Parents PLUS Loan for Students

Okay, so say that you have exhausted your supply of scholarships, grants, and loans that you can get, but you still need maybe $2500.  What to do?  You can't get anything else, and your parents don't have the credit to get a loan for you either.  No worries, here's what you do.  You get your parents to apply for the Direct PLUS loan.  Now I know you're saying, "But you JUST said that my parents don't have good credit!  How are they going to get a loan for me?!".  Well don't worry.  They aren't going to get the loan.  So what's the point of applying?  Well here's the good thing.  If your parents do not get approved for the loan, your school will offer you a loan for up to $4000.  Luckily for you, schools understand how bad the economy really is, and the government really does want to help you get an education.  You just have to look for the things in the right places.

Grades Aren't Everything

Sorry guys, it's been a long time since I last posted, but I'm back again!  This one is short and sweet.  Look, even though having good grades is a great booster to getting into a good school, there is something even more important: your test scores.  If you apply to somewhere like Duke, and have all A's and B's, but your ACT score is a 22, sorry, but there is a very minimal chance of you getting into the college.  Why?  Because, when you are in school, you can cheat like crazy.  I knew a girl at my school.  She was ranked #4 out of everyone in my senior class, but she got there by cheating off her friends.  And when it came time for everyone to start thinking about colleges, lo and behold, her test scores were horrible.  She went to the local tech college, because that was pretty much her only option after that.  Even there, though, she flunked out.  I guess this is me saying don't cheat as well, because you don't have a real chance to do that in college, trust me.

Get Off Your Butts!

Okay, so you know what college you want to go to, but know already that you will have problems with paying.  You want to get scholarships, but you know in order to be considered a likely candidate, you need a leg up on most of your competition.  But how?  Easy, just volunteer.  Volunteer for every possible moment that you have free time.  Your senior year is supposed to be fun, but would you rather that fun last for four years, or end that year because you didn't do what you needed to do in order to succeed?  Exactly.  Volunteer at a local church, a food drive, soup kitchen, or animal shelter.  There are many other places to volunteer, but these are commonplace.  Believe me, people who review your application for scholarships love more than anything to see that you gave up your free time to help other people.  Not only does this help your chances and other people, it makes you a better person.  There is such a sense of accomplishment when you help someone out, and it only gets better the more you do it.  Besides, a lot of college require you to do a certain amount of volunteer work anyway, so get used to it.  It's not hard, and it will make everything so much easier.

Teachers Pet

Okay, this is for the people who want to go to college and become a teacher.  You want to find a way around having to pay for a huge loan.  Apply for the Teaching Fellows loan.  What they require is simple:  You go to school, get you degree, but instead of paying off the loan in money, you agree to teach in a low income area or a needy subject (music majors, I'm especially talking to you).  You work there for four years, and you don't have to worry about the loan.  And if you want to find more teaching loans, I suggest Fastweb.com.  Great scholarship site, and usually has the scholarship up online the day it is announced.  Second to that, people don't realize how important their school counselors are at this moment.  Talk to them about scholarships.  There are always local businesses or clubs that have scholarships, especially rotary club or the masons.  The scholarships may be small, but they still help.

Apply Early

This is the easiest thing to remember.  If you apply early, you don't have to worry about late fees, or rushing to get things done.  Apply around the end of summer towards September.  This way you will have more time to worry about the paying of tuition rather than worrying about getting accepted.  Applying early makes a great impression to the college.  It shows them that you are proactive, and in turn, they give more attention to your application.  Also, the quicker you apply, the easier it would be to get certain scholarships from that school.  If you are late, you will miss out on a lot of opportunities.

How to Save Money When Applying for Schools

Alright, so in this post, I will explain how to make it easier on your parents or your wallet when appyling for schools.  Now, everyone knows how expensive it is to complete a college application.  For just one, it is usually at least over $40!  That is, for most people, hard to pay.  But no fear, I am here to save the day.  If you are a high school student, do you receive free lunch from your school?  How about Title 1?  If you aren't sure, ask your parents.  If you do, you are in luck.  Because you receive these services, you are eligible to get fee waivers to pay you application costs!  Just ask your guidance counselor.  You can send in 4-6 applications free of charge with these fee waivers.  And another great bonus: shh, you also get fee waivers to take the SAT and/or the ACT.  Lucky right?  Very.

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