It’s almost the end of December and it’s time to share some scholarships with January 2016 deadlines. Just in time to spend your holiday break applying for scholarships.
Cappex list of 17 Scholarships with January deadlines
About.com list of 97 College Scholarships with January deadlines
JLV College Consulting list of 82 Scholarships with January deadlines
This list should keep you busy over the holiday break!
There are many reasons your child may not get into a specific college—but you should never be one of them.
Sometimes it simply comes down to other applicants being more qualified—whether that be through grades or extracurriculars, maturity level or how admissions officers feel a student will jibe with the university, its mission and the makeup of its incoming class.
But there are many external roadblocks we put on our children that can limit them. Here are three of the most common—and the most detrimental.
Of course, tuition is astronomically expensive, and no one wants to saddle their child with the huge debts that have been the bane of the current generation of post-grads. That being said, there are always scholarships and fellowships available to people with the right skill level.
If your student has a high level of achievement and is looking toward a trajectory that seems like it will break your bank, start your research on these opportunities early—at least a year in advance of application dates. Many scholarship applications are hard work and require essays, financial statements and recommendation letters.
College counselors may be able to help outline solutions too, and there are also a great many free college fairs around the country. Check out the calendars for these, because they not only have people there as representatives of major universities, they also have resources to help your student find the financial aid that is necessary for him or her to achieve a college dream.
In the end, if you have to go with loans, don’t fret… it’s possible that all will be forgiven sometime soon!
Many students (and parents) get hung up on staying close to home, with friends, or in a warmer clime. Encourage your student to look deeper into the kind of education they will receive, rather than whether it gets too far below zero (at say the University of Minnesota). What you know (that they likely do not) is that four years is not a long time. Your child can always return to the bosom of the family, or back to sunny California, once they have a solid degree in hand. But who knows—maybe ice fishing will become a favorite new hobby.
Another common roadblock to finding the right university is too many choices when it comes to the future. It’s important to sit down with your child and have a conversation about what they want in a school, even if they keep saying “I dunno.” Keep in mind there is no perfect place and there are many “right” schools to choose from. I know it seems like a massive decision, but it’s one you can get wrong and not suffer too much—a student can always transfer if things don’t work out.
Here are some areas to focus on to help your child whittle down their list of potential schools:
Ultimately, it’s imperative to give students the latitude to make their own decisions based entirely on their qualifications for college rather than on any other factor. Everything else can be figured out. Remember, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
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About the Author
Ryan Hickey is the Managing Editor of Petersons and EssayEdge and is an expert in many aspects of college, graduate, and professional admissions. A graduate of Yale University, Ryan has worked in various admissions capacities for nearly a decade, including writing test-prep material for the SAT, AP exams, and TOEFL, editing essays and personal statements, and consulting directly with applicants.
A few weeks ago, Alexis Avila from Prepped and Polished interviewed me on his podcast about college prep. The jest of the interview: how did you get involved helping parents with college prep? Of course, this is my favorite topic.
Alexis and I talked about college prep and the obstacles I faced. We discussed what I learned along the way and the mistakes we made. You will learn about my “Ah ha” moments. And also how I started helping parents along with what parents need to know to be an effective college coach.
Take 15 minutes out of your day and listen to the interview. Have questions? Feel free to email me at suzannemshaffer@gmail.com.
Need MORE expert advice, check out my posts here:
Here are the experts I recommended along with Alexis’ podcast links (apart from test prep recommending Prepped and Polished):
Financial Aid: Jodi Okun and my podcast with Jodi Okun
College Visits: Kelly Queijo and my podcast with Kelly Queijo
College Planning: Paul Hemphill
College Essays: College Essay Guy
It’s Scholarship Friday here at Parents Countdown to College Coach. Today I’m sharing my best scholarship search tips from TeenLife.com.
Five Steps to a Winning Scholarship Application
Once you find the scholarship, even if you qualify, it’s important to “package” yourself to get the attention of the scholarship judges. Here are some great tips that should help you when completing your scholarship application.
Read the article at TeenLife.com
How to Search for STEM Scholarships
If your student is considering a STEM college major, there are scholarships available specifically for these majors. But the key is knowing where to look for them.
Read the article at TeenLife.com
6 Better Ways to Search for Scholarships
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the scholarship search. Where do you start? How to you find them? What method should you use?
Read the article at TeenLife.com
How to Use Pinterest to Find a Scholarship
Pinterest for scholarships? You bet! There are numerous boards on Pinterest highlighting scholarships. I have a scholarship board and so does Monica Matthews. Here’s how to use Pinterest to find scholarships.
Read the article at TeenLife.com
Raise.Me: A New Way to Earn Scholarships in High School
Cash in on grades, volunteer activities, community service, and other high school projects and see the scholarship dollars add up.
Read the article at TeenLife.com
5 Uncommon Ways to Find and Win Scholarships
You know the drill for the scholarship search: use the search engines and ask your high school counselor about scholarships. But don’t stop there, use these five unusual ways to search and apply for scholarships.
During these tough economic times, everyone is finding ways to cut costs. Pinching pennies and forgoing that latte can add up, but what about paying less for those college expenses: tuition, room and board, books, and meals. Until our economy picks up and catches up with the rising cost of tuition, parents and students need to find creative ways to cut college costs. These ten tips might help you keep a little more money in your pocket and graduate with little or no debt.
1.Consider private college
Some people believe that if you forgo the high-priced private universities, you can save some bucks. But is that really the case? The simple truth is that many private colleges give great financial aid in the form of grants and scholarships. They can do this because of their generous alumni who reinvest in their alma maters. Many times, you could end up paying less at an expensive private university than you would at a local state college.
2. Choose EA or regular decision
If you apply early decision, letting colleges know that they are your first choice college, you lose your bargaining power. That bargaining power can mean huge dividends when it comes to financial aid. If your teen is accepted to several colleges and each offers them some grants and/or scholarships, you can use those offers to negotiate more aid with the college of your choice. Early decision robs you of that negotiation.
3. Take Dual Credit and/or AP Classes
If you take dual credit classes during high school, you can get college credit at the same time you receive high school credit. In many cases, you can get enough credit to enter college as a sophomore. Additionally, if you take AP classes, be sure to take the AP tests which many colleges count as credit if you test well. By choosing either option, you can save on the cost of tuition. For more information on how this works, you can order or download a free copy of the National Center for Education Statistics’ publication: Dual Credit and Exam Based Courses.
4. Work during college
Studies show that working during college helps you with time management and organization. If you work while you’re in college you can use that money for textbooks, living expenses, and even put some it toward tuition expense. It makes better sense to work than borrow and pile up your student loan debt.
5. Don’t buy new textbooks
With all the websites offering textbook options, think before you plunk down top dollar for those new textbooks. Consider buying used, renting, or even downloading e-textbooks. All these options will save you hundreds of dollars every semester. Barnes and Noble has made this easy by providing a link where you can search for new, used, rentals and e-textbooks all in one location.
6. Live at home or become an RA (Resident Assistant)
Room and board can be a huge portion of your college expense. One option is to live at home if the college is within driving distance. If you aren’t interested in living at home, here’s another option: apply to become an RA (Resident Assistant). Some colleges allow RA’s to live rent free (which means a huge cost saving on room and board). Others give substantial discounts.
7. Use your student ID card for discounts
That student ID is useful for more than just getting into your college dorm. Use it everywhere for substantial discounts at restaurants, on clothing, on books and even groceries. Ask local businesses if they honor the student ID if you don’t see a sign at the cash register or drive-thru.
8. Consider community college
Community college is considerably cheaper and can offer you an opportunity to get some of your core subjects out of the way. The difference between $3000 for a college credit at a university and $300 a credit at a community college can add up to substantial savings. Don’t forget to check with your college first and make sure they will accept credits from the community college.
