Tuesday, December 29, 2009
In Retrospect: Choosing to Go to B-School
I found Rishonna Campbell's blog post on BrazenCareerist.com and felt it was a good example of the thought process adults go through when deciding to go to college or return to college. What questions or concerns do you have about returning to college? Let me know and I will may use your question for a blog topic.
Monday, December 28, 2009
How To Pump Up Your Scholarship Search
The search for private college scholarships is an integral part of the college planning process. Even a small scholarship can help defray your college expenses and may allow you to turn down a loan or reduce the amount one needs to borrow.
High school seniors, haven't begun your college scholarship search yet? Now is the time to start! Deadlines for private scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year for college bound students will start cropping up after the New Year and will culminate for the most part by July. If you are planning to conduct your own scholarship search, there are strategies that you can use to manage your search and improve the effectiveness of your search.
GET ORGANIZED! Your search could uncover 12 to 25 scholarships for which you qualify to apply and managing them all can be overwhelming without a plan. So you will need to develop a system for tracking each scholarship's application description and requirements, forms, references, deadlines and copies of all documents that you submit to support your application. It would also be wise to set up a calendar to plot what you need to do and when for all scholarships that you decide to apply for.
IT'S INVENTORY TIME! As you begin the scholarship search process, you will need to develop a list of your skills,interests and attributes. Don't be afraid to include your religion, ethnicity and unusual characteristics. Did you know that Pennsylvania's Juniata College has a scholarship for left-handed students? There is even a scholarship for little people from Little People of America Association and one for tall people from Tall Clubs International. Adopted or foster children will find that there are a number of scholarships or grants for them on the national, state or county/regional level.
RESOURCES- THE MORE THE MERRIER! There are a number of reliable internet scholarship search sites including http://www.finaid.org/ and http://www.fastweb.com/. You can also simply do a Google search for scholarships. To do a Google search enter the word "scholarship" and whatever topic/subject you want. For example: search for "orchestral music scholarships" and you will find a number of scholarships including the John Belushi Memorial Orchestral Music Scholarship and various scholarships at various colleges/universities such as the New England Conservatory,Truman State University and the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse.
High school students should check with their guidance office, which keeps track of local scholarship opportunities. Don't forget libraries and bookstores are great resources for books that list scholarships! Use a variety of resources to maximize your scholarship options.
WORK IT OUT! Students who are employed part time may be eligible for scholarships through an employer. This is particularly true for those working for regional or national retail chains. Don't neglect checking with your parents' employers, as they may offer scholarships to employees' children.
MULTI -YEAR OR RENEWABLE SCHOLARSHIPS--- WHAT'S THE CATCH? While most private scholarships are one time awards, there are some that are multi-year awards or allow you to renew your award for a second year. Find out if there are requirements to maintain full-time enrollment and what constitutes full-time enrollment. Often recipients must maintain a minimum GPA to retain or renew a scholarship or grant, as well.
GET TESTED! It is important to take the PSAT in your junior year and the SAT or ACT test in your senior year because you may qualify for some important national scholarships. By taking the PSAT you could qualify for the National Merit Scholarship.
GO CLUBBING! Students and parents should draw up a list of clubs and organizations to which they belong. Often these groups will offer scholarships to members of their offspring. These can be social or religious in nature.
NAIL THAT ESSAY! If an essay is required, make sure your essay addresses the topic or question that is given. Have your essay proofread by a parent or teacher to ensure it is on target and grammatically flawless. Often you will be allowed to determine your on essay topic. You may recycle an essay that you submitted with your college application in part or in full, if it meets the scholarship's essay requirements.
PAY TO PLAY? NO WAY! Occasionally you will come across a scholarship that requires an application fee. You should not have to pay a fee to apply for a scholarship. This could signal that the organization or scholarship may be scam.
So strategize, organize and watch those scholarships roll in!
High school seniors, haven't begun your college scholarship search yet? Now is the time to start! Deadlines for private scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year for college bound students will start cropping up after the New Year and will culminate for the most part by July. If you are planning to conduct your own scholarship search, there are strategies that you can use to manage your search and improve the effectiveness of your search.
GET ORGANIZED! Your search could uncover 12 to 25 scholarships for which you qualify to apply and managing them all can be overwhelming without a plan. So you will need to develop a system for tracking each scholarship's application description and requirements, forms, references, deadlines and copies of all documents that you submit to support your application. It would also be wise to set up a calendar to plot what you need to do and when for all scholarships that you decide to apply for.
IT'S INVENTORY TIME! As you begin the scholarship search process, you will need to develop a list of your skills,interests and attributes. Don't be afraid to include your religion, ethnicity and unusual characteristics. Did you know that Pennsylvania's Juniata College has a scholarship for left-handed students? There is even a scholarship for little people from Little People of America Association and one for tall people from Tall Clubs International. Adopted or foster children will find that there are a number of scholarships or grants for them on the national, state or county/regional level.
RESOURCES- THE MORE THE MERRIER! There are a number of reliable internet scholarship search sites including http://www.finaid.org/ and http://www.fastweb.com/. You can also simply do a Google search for scholarships. To do a Google search enter the word "scholarship" and whatever topic/subject you want. For example: search for "orchestral music scholarships" and you will find a number of scholarships including the John Belushi Memorial Orchestral Music Scholarship and various scholarships at various colleges/universities such as the New England Conservatory,Truman State University and the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse.
High school students should check with their guidance office, which keeps track of local scholarship opportunities. Don't forget libraries and bookstores are great resources for books that list scholarships! Use a variety of resources to maximize your scholarship options.
WORK IT OUT! Students who are employed part time may be eligible for scholarships through an employer. This is particularly true for those working for regional or national retail chains. Don't neglect checking with your parents' employers, as they may offer scholarships to employees' children.
MULTI -YEAR OR RENEWABLE SCHOLARSHIPS--- WHAT'S THE CATCH? While most private scholarships are one time awards, there are some that are multi-year awards or allow you to renew your award for a second year. Find out if there are requirements to maintain full-time enrollment and what constitutes full-time enrollment. Often recipients must maintain a minimum GPA to retain or renew a scholarship or grant, as well.
GET TESTED! It is important to take the PSAT in your junior year and the SAT or ACT test in your senior year because you may qualify for some important national scholarships. By taking the PSAT you could qualify for the National Merit Scholarship.
GO CLUBBING! Students and parents should draw up a list of clubs and organizations to which they belong. Often these groups will offer scholarships to members of their offspring. These can be social or religious in nature.
NAIL THAT ESSAY! If an essay is required, make sure your essay addresses the topic or question that is given. Have your essay proofread by a parent or teacher to ensure it is on target and grammatically flawless. Often you will be allowed to determine your on essay topic. You may recycle an essay that you submitted with your college application in part or in full, if it meets the scholarship's essay requirements.
PAY TO PLAY? NO WAY! Occasionally you will come across a scholarship that requires an application fee. You should not have to pay a fee to apply for a scholarship. This could signal that the organization or scholarship may be scam.
So strategize, organize and watch those scholarships roll in!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
College Planning Does Not Take a Holiday!
While you may be focused on preparing for the holidays, you should not slack off on your college planning process. In fact there is plenty that can and should be done between December and January. Here is a mid (academic) year to do list:
1. Admission Applications- Now that Early Decision/Early Acceptance deadlines are past, you need to make your final choice of colleges for regular admission. Apply for admission! Keep records of your application materials.
2. Scholarship Search- If you haven't begun your scholarship search yet, now is the time to start. Most private scholarships will have deadlines ranging from January through June. Great sites to help you with your search are http://www.collegeboard.org/ , http://www.fastweb.com/ and http://www.finaid.org/. You can even do a search on Google. For example if you are interested in a scholarship for orchestral music, search that phrase and you will find a link to the John Belushi Memorial Orchestral Music Scholarship. While a search of poetry scholarships will provide you with information for The National High School Poetry Contest. Beware of scholarship scams that promise scholarships or require an application fee. Read the Federal Trade Commissions warning at http://www.ftc.gov/
3. Financial Aid Applications- You can complete and submit the CSS Profile any time from mid-fall on. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is available in paper form from high schools and college begining in December. Although you can not file the form until January 1st 2010, you can complete the paper form or the online worksheets found at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ to have it ready to go January 1st. (The online FAFSA form itself is not available until January 1st.) You will need to gather tax, income and asset information, some of which may not be available at this time. Be aware that you can estimate on the FAFSA if your W-2 forms and other tax statements are not available when you are ready to finalize your FAFSA information and submit the form. Don 't worry you always update the information once you have received the missing data. It is important to get the FAFSA in as soon as you can after Jan 1st as financial aid is awarded on a first come- first serve basis.
4. Register for Selective Service- If you are a male age 18 to 26 years old, you need to register for Selective Service in order to be eligible for financial aid. You can either pick up the the SS Registration Form at any US Post Office or register through the FAFSA form itself.
