May 2008: Paying for College in Uncertain Times
In this issue of the Financial Aid News, we’ve got audio and video to help you learn more about paying for college, finding a job after graduation, and so much more. – Christopher Penn, Editor
Federal Student Loans
By maximizing your Federal Financial Aid options, such as Stafford and PLUS loans, undergraduate and graduate students can borrow up to the cost of education. At low, fixed interest rates Federal loans are the best place to start. Visit:
http://www.StudentLoanNetwork.com
Audio Highlight: Paying for College in Uncertain Times
On Wednesday, April 9, Christopher Penn and the Financial Aid Podcast hosted a round table discussion with 5 financial aid experts to discuss issues in paying for college. Listen to this 45 minute discussion MP3 and learn some new tricks for making college affordable, such as defraying room and board by becoming an RA. Visit:
http://www.StudentLoanNetwork.com/student-resources/
Feature video article: Building your Personal Network with LinkedIn
May is traditionally job hunting month for graduating seniors, and there’s no better way to kick your job search into high gear than to use career-oriented web sites such as LinkedIn. Watch and listen to this seminar given by Christopher Penn at PodCamp NYC on how to use LinkedIn to further your career prospects and kick your job search into high gear.
http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/?p=1416
Reader Q&A
In this new column, we’re answering questions asked during the roundtable that we didn’t get to.
Joyce asks: I have heard the talk that student loans may be more difficult to get – Is this true? and if so, what alternatives, if any are available to students.
Some student loans may indeed be more difficult to get. Federal student loans such as the Stafford loan should remain available no matter what; even with some lenders ceasing to do business, there are still plenty of other lenders such as the Student Loan Network that will be happy to meet your needs. Private student loans are currently experiencing more difficult credit requirements for borrowers, so virtually all students will require a co-signer, and some families still may need to find alternative funding sources.
More info:
http://www.StaffordLoan.com
http://www.AlternativeStudentLoan.com
Trodessa asks: What is available for very low-income families?
The most important thing that you can do is to file the FAFSA form as early as possible every year. Filing the FAFSA may qualify you for a large amount of scholarship or grant aid from the federal government, primarily intended for very low income families.
More info:
http://www.FAFSAonline.com
Kathleen asks: What do you do when you can not recieve a loan based on your credit history and a cosigner is not an option?
Your best bet is to aggressively pursue scholarships and grants from outside sources. Spend a couple of hours a day tracking down and applying for scholarships, as many as possible, because there are scholarships for everyone, not just valedictorians or quarterbacks. Use our Student Loan Network Scholarship Search Secrets guide to help you!
More info:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook
Scholarships
The Student Loan Network will be holding another SLN 10K drawing on October 31, 2008, so make sure you’re registered at: http://www.StudentLoanNetwork.com/10K/?maynewsletter
Have you registered for Scholarship Points, our free college scholarship awards site? Scholarship Points gives away $1,000 monthly scholarships and other awards.
Visit ScholarshipPoints.com for more details:
http://www.ScholarshipPoints.com
StudentScholarshipSearch.com (http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com) features over $9 billions of scholarships and grants for undergrad and graduate students. New listings are added everyday so make sure you visit often. Here are just a few newly added scholarships and grants:
New England Conservatory Directory of Music Scholarships
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/scholarship/864/
Atlantic Media Fellowship
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/scholarship/863/
AISES Google Scholarship
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/scholarship/862/
Marshall University
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/scholarship/861/
Student Resources
Are you saving enough? Open an ING Direct savings account and start saving money today! FDIC insured accounts mean your money is safe, even in uncertain economic times. Start saving now!
For everyone who’s new, make sure you’re registered for our 10K scholarship. We’re doing the drawing in October.
http://www.studentloannetwork.com/10K/
Be sure to grab a copy of our Scholarship Search Secrets eBook while you’re at it, too. It’s 35 pages on how to use Google and other tools to find scholarships.
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ebook
If you think either of these resources is valuable, please add a link to them on your web site, profile, or other online presence!
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