9. Take a look at your meal plan
Most students don’t need the full meal plan (3 meals a day). If you knock your meal plan down to the minimal one meal a day you can save thousands of dollars per semester. Most college students roll out of bed in the morning, grab a red bull or coffee, snack during the day and often order out late at night. Why pay for three meals a day when you don’t eat them?
10.Graduate in three years
Imagine the money you can save if you graduate in three years instead of the 4-6 years required by most college students. How is that done? First, if you were wise and took those dual credit or AP classes it’s possible to chalk up 12-15 credit hours before you ever set foot on campus. For some excellent tips on why and how to graduate in three years, check out this amazing post by a guy who advises parents on how to pay less for college: How to Graduate in 3 Years! The economy has forced all of us to tighten those belts and eliminate wasteful spending. These 10 tips can potentially save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars on college costs.
If you are considering college, or headed off to college in the fall, you should make friends with these people on campus: admissions counselors, financial aid officers, and current students. Why? Because these three groups of college connections can help you with all the aspects of navigating the college maze:
It’s not secret that making friends with the admissions department can go a long way in securing your eventual acceptance. Admission officers keep track of how often you visit their campus, contact them regarding information, and express an interest in their institution. If you application is marginal, contact with an admissions officer could give you that extra push needed for acceptance. Schedule an interview when you visit campus, secure a business
card with contact information, and follow up after the visit. Recognizing your name when those thousands of applications arrive can help get your application on the top of the pile.
These helpful people can provide you with the information you need to know about financing your college education. Ask them questions about the total cost of college. This not only includes tuition, room and board, but additional costs incurred to attend. Once you have applied, you might also need to clarify some financial information related to the FAFSA, write an appeal letter for additional aid, or contact them about your aid disbursements. Schedule an appointment when you visit campus, secure a business card, and file it for future reference when/if you need a contact in that office.
Students who are currently attending college (specifically the one you are interested in attending) can be a valuable resource for information. You can connect with them on your campus visit, follow them on Twitter, and find them on the college’s Facebook page. Do some navigating on the college website for bloggers and for individual sites that are set up through the college itself. Connecting with students will help you get a feel for the type of student who is attending, and can help you once you are accepted by answering questions related to moving in, getting settled, and making that transition on campus. Networking is just as important in college as it is in the job world. Making those essential connections will ease the college application process and simplify the transition to college once you are accepted.
With today’s technology, information is everywhere–from blogs, to social media, to college websites. But when you’re looking for information wouldn’t it be great to actually SPEAK with the experts and ask questions for FREE?
That’s what Twitter chats can do for you. Experts in the area of college prep gather together on Twitter during Twitter chats to provide you with the most up-t0-date information on the college application process.
For those of you who are new to Twitter chats, #SEOChat has a very good explanation of how they work, how to participate and even some good resources to search for more chats. But here are a few simple instructions:
Chat times and dates change, but if you follow their Twitter feed you will be notified of any date and time changes.
Still not convinced these chats are worth you time? Check out my post: Why you should attend Twitter chats.
There is great discussion among parents about whether or not scholarship applications are worth it. I happen to be one who believes they are. My daughter attended an expensive private university based on the scholarships she won from outside sources and from the university itself. Those scholarships allowed her to attend a school that was financially out of reach. Hence, I’m a firm believer in the value of scholarships.
Here are 3 reasons I believe ALL college-bound students should apply:
Applying for scholarships, in my mind, is a no-brainer. But the BEST of the scholarship money train is the full-ride scholarships. If you can tap into that money, your student can attend college with little money woes and graduate debt free.
Our friends at LearnU, an education news site that strives to help people stay current on the most newsworthy topics in education, education technology, education legislation and the private education marketplace, has compiled an extensive list of full-ride scholarships (competitive, academic, and National Merit Finalist). Use the list, plug your son or daughter in, and start looking at these colleges to tap into that FREE money!