5. Exams- It is also time to register for SAT I and SAT II, if needed. Check with the Admissions Offices of all the colleges you intend to apply to for information on test requurements. Also make sure to register for your AP tests, as well. Note that unlike past years, CSS allows you to send your best scores to colleges. So it may be advisable to retake your SAT I or SAT II. Discuss this strategy with your parents and counselor.
6. Transcripts- Have mid-year transcripts sent to colleges. Colleges will use your mid-term transcripts in the admissions review process. But don't think that you can let your grades slide in the spring! College will required you to provide final transcripts later at the end of the spring semester as well and if your grades tank, your admissions offer may disappear!!
7. Plan Your Summer - Winter is a great time of year to apply for summer jobs, internships and volunteer programs. With the current unemployment for teenagers (as of December 4, 2009, Bureau of Labor Statistics) was 26.7%, you can start to look for summer opportunities and get a jump on the competition!
8. Financial Planning for Parents - Year end is a great time to review your 529 plans. Remember that this only year (2009) you are allowed two opportunities to change your plan without changing beneficiaries. So if you are unhappy with your current 529 plan you have until the end of this month to make a move, even if you made a change earlier in 2009. Beginning in January 2010 the rule reverts to an annual change. Parents should also pay down credit card debt, as the FAFSA and Profile do not consider that form of debt in the calculations. By doing so you reduce your cash/savings and decrease your assets, which are considered on the forms.
Include these tasks on your holiday to do list and you are sure to reap the rewards this coming spring!
1. Admission Applications- Now that Early Decision/Early Acceptance deadlines are past, you need to make your final choice of colleges for regular admission. Apply for admission! Keep records of your application materials.
2. Scholarship Search- If you haven't begun your scholarship search yet, now is the time to start. Most private scholarships will have deadlines ranging from January through June. Great sites to help you with your search are http://www.collegeboard.org/ , http://www.fastweb.com/ and http://www.finaid.org/. You can even do a search on Google. For example if you are interested in a scholarship for orchestral music, search that phrase and you will find a link to the John Belushi Memorial Orchestral Music Scholarship. While a search of poetry scholarships will provide you with information for The National High School Poetry Contest. Beware of scholarship scams that promise scholarships or require an application fee. Read the Federal Trade Commissions warning at http://www.ftc.gov/
3. Financial Aid Applications- You can complete and submit the CSS Profile any time from mid-fall on. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is available in paper form from high schools and college begining in December. Although you can not file the form until January 1st 2010, you can complete the paper form or the online worksheets found at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ to have it ready to go January 1st. (The online FAFSA form itself is not available until January 1st.) You will need to gather tax, income and asset information, some of which may not be available at this time. Be aware that you can estimate on the FAFSA if your W-2 forms and other tax statements are not available when you are ready to finalize your FAFSA information and submit the form. Don 't worry you always update the information once you have received the missing data. It is important to get the FAFSA in as soon as you can after Jan 1st as financial aid is awarded on a first come- first serve basis.
4. Register for Selective Service- If you are a male age 18 to 26 years old, you need to register for Selective Service in order to be eligible for financial aid. You can either pick up the the SS Registration Form at any US Post Office or register through the FAFSA form itself.
5. Exams- It is also time to register for SAT I and SAT II, if needed. Check with the Admissions Offices of all the colleges you intend to apply to for information on test requurements. Also make sure to register for your AP tests, as well. Note that unlike past years, CSS allows you to send your best scores to colleges. So it may be advisable to retake your SAT I or SAT II. Discuss this strategy with your parents and counselor.
6. Transcripts- Have mid-year transcripts sent to colleges. Colleges will use your mid-term transcripts in the admissions review process. But don't think that you can let your grades slide in the spring! College will required you to provide final transcripts later at the end of the spring semester as well and if your grades tank, your admissions offer may disappear!!
7. Plan Your Summer - Winter is a great time of year to apply for summer jobs, internships and volunteer programs. With the current unemployment for teenagers (as of December 4, 2009, Bureau of Labor Statistics) was 26.7%, you can start to look for summer opportunities and get a jump on the competition!
8. Financial Planning for Parents - Year end is a great time to review your 529 plans. Remember that this only year (2009) you are allowed two opportunities to change your plan without changing beneficiaries. So if you are unhappy with your current 529 plan you have until the end of this month to make a move, even if you made a change earlier in 2009. Beginning in January 2010 the rule reverts to an annual change. Parents should also pay down credit card debt, as the FAFSA and Profile do not consider that form of debt in the calculations. By doing so you reduce your cash/savings and decrease your assets, which are considered on the forms.
Include these tasks on your holiday to do list and you are sure to reap the rewards this coming spring!
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