Tyra Banks wants to give you money! and Loan Forgiveness Programs

The Tyra Banks Show, in conjunction with projectworkingmom.com and elearners.com is offering "Project Working Mom . . . And Dads, Too!" Scholarship Awards.

There are several opportunities here, but read the information carefully. You agree to have one of the representatives from an accredited online campus to contact you.

http://www.elearners.com/projectworkingmom/project-working-mom-ane-terms-and-conditions.asp?name=about_tmp

The deadline is March 8, 2009.

I noticed information on the left, and elearners.com has a tool which explains loan forgiveness programs and tax breaks.

Here is that information: http://debtfree.elearners.com/how-to-pay-for-school/

Once again, do you research. Check with your contacts in whatever industry or job you're entering whether that college or online degree program is respected.

Also, you can check out the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited PostSecondary Institutions and Programs: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

Free Ivy League Education--Let's do some Research!

Free Ivy League Education--Let's Do Some Research!

Many of you may have read or seen on television about many Ivy League schools offering free or reduced tuition.

I decided to do a little google searching and found these interesting links.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22186316/

If your family makes under $60,000 a year, you can go to Harvard for free. If your family makes between $60,000 and $120,000, you will be required to pay a percentage of your income.

http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/

The best thing to do is to follow up some reading on news sites with actual research at the college. Here you can directly read about Harvard University's initiative.

http://essentialpresence.blogspot.com/2008/02/sharing-knowledge-tip-8-college-for.html

This list was put together by Essential Essence. This is a blog by Tanisha Mathis, a first year law student and blogger. Here you get a list of major universities.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-cash-101/2008/10/10/texas-am-bu-and-vanderbilt-expand-their-aid-programs.html

I know I read something about Vanderbilt University offering tuition reductions, so I googled Vanderbilt and found this blog post. Vanderbilt University, Boston University, and Texas A&M are expanding their aid programs. Of course, this is an interesting blog about paying for college available on U.S. News & World Reports web site, College Cash 101 by Kim Clark: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-cash-101

http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php

Within this blog entry, I came across the mention of 53 institutions who were reducing the cost of tuition for low income familities. The list can be found at this Project on Student Debt's web site.

Researching this information took me about an hour. I used terms I had recently heard in the news. I used google and links found in other web sites.

I wanted to give you an idea of how you could also conduct such a search.

Travel Scholarships and Dave Ramsey

I wanted to share with you the following information.

Travel Scholarships

Do you like to travel? Would you like to explore the world? First, WorldNomads.com gives several scholarships.

For example, the2009 Worldnomads.com Travel Podcast Scholarship has a deadline of April 5, 2009.

More information here: http://journals.worldnomads.com/scholarships/post/27876.aspx

For the many travel scholarships this web site gives, click here: http://journals.worldnomads.com/scholarships/about.aspx

Dave Ramsey Tells You How to Afford College in Difficult Times

Second, in August 2008 Dave Ramsey discussed how to go to college debt free. He has several good ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjLJBZ8FVmY

In Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, he mentions several interesting ideas about how to think about a college education that goes against the norm. I would recommend this book as a good source about financial concepts.

Even if you don't buy the book, go to your local library or your local bookstore and read Dave's concept of how many students finance unnecessary expenses. I remember reading about 2-3 pages that I wished that everybody going to college could read.

Watch Out for Student Loan Scams!

I found this video detailing student loan scams from CBS News Video.

Even though the report is from 2007, the information is still relevant. You are given things to watch out for in order to a student loan scam. Also, how you can check to see if a student loan program is too good to be true.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3183952n%3fsource=search_video

You can check previous posts where I have given information on how to avoid scams.

Here are a few more articles.

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/common.phtml
Common Scholarship Scams

The Federal Trade Commission has a list of warning signs, including a list of defendants who are accused of student loan and scholarship scams.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/

Remember, this weekend is College Goal Sunday, where you can get help on your FAFSA:
http://www.collegegoalsundayusa.org/

You can find out when and where in your state the event is occurring. Also, you can find out what you need to bring in order to receive help.

Research and Planning for College

Use the Internet to Assist You in Researching and Planning for College

In Tennessee, a web site that is sponsored by Tennessee.gov walks you through the process of researching and planning to attend college, including the ability to fill out applications for Tennessee colleges online: http://www.collegefortn.org/

Many universities and colleges have virtual tours and information on their web sites, so that's another resource you can explore.

Other web sites that can assist you in planning for college:

http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/default.asp?sponsor=2859

http://mappingyourfuture.org/

http://www.petersons.com/

Are you using other web sites to help you plan for college or do you want to comment on the ones listed?

Leave a comment with your experiences with the above web sites or the web addresses of other college research and planning sites.

