HOW CAN PARENTS OF COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS ACCESS FREE MONEY FOR COLLEGE?

The cost of a college education is skyrocketing.  Other than the purchase of your home, a college education will be a family’s largest expense in their lifetime.  Is your family prepared to spend in excess of $100,000.00 for your kid’s college education?  I’ve listed a few tips that will help ease the pain if parents become proactive in the process.

Tip #1. Start the search for schools that are a good fit for your child.

Find schools that offer maximum financial aid.  Some are more generous based on their endowments.  Start with a list of 20 to 30 schools  and begin to research their aid history.  Some schools will help more than others.  A good place to start is with College Board’s website(www.collegeboard.com).

Tip #2.  Apply to schools at which  your student has a good chance of being admitted.

Grades and test scores should be in the top 25% of the application pool.  The higher your students GPA, test scores and more importantly, community service attributes, the better chance of admittance and endowment scholarship consideration.

Tip #3. Research the schools Merit Scholarship qualifications.

Merit scholarships are based overall talents of your student.  Family income is not a determining factor when qualifying for these types of awards.

Tip #4. Always complete the Free Application For Federal Student Aid.

You may be pleasantly surprised even if you are a six-figure family.  If you don’t apply for FAFSA, you will be ineligible for any type of federal aid including student loans as well as many merit scholarships.

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Dan Evertsz, the College Money Pro, is the owner of College Planning Specialists located in Oakland, CA. For the past 17 years, he and his partner have helped of hundreds of families obtain financial aid from universities all across the country.

Filed under: Admissions, Applications, Banks, College Debt, College Financing, College Planning, College Workshops, Essays, FAFSA, Grants, High School, Out of State Tuition, Pell Grants, Public Service, Scholarship, School supplies, Students, Tax Credits, Tuition, Universities, Admissions, Choosing Universities, College Financing, college funding, College Planning, college planning tips, financial aid, Grants, money, Scholarships, student financial aid, student loans, Students, Tuition

College Financial Aid – A Game of Strategy

By Pete Becker

Every year, tens of millions of students and their parents struggle to complete the required FAFSA and CSS Profile forms. These forms are required if the family wants to receive financial aid. They ask for all kinds of personal, financial, and even religious information. It can be a very invasive process. What most parents don’t understand is that they are playing a Game conceived by the Federal Government and run by the colleges. Rarely do the colleges explain the rules in advance. In fact, this game is very much like a game of Poker.

For most people, the first few times they play a game, such as poker, someone explains the purpose and the rules to follow. They are helped until they understand and can play on their own. After a while, the new player may attempt to learn how to play the game well enough to win more of the time. If the player is really serious, they will seek out books, articles, and software to sharpen their skills. The strategies they learn will give them confidence in their abilities and they will start to win more often.

The College Financial Aid Game is different though. The rules of the game were created by Congress and the U.S. Department of Education. Each college gets to add in their own additional rules or change the rules to benefit that college. The game is aimed primarily at the parents. Where can they go to learn about the game? Playing this game means filling out the forms and pressing Submit. For most parents, there is only a once a year opportunity to play.

This game as I have described it is a lot like poker. Your cards are actually your income and your assets. The higher cards in a poker deck such as the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack are the equivalent of higher income and assets. Lower poker cards like 2, 3, and 4 represent lower income and assets.

In Poker, the hand with the highest cards at the end of the game wins all the time, except if you are good at bluffing. In the College Financial Aid Game, if the parents are holding high cards, they loose and the colleges win. The parents have to pay the colleges or will receive less in financial aid.

If the parents are holding or appear to be holding the low cards, they win. That means that the colleges will offer them a great deal in terms of financial aid, and this will include grants and scholarships. The key to playing this game is knowing the rules and learning the strategies that will make you appear as if you have low cards. This means knowing how to appear as if your income and assets are diminished.

The colleges do not play a friendly game. Their rules are tough. They are allowed to count your income and assets even in ways the IRS does not. For income, your Adjusted Gross Income is what counts. Your deductions and expenses are your problems. For assets, most are considered fair game. There are 153 different strategies that can be used to level the playing field for you.
When playing their game, it is in your best interest to learn the rules of their game and to learn the strategies that will help you to win!

About the author:
I have had a long career in financial products and small business. My new role is to educate high school parents on how best to prepare financially for college. As an introduction, I have just completed my brand new ebook which covers ten examples that colleges don’t want you to know about the process. It is “Secrets That Colleges Don’t Want You To Know”. Download it free at http://www.collegeplanningpathways.com

Filed under: Admissions, Applications, Banks, College Debt, College Financing, College Planning, College Workshops, Essays, FAFSA, Grants, High School, Out of State Tuition, Pell Grants, Public Service, Scholarship, School supplies, Students, Tax Credits, Tuition, Universities, Admissions, Choosing Universities, College Financing, college funding, College Planning, college planning tips, financial aid, Grants, money, Scholarships, student financial aid, student loans, Students, Tuition

Myths about College Applications

Myths about College Applications

Author: K James

Article:

Myths about College Applications

The college application is an integral part of the college

admission process. The admission departments at colleges require

prospective students to complete an application that usually

comprises of general to specific details like their academic

records, letters of recommendation, personal essays and a list

of extracurricular activities. In all this hullaballoo there are

certain myths that follow college application process. I thought

like talking to you guys about the same in today’s post. Check

my list of top 5 common college myths prevailing among students.

Myth #1: Using a Common Application Can Result In Rejection of

Your Application

There will be no negative impact on your admission when you use

a common application. A common application is a single

application form that you can submit to wide variety of

participating schools. Most schools accept the common

application because it makes the admission procedure relatively

straightforward. When a school receives a large number of

applications, they get more talented students. The common

application is very useful for students as they do not need

search for university-specific applications.

Myth #2: Acceptance Is Based On Your Admission Interview

Your admission is not dependent on the interview. Therefore,

even if your interview has not gone well, it does not mean that

you are going to be rejected by the college of your choice. The

main function of interview is to bring prospective students to

campus and give them more details about the school and give the

school personal contact with the students.

Myth #3: You Have Better Chances of Acceptance If You Attended A

Prep School

Your chances of admission do not increase when you attend a prep

school. Colleges are interested in a diverse class of students

so they want to give admission to students coming from a wide

range of schools. Irrespective of the school you have studied,

admissions officers give preference to students who are ready to

accept challenges and take admission in a tough courses.

Myth #4: A High Sat Score Guarantees Acceptance

If your SAT score is high, it does not mean you are guaranteed

admission into a top college. While proper preparation for SAT

tests is an absolute necessity, they are not classified as

entrance exams. Standardized tests are just one piece of the

admissions puzzle. The majority of top colleges look for good

SAT scores but their main focus is on the kind of courses you

have taken, your performance and extracurricular activities.

Myth #5: Your Application May Be Rejected If You Apply For

Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid does not have a negative impact on

your admission. As you need to apply for financial aid in line

with the college application, make sure that there is no error

in either of your forms. To improve your chances of getting

admission unto a top college, it is advisable that you study

daily and try to get good grades. When applying for grants &

scholarships, talk to an admissions officer as they will help

you in filling out the application form properly.

About the author:

The admission departments at colleges require prospective

students to complete an application that usually comprises of

general to specific details l

By K James

The college application is an integral part of the college admission process. The admission departments at colleges require prospective students to complete an application that usually comprises of general to specific details like their academic records, letters of recommendation, personal essays and a list of extracurricular activities. In all this hullaballoo there are certain myths that follow college application process. I thought like talking to you guys about the same in today’s post. Check my list of top 5 common college myths prevailing among students.

Myth #1:

Using a Common Application Can Result In Rejection of Your Application

There will be no negative impact on your admission when you use a common application. A common application is a single application form that you can submit to wide variety of participating schools. Most schools accept the common application because it makes the admission procedure relatively straightforward. When a school receives a large number of applications, they get more talented students. The common application is very useful for students as they do not need search for university-specific applications.

Myth #2:

Acceptance Is Based On Your Admission Interview

Your admission is not dependent on the interview. Therefore, even if your interview has not gone well, it does not mean that you are going to be rejected by the college of your choice. The main function of interview is to bring prospective students to campus and give them more details about the school and give the school personal contact with the students.

Myth #3:

You Have Better Chances of Acceptance If You Attended A Prep School

Your chances of admission do not increase when you attend a prep school. Colleges are interested in a diverse class of students so they want to give admission to students coming from a wide range of schools. Irrespective of the school you have studied, admissions officers give preference to students who are ready to accept challenges and take admission in a tough courses.

Myth #4:

A High Sat Score Guarantees Acceptance

If your SAT score is high, it does not mean you are guaranteed admission into a top college. While proper preparation for SAT tests is an absolute necessity, they are not classified as entrance exams. Standardized tests are just one piece of the admissions puzzle. The majority of top colleges look for good SAT scores but their main focus is on the kind of courses you have taken, your performance and extracurricular activities.

Myth #5:

Your Application May Be Rejected If You Apply For Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid does not have a negative impact on your admission. As you need to apply for financial aid in line with the college application, make sure that there is no error in either of your forms. To improve your chances of getting admission unto a top college, it is advisable that you study daily and try to get good grades. When applying for grants & scholarships, talk to an admissions officer as they will help you in filling out the application form properly.

About the author:

The admission departments at colleges require prospective students to complete an application that usually comprises of general to specific details like their academic records.

Filed under: Admissions, Applications, College Financing, College Planning, Essays, Grants, High School, PSAT, SAT, Scholarship, Students, Tuition, Universities, Admissions, Choosing Universities, College Applications, College Financing, college funding, College Planning, financial aid, Grants, PSAT, SAT, Scholarships, student financial aid, Students, Universities