Posts Tagged loans

The Truth About Scholarships & Financial Aid

The misconceptions about Scholarships and Financial Aid are endless. The most common is that it is: “Getting a scholarship is hard” people think that your chances are so slim, like 1 in a million. That is not the case at all. The truth is the more scholarships that you apply for the more you increase your chances of actually getting a scholarship.

The same principal goes for college grants as well. The difference is in the application process because with grants in some cases you need a co-signer. However the guidelines for college grants aren’t as strict as those of scholarships. With scholarships you have to take a specific amount of courses and maintain a specific GPA. With student loans…forget about it lets just focus on getting scholarships and grants free money for college.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Watchout – College Scholarship Scams to Avoid

The Internet has made access to college scholarships easier than ever, but students need to beware. There can be dangers in the scholarship search, and consumers need to be aware of how to protect themselves from scholarship scams. The Federal Trade Commission provides six telltale signs of suspicious scholarships.

  1. Beware if the scholarship offers you a money back guarantee. You shouldn’t have to pay anything to apply for a scholarship. Scholarships exist to fund your education, not someone else’s vacation.
  2. Do not believe anyone who tells you that you cannot get this information anywhere else. Information on scholarships is widespread. Colleges can tell you full details on the programs they offer and affiliated programs. The same goes for organizations. Any site that tells you they have exclusive information on scholarships isn’t being honest.
  3. Do not fall for the line that you should share your credit card information or bank account number so that they can hold the scholarship for you. Keep private information private. If someone wants to pay for your school they will send a check to you or the school. Your bank account and credit card information isn’t needed.
  4. Do not buy into anyone offering to “do all of the work.” Even simple college scholarships require some effort, say entering basic high school info and college plans.
  5. Remember that no scholarship should cost ANY money.
  6. Do not believe any communication that tells you that you are a finalist in a contest you did not enter or that you have been chosen to receive a scholarship given by a national foundation. If you didn’t apply for a scholarship yourself you haven’t won. These people are just fishing for your personal info. Keep track of which scholarships you have applied for and with which organizations.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts

Finding More Scholarship Sources

It takes more than making the grades and scoring high on the SATs for students to be college-bound. Each year, students are faced with the burden of figuring out how they are going to pay for their college education. Knowing how and where to search for aid can make the difference in rather or not many students will be able to attend college.

Outside from personal or family savings, there are government grants, federal or personal loans, and scholarships. Government grants are almost always limited and only cover a fraction of the total cost of attending college. Federal and personal loans are debt, which has to be repaid after graduating. Loans are great resources for covering expenses left over after there is no other source of income available. Scholarships are, for some students, the only hope for attending college with little or no upfront cash and without piling up thousands of dollars of debt.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related posts