What If I Lose My Job? and Other Questions

I went to a podcast directory to see if there were any podcasts about scholarships.

I found one interesting podcast detailing the case of one parent who had lost his job, changing the amount of money he could contribute to his daughter's education. The commentator gave a very succint answer: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/2009/02/06/cnbc-financial-aid-for-unemployed-parents/

There were several podcasts found here: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/

Since this podcast is brought to you by the Student Loan Network, the Student Loan Network might want to emphasize loans over scholarships. Since one of the major aims of this blog is to encourage you to go to college with little or no debt, do not think that loans are the only way to go to school.

There were several other interesting finds on this web site:

http://www.scholarshippoints.com/free-college-scholarships/ Scholar Points: Free College Scholarships

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ a Free Scholarship Search Engine

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ebook/ Free ebook on how to find scholarships over the Internet

http://www.studentloannetwork.com/10K/index.php?sp=Financialaidpodcast@gmail.com $10,000 Scholarship Application--No Essay, No Recommendations

Once again: a warning--I would not give out my social security number on any of these things.

Most likely, information provided may be good, but remember that they also want to tempt you into using loans. You are the market: beware and be aware.

March 16, 2009--deadline for more than 60 scholarships

March 16, 2009, is the deadline to apply for more than 60 scholarships administered by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Local scholarships are often the hardest to find in your scholarship search, but easier to acquire because there is a lack of competition.

Each scholarship has different criteria; check each out to see if you qualify, especially if you live in Middle Tennessee or Tennessee.

http://www.cfmt.org/index.php

Scholarships for Adults and Returning Students--Marianne Ragins, a $400,000 expert

Marianne Ragins, author of Winning Scholarships for College, 3rd ed., won over $400,000 in scholarships while she was a high school student.

She has listed several scholarships for adult and returning students on her web site, including this one with a deadline of March 1, 2009.

http://www.scholarshipworkshop.com/future.html

Here are more scholarships for adult and returning students:

http://www.scholarshipworkshop.com/adultrtc.html

Here is her entire web site, which would be good to explore, because there are scholarship opportunities and information for everybody.

http://www.scholarshipworkshop.com/

College Goal Sunday--Getting Help Filling Out your FAFSA

College Goal Sunday is a program which occurs in all 50 states where financial counselors will help you fill out your FAFSA.

To learn where in your state you can get help and when, click here:
http://collegegoalsundayusa.org/

In Tennessee, College Goal Sunday is Sunday, Feb. 22. More details here:
http://www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday/

Win A Trip With Nick--Change the World! Deadline: Fri, Feb. 13, 2009

On YouTube, I recently caught a video describing how a college student can "Win A Trip with Nick Kristof," in which the student will go to Africa with him and explore the many causes and solutions to global poverty.

Here is the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoXY8S4iknE

As described in the copy on YouTube, "New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof invites college students to win a trip to Africa with him. The winner will report, blog and vlog from the field. To apply, upload a video response here or submit an essay."

Information can be found at http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/

The contest ends at midnight on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.

Scholarshipexperts.com--Forbes Best of the Web and Scholarships Galore!

I discovered a web site, ScholarshipExperts.com; Forbes.com calls the ScholarshipsExperts.com in its "Best of the Web" Review, "The best scholarship search engine we've found!"

Create a profile at this web site and get unlimited access to a scholarship database of 2.4 million scholarships worth over $14 billion.

http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/

In addition, ScholarshipExperts.com will sponsor six scholarship programs in 2009, and they will award $30,000 in free scholarship money.

Some of these scholarships require a 250 word essay, and "US students who are 13 and up may be eligible to compete for these scholarships--high school students, college undergrads, grad school students, and adult learners are all invited to apply!"

Here is the info: http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/apply.htx

Two Essay Competitions--Let Words Lead You to the Money!

I wanted to let everybody know about two essay competitions and other possible money sources.



1. SuperCollege Scholarship


This essay is open to high school students, undergraduates, and graduates. You write a less than 1,000 word essay. Online submissions must be registered by July 31, 2009. Awards range from $500-$2500 dollars.

http://www.supercollege.com/about/about.cfm?area=7


The money for this scholarship comes from Gen & Kelly Tanabe, author of such books as The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2009, How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay and 501 Ways for Adult Students to Pay for College.


Try out their web site for a scholarship search engine, articles, and other helpful information:

http://www.supercollege.com/



2. Writing Rewards Competition


Pearson Education is having a writing competion which is open to all students who are enrolled in a pre-composition writing course at the time of submission.

Submission deadline is May 31, 2009.

There are three places: 1st, $500; 2nd, $350; and 3rd, 200.


For submission guidelines and thirteen topics from which to choose to write your essay, click here: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/writingrewards/