, or even the geographic location of the student's home.

How do you find scholarships? Ask at your high school guidance office, or the college admissions or financial aid office. Search online; there may be some for which you are eligible. Some scholarships require that you apply, while others are awarded by a decision of a committee and no applications are required or accepted.

Grants
Like scholarships, grants are also gifts that do not require repayment. They are usually based only on financial need. Grants typically are awarded by federal and state governments and individual colleges.

Available federal grants include:

o The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need.

o Pell Grants, which are awarded to undergraduate students.

o The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is awarded to qualified college freshmen and sophomores who are eligible for Pell Grants and who took college-level classes in high school.

o The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) is awarded to outstanding college juniors and seniors who are eligible for Pell Grants and are majoring in engineering, mathematics, technology, a foreign language critical to national security, life or computer sciences.

o The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH Grant) is for students who plan to teach in schools that serve low-income students.

For complete information on how to apply for federal financial aid, log onto the Free Application for Federal Student Aid website at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

Loans

When paying for school, option #3 is loans. A loan is a contract to borrow money and repay it over time, with interest. You want a loan with a low interest rate. Loan types range from charging your credit card (very high interest-not advised!) to getting a federal loan (low interest-a very good deal). Most federal student loans do not require you to begin repaying them until after you leave college or are no longer enrolled at least half-time.

Millions of students take out federal student loans: every year, more than $70 billion in federal student aid is given out in the form of low-interest loans. To learn more about federal student loans, read Federal Aid First, an online brochure from the U.S. Department of Education. Go to http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/federalaidfirst/.

The next best deal is student loans from banks or financial institutions. These loans often have variable interest rates, require a credit check and may not provide the benefits of federal student loans.

Your last resort for borrowing money is your credit card: you will pay the same high interest rate as if you had bought a new home entertainment system or a fur coat.

Work-Study

A good alternative to borrowing money is to earn money through the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, which provides part-time jobs for students with financial need. More than 3,400 schools participate in the Federal Work-Study program, and in a typical year over 800,000 students are given work-study jobs.

The program is administered by participating schools. If you qualify, the school offers you a job on campus, one related to your studies, or in the community. A portion of your paycheck is withheld to help pay your tuition, and you get to keep the remainder.

Other Sources of Aid

Organizations that assist students to pay for their education include the U.S. armed forces. Reserve and active duty service personnel and veterans may be eligible for benefits under the Montgomery GI BILL-Active Duty (MGIB-AD), Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP). Other organizations include AmeriCorps community service organization. Check with federal, state, and local agencies for more information.

Tips for Finding and Saving Money

o See if you are eligible for an athletic scholarship, if you have excelled at high school varsity athletics.
o Consider a state school in your state. Most state colleges and universities offer lower tuition to in-state residents.
o Go to a lower-cost community college for one or two years, and then transfer to a four-year school.
o Live at home while attending a local college. You could save thousands of dollars.
o Check out online programs. You could save big money and earn your degree on your own schedule--even while you continue to hold down your present job or keep up with family responsibilities.

The very first places you should look for education finance programs are at the schools you are interested in attending. Log onto a reputable college directory website. Select the colleges or career schools that interest you. Check out their financial aid pages and compare the programs offered--you'll be sure to find the plan that works for you!

The Purposes And Types Of Fraternities And Sororities

There are two basic types of fraternities and sororities. First of all, there are the honor fraternities that allow both men and women members as they are based on academic excellence. Many colleges have a variety of honor fraternities based on major or field of study. So, you may be accepted into the math fraternity or something of that nature although they all have Greek fraternity names. Then, there are the social fraternities and sororities.

The social fraternities and sororities are based on individuals rushing a particular house, or houses, and then receiving bids. Of all the men and women who rush each semester the houses decide on who they want to offer an invitation to join their sorority or fraternity. For those who are chosen it is a great honor. Many times to show that one has been accepted into a fraternity or sorority the sisters or brothers will show up at the pledge's dorm room with sorority clothing or fraternity clothing that marks their acceptance as one of the brothers or sisters. Nobody wears fraternity clothing if they aren't part of that particular fraternity. As a result receiving a t shirt with the Greek letters of your new sorority or fraternity is a very special moment. But, what are the social fraternities' purpose?

Many of the social fraternities and sororities claim to be service oriented. However, they are more social based than service based despite doing some good for the community. Most of the sisters and brothers are required to take part in a variety of different service activities through the year although there are considerably more parties than community activities. Nevertheless, sororities and fraternities do some good for their communities and many times team up for fundraisers.

There are strict rules governing sororities and fraternities despite all the parties and fun they have. Brothers and sisters must maintain a certain GPA, which differs in each house, to remain part of the house. If a member's GPA falls below a certain level they will be given probation and must imp[rove their grades to remain part of the house. If this does not happen then the individual will be kicked out of the house. There are quite a few other rules as well and some of them govern the Greek clothing that both sororities and fraternities wear.

Rushing a sorority or fraternity is not a great idea for everyone, but for those who enjoy this type of lifestyle they will certainly love it.

Institutional Scholarships - A Better Chance To Acquire Scholarships

Students generally correlate scholarships to those sanctioned by large academic institutions and the big companies. Students generally consider or apply scholarships that are sanctioned in the name of big academic achievers and these scholarships normally receive close to one million applications each year. There are easier ways to acquire scholarships and one should look for such close to their homes.

Students can get scholarships in their respective colleges or universities as they offer a minimum of a scholarship every academic year. In case you happen to join big institutions, you may be entitled to scholarships issued by every department. These scholarships are offered in the name of the alumni recognizing academic achievements, outstanding talents and other specific scholarships. This opens the choice for students to apply for more than a scholarship every year.

Very few students apply for scholarships offered by the institutions and most go in for scholarship programs that are nationally popular. In fact institutions also offer lot of scholarships these days. Among these, only some of them might be the so-called full scholarships. It is always better to get something instead of nothing and thus minor scholarships that cover housing and study materials will help you save little.

The University of North Carolina which is situated at the Chapel Hill is a good example of the kind of scholarships proffered at the big universities. This university maintains a department that caters to the issue of scholarship and financial assistance. The department has advisers who will guide you in case you are on the look out for scholarships, be it a need based one, non- need based one and other sources of aid. They also provide more data about merit based scholarship. Their web site is replete with information about the kind of support the university offers to each of its students. This is what is practiced at such big institutions. A lot of packages are offered to students to enable them to complete their graduation.

The process of applying for a scholarship through the college is very identical to the one that is followed to get scholarships from the outside world. There may be slight variations in the terms and conditions of the scholarship agreements between various institutions and the students are required to read through the information fully before signing the agreement as it is not the same across all colleges. You must consider the eligibility criteria and you are assisted with a lot of online calculators though one can be found near the application instruction of an online scholarship.

Scholarships offered by the institutions come with a lot of unique benefits. You would be left hanging in case you apply for a scholarship that is recognized nation wide and this can be used any where without much formalities. If you go in for a scholarship that is offered by the institution, the number of applications received is less and the college finishes the sorting process very fast and the college comes out with the sanctions pretty fast when compared to the nationally sanctioned scholarships.

Another benefit of obtaining institution offered scholarship is that in case you do not qualify for one, you will become aware of the procedure for application and this will be a prelude if you need to go in for one the next year. The knowledge about the process of obtaining scholarship can be acquired and this will come handy if you want to go in for one in the following year and this should be the approach in case you are not sanctioned a scholarship.

Students do not lose anything by applying to a scholarship that is offered by the institution. The numbers of competitors are also more in case you apply for a nation wide scholarship and this can be more difficult.

How to Fund Your Education With College Scholarship Money

Paying for college is a daunting task today. College tuition seems to rise every year. Combine that with family incomes that are stagnant, and tuition costs seem intimidating indeed. Fortunately, there is a solution: Funding your education with college scholarship money can make paying for your higher education a whole lot less stressful.

And today, students and their parents can use as much help as possible to cover college costs. According to College Board, the average cost of a year at a private college now stands at more than $25,000. Public four-year universities are more reasonable, but even they are costly: It costs on average more than $6,500 a year for students attending one of these schools, according to College Board.

You may doubt that there's a college scholarship out there for you. Perhaps you never excelled at any particular sport in high school. Maybe your grades were solid, but not outstanding. Maybe you were never a shining star in music, speech or debate.

Don't panic. The odds are extremely good that there are still many valuable college scholarships for which you can qualify.

That's because today's college scholarships aren't only awarded on the basis of academic or extracurricular excellence. Some organizations award scholarships to incoming college students who devoted a significant amount of time to volunteer efforts. Others pass on scholarships to students who maintained solid grades while working as a caddy at their local golf course. Still others award scholarships to students who are interested in pursuing a career in real estate, theater or law enforcement.

There are even some extremely strange scholarships available. The Klingon Language Institute, for instance, awards a $500 scholarship every year to encourage students to study languages. Klingon, of course, is a language spoken by Capt. Kirk's greatest enemies in Star Trek. Loyola University in Chicago is home to the Zolp scholarship. This can be an easy one to earn depending on your last name: The scholarship is given to Catholic students attending the school who have the last name of "Zolp." There are even scholarships available where the qualification is that you are left-handed!

Many scholarships not based on academic or athletic prowess don't pay quite as much. Some may only provide enough money to cover a student's room and board. But the good news is that students can apply for as many of these relatively unknown scholarships as they like. By picking up scholarship money from several different sources, students can help ease the financial burdens of paying for college.

Remember, scholarships, unlike loans, do not have to be paid back upon graduation. Remember, too, that a lot of scholarship money remains untouched each year simply because no students apply for them. That's why it makes so much sense to think about funding your education with college scholarship money, by completing as many applications for scholarships as you can.

MBA Scholarships

MBA scholarship programs provide financial assistance for deserving MBA students. Such types of scholarships are available for both financial assistance and academic accomplishment. Mainly, these are best suited for those who actually believe that this assistance to be worthy of them. You can get MBA scholarships from numerous sources, including professional associations, private companies, and foundations. Depending on the source, the eligibility criteria also vary with academic achievement, leadership potential, and managerial experience. In addition, a number of independent bodies also offer grants to leading business schools to set up these scholarships.

An MBA program needs a massive financial investment which stretches throughout the program. Sometimes it may not be affordable for students from average families. Then these students will need a financial assistance. The cost of an MBA program includes a course fee of about $ 8,000 to $60,000 a year, boarding, food, travel, books, a PC, etc. In the USA, around 60 percent of the MBA students receive scholarship assistance. The scholarships are available for both full-time and part-time programs.

Today, a number of colleges award scholarships for the part-time evening MBA students. This financial assistance is limited to non-academic employees and academic professionals who will retain their jobs while participating in the MBA program. Nearly all the applications are automatically considered for merit scholarships in reputed business schools. Such type of scholarship ranges from $4,000 to full-tuition fee. Entrance scholarships, amounting up to $175,000, are awarded to full-time MBA students who have demonstrated outstanding academic records in their previous classes.

You will get information on any type of scholarship from business school information centers or the school websites. In addition, numerous search services on the Internet will provide you the facility to locate MBA scholarships. Some scholarships require periodical renewal. This may involve continuous maintenance of your academic status and a minimum GPA, retaining full-time enrollment, and continuing to study in the same major. Some others require community service and other extra curricular activities. Most colleges offer these academic MBA scholarships with an aim to attract very talented students.

What SAT Testing Day Actually Has in It

Every student seeking admission in college has in mind as to how SAT looks like and what all you can expect in it. So here are we to tell you the format and content of SAT which will help you in preparing for exam in a systematic way.

The day when you will have your test, you will be required to reach your pre-destined testing center along with the registration information with two forms of ID. You will find a waiting queue there with a wait time of approximately ten minutes. Once you complete the registration, you will visit your assigned testing room and the proctor will allot you a seat. The test will begin the moment once the testing room is packed. Now the proctor will read out the test instructions handed over by the College Board. This will proceed by handing out testing materials to students and ensuring students have pencil ready. The calculators might be checked as per the College Board guidelines.

Once the formalities are completed, the proctor will instruct to pen down the personal information and be ready for the test. The test will include following sections:

Part One: Essay - 25 minutes

Part Two - Nine: Reading, Math or Writing - 20 or 25 minutes

Part Ten: Writing - 10 minutes

We can see clearly the entire SAT format varies a lot with the length of the test. One thing you can sure about is you are going to attempt essay section first and writing section at last. Plus, you will also have breaks in-between test as per College guidelines.

It's obvious that during an exam you are expected not to talk to anyone else, do not seek help from others, and not take any unfair benefit. Usage of cell phones or any such communication devices will be forbidden.

Once the test is completed, the proctor will take the testing materials and dismiss you. It can't be simpler than that.

We would suggest following tips you must keep in mind which will help you do well on testing day.

Must sleep well a day before the test at least for eight hours at a stretch. Eat a healthy meal rich in carbohydrates and starches. Do not at all keep yourself awake late getting engaged in any sort of activity. Strictly avoid a protein diet a day before which can make you lethargic on testing day.
Do not take along a graphing kind calculator, more than two pencils, and a timing watch. You must not bring any noisy material like a scratch paper, iPod, headphones as they are not allowed inside the testing room. - If you are carrying a cell phone, it must be kept switched off during the test.
In the exam, make sure you read every question carefully and understand what the examiner wants to test, before attempting to answer them.
Try doing the easier section first do that you don't have to skip questions which you know, in the end.
Keep a check on the time elapsed and remaining. You may ask the time from a proctor, however, he/she won't help you in answering or clarifying questions at all.