In this issue:
- Introduction
- Featured Article: Scholarship Search Secrets, Part 4 of 4
- Featured Article: Scholarships Bonanza
- A Word from our Sponsors
- Privacy and Subscription Information
- Back Issues
- Sponsor this newsletter!
This issue, we cover a slew of full tuition scholarships and part 4 of 4 in the Scholarship Search Secrets guide. Remember, our student scholarship search web site is always free and requires no registration or any personal information. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
If you need assistance quickly, be sure to check out our alternative student loan resource center; loans can fund in as few as five business days after receipt of completed application. Visit:
http://www.AlternativeStudentLoan.Com
Enjoy this month's newsletter, forward it to your friends, and please send feedback to financialaidpodcast {at} gmail.com with any comments, suggestions, etc. Don't forget to listen to our free daily podcast (no iPod needed) at:
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
Christopher S. Penn
Publisher, The Student Financial Aid News
Producer/Director, The Financial Aid Podcast
A Publication of the Student Loan Network
1250 Hancock Street, Suite 703N
Quincy, MA 02169
Featured Sponsor: Student Loan Consolidation!
If you have federal Stafford or PLUS loans, the July 1, 2006 legislative rate change will not affect your loans. Good news, right? Well... not so much, because the index by which your current variable rate loans continues to rise as well, the 91-day Treasury Bill (T-Bill). On Thursday, the T-Bill closed out at 4.5%, which means that if student loan rates were set today, the rates would be:
- Stafford in grace: 6.2%
- Stafford in repayment: 6.8%
- PLUS loans: 7.5%
As you can see, these rates are not significantly lower than the government-mandated rates for new loans. What does this mean for you? Consolidating your student loans, no matter what terms your loans have, is the smartest thing you can do to keep interest rate hikes at bay.
Consolidate today - call 877-328-1565 or consolidate online. It's free and will keep you safe from interest rate hikes. Visit:
http://www.StudentLoanConsolidator.com
Feature Article: Scholarship Search Secrets, Part 4 of 4
Scholarship Search Secret #3: Start narrow!
Get out another sheet of paper or start another document on your computer. We're now going to construct a list of questions (queries) to try in Google. What's going to be important here is to start searching for scholarships based on relevance to you. For example, based on the information we provided above, a reasonable search is (as shown) Boston University scholarships. We could also use shotokan karate scholarships and criminal justice scholarships.
Now, that would give you a heck of a beginning for a scholarship search. Let's, as the TV chef says, kick it up a notch, shall we?
Scholarship Search Secret #4: Magic Words
There are good words, bad words, and then there are magic words. What are magic words? Simply put, magic words are the words you swap in and out of queries to get different results. In our case, they're synonyms for scholarships, and once you've got a list of search queries based on who you are and what you want to do, you can substitute these words in for potentially different results. What are the magic words? Here we go.
Scholarship, scholarships (yes, they are different, singular and plural - you should assume from here on that any term which appears in singular should also be tried plural, and vice versa), gifts, grants, award, financial aid, endowment, prize, foundation, fellowship, honorarium, bequest, aid, tuition, trust, and stipend. Not all of these will yield results, but they're worth a try.
For example:
Boston University criminal justice scholarship Boston University criminal justice fellowship Boston University criminal justice grant
Scholarship Search Secret #5: Red Alert
We will assume from the previous step that you've now got a list, a solid list, of about 25 - 30 scholarship queries which return results that are relevant to your personal details. Maybe by this point you've even started to apply for some of the awards you've found. Something important to remember, though: scholarship search is a year-round sport. You can't afford to take time off from your search if you want to maximize your chances of financial aid.
What if there were a tool that could search for you every day, every minute, keeping an eye on everything, and alerting you when new scholarships based on your needs became available? Wouldn't that be an incredibly powerful tool?
There is such a tool. And believe it or not, it's free, too. It's called Google Alerts, and they're about to become your next best friend.
Get started by surfing over to http://www.Google.com/alerts and if you don't already have a Google account, now is the time to set one up. You'll need a working email account that can receive mail, and if you have spam filters set up, you'll want to allow all mail from alerts@google.com to get through.
Once you've logged into your new Google account, you'll want to get your list of searches from the previous steps handy. Start entering them into the interface, adding an alert for each search. One thing that's important here with alerts is that Google alerts scan through both news and the Web, so you'll want to make sure you select both. You'll probably also want alert messages once a day, rather than as they happen, or you will have a very full mailbox.
Google Alerts will surf the Web and news for you, and bring to your attention any new scholarships or awards that fit your criteria. This is an incredibly powerful tool in your quest for financial aid, so take the time to enter all your queries - even the ones that didn't generate good results in the previous steps.
Thanks for joining us. Remember, you can get a full copy of this book by subscribing to the Financial Aid Podcast for free at:
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
...and as a bonus, you'll get regular updates to the guide.
Featured Article: Scholarship Bonanza
We know that scholarship searching is (or should be) top of the list for you in terms of priority for finding financial aid, and we know that full tuition scholarships are the very cream of the crop. This month, we're expanding our usual scholarship update with a large number of scholarships, including many full tuition scholarships. You could go to college for free.
Be sure to visit our new, free scholarship search site, with awards in it worth $374,808,688 with new awards being added regularly. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
In addition, we continue to maintain our paid scholarship search site at:
http://www.GotScholarships.com
And of course, not to leave out international students, visit:
http://www.InternationalScholarships.com
Finally, subscribe for free to the Financial Aid Podcast. DAILY scholarship and financial aid information!
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
Here are a few selections from www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com:
Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program
The Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELRP) offers registered nurses substantial assistance to repay educational loans in exchange for service in critical shortage facilities. Authorized by Section 846 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, the purpose of the NELRP is to assist in the recruitment and retention of professional nurses dedicated to providing health care to under-served populations. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
Seton Hall University Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship
Incoming female freshmen who are U.S. citizens and intend to major in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics or physics (excludes pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-veterinary, PA, PT, AT, OT and nursing programs). Awarded in the Fall Semester only for full-tuition, all fees, room and board and a $500 annual stipend for books. Application form and essay must be submitted along with application for admission by scholarship deadline, February 1. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
New Mexico Universities Lottery Success Scholarship Program
The Lottery Success Scholarship Program has provided scholarships to more than 35,000 New Mexico college students since its inception in 1997. All net profits from New Mexico Lottery sales go to the scholarship program, after payouts for prizes and operating expenses. Roughly 24 percent of lottery revenues end up going to the scholarship program. The lottery has generated more than $194 million for the program. Eligible students may receive scholarships worth up to 100 percent of their tuition at New Mexico public colleges and universities. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund
Fellowships are restricted to graduate students who are United States citizens attending an accredited institution of higher education within the United States. The program of study need not be limited to Armenian studies, and candidates can be of any national descent. Applications must be submitted through the dean of the university. The Fund also makes grants to support the publication of dissertations, historical or literary works focusing on Armenian culture or history. Additional conditions apply. Fellowships include an $18,000 stipend, plus tuition. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
United Negro College Fund Directory
You can use this site to search through thousands of scholarships and grants, many of which are administered by the United Negro College Fund. You will have access to both UNCF administered scholarships and scholarships administered by other organizations. You can search alphabetically, geographically and by discipline or major. Visit:
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
Hawaiian Community Foundation Scholarships Directory
A giant directory of Hawaiian scholarships. All scholarship applications and supporting material must be postmarked by March 1st.
http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
Finally, subscribe for free to the Financial Aid Podcast. DAILY scholