Funding an Education using the S.E.C.R.E.T. Method, Part 2

I created the S.E.C.R.E.T. method—Selective Efforts Create Rapid Effects Tomorrow—to replace FEAR—False Expectations Appearing Real.

2. Fill out the forms and make profiles at three top scholarship search engines.

I recommended Fast Web yesterday (http://www.fastweb.com); here are two more sites:

http://www.scholarships.com

Peterson’s Scholarship Central: http://www.petersons.com/finaid/landing.asp?id=806&path=ug.pfs.scholarships

Peterson publishes many good books about the process of going to college; here is its main web site: http://www.petersons.com/

Create an email account at http://www.yahoo.com/, http://www.hotmail.com, or http://gmail.google.com, so that can you give out this email address to the scholarship web sites. Just use this account for scholarships.

Many of these scholarship search engines will send updates to your email. Also, you can avoid spam by not giving out your primary email address.

Scholarship sites are often free because they provide a way to market to those who are going to college. Just be aware as you fill out these forms to be selective in the material you share. For example, I didn’t mind receiving mail from advertisers in college about health insurance.

Never post your social security number on the Net or answer such questions as "What is your mother's maiden name?" I also would be wary of paying anyone for scholarship searches. You can do searches for free at these search engines or at your local library.