Young people love their tech, and love sharing content — movies, music, pictures, software and games, not to mention information for classwork and projects. They also go all over the Internet to make purchases, sign up to websites and access information, often putting important personal and financial data online. The fact that most colleges do not offer great Internet in dorms or on campus can only mean that there’s often a great deal of sharing that goes on.
The problem is that as tech savvy as college students usually are, they haven’t had much experience facing up to the consequences of carelessness. Malware infections could wipe out important data, projects included, lose people money, and spread among friends.
There is of the problem of actual theft and damage, too
Hundreds of colleges publish detailed antitheft guides for the benefit of students. They do it because it’s a prevalent problem — each campus reports around 100 laptop test thefts each year. Libraries, study areas and cafés tend to be high-risk areas.
Colleges aren’t well-prepared
Going by a study by BitSight Technologies, colleges simply aren’t well-prepared when it comes to protecting the interests of their students when they use their tech in college. Not only do college students experience high levels of infections by trojans, worms and viruses, there is often the possibility of adware infection, as well. Surprisingly, Apple computers, which tend to be popular on campuses, tend to be particularly under assault with malware such as Flashback that is specific to OS X. Colleges are not particularly well-prepared against physical theft, either. Most colleges do not buy insurance to cover their students. It’s every man for himself.
Students, who tend to be under considerable financial strain paying for college, can hardly afford to have their tech stuff damaged by malware, to lose money to identity theft (which tends to be a particularly serious problem in Britain), or to lose or break their stuff. It’s important to take precautions.
Protecting your tech against online attacks
Malware: Colleges tend to offer students free anti-malware scanning and security software such as antivirus. It’s always a good idea to ask for it, rather than pay. When it comes to mobile devices, it’s important to use devices that haven’t been jailbroken or rooted. These processes can undermine inbuilt security measures. It is also important to learn how to discriminate between good software and bad (usually free) software.
Theft of financial information: Since students tend to do a lot of their internet use at public access points such as cafés and libraries, they tend to be exposed to a far greater level of risk than people who do their work at home. It’s important to remember to never access bank accounts or use credit cards at public places. It’s a far better option to do such work on a safe, personal connection — such as might be provided on a mobile Internet access plan.
Protecting your tech against physical damage
College tech stuff tends to not be very long-lived. Whether it is dropping a laptop or gaming console or spilling liquid in one, bad things happen to good equipment in colleges. Improper use is also a prevalent problem. Students, for instance, may attempt to save money on their personal printers by using ink refill kits, or purchasing remanufactured cartridges at stationery stores. It’s a far better idea both for print quality and equipment life to simply look for discount cartridges online. Discount HP, Epson and Canon ink cartridges can be sourced here, for instance.
Protecting against theft
Finally, making sure that no one steals your stuff comes down to simple common sense — you don’t want to leave your equipment in a dorm room that isn’t locked, or leave it on a table at the library when you go to the bathroom. Theft is common. Installing encryption and tracking software can be a good idea, too, if someone does get their hands on your computer.
John Sollars started Stinkyink.com in 2002, a printer cartridge supplier in the UK. He knows a thing or two about printing and he enjoys sharing his ideas and insights online through blogging.e
With the holidays approaching, parents are searching for gifts for soon-to-be college students. Heading to college in the fall, students have many needs (and wants). #CyberMonday is the perfect time to begin shopping for these unique gifts. This comprehensive list of gifts ideas from other websites should give you plenty of ideas when shopping for your soon-to-be college student.
http://dodoburd.com/gifts-for-college-students
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/20-great-holiday-gifts-for-college-students/
http://wreg.com/2015/11/28/twenty-great-holiday-gift-ideas-for-your-college-student/
https://www.pinterest.com/studentrate/stocking-stuffers/
http://www.amazon.com/lm/2F1DRI578IMWQ
http://www.examiner.com/article/5-free-priceless-gifts-for-college-bound
http://www.parenting.com/child/education/12-high-school-graduation-gifts-college-bound-students
https://www.universityparent.com/topics/dates-events/top-holiday-gifts-for-college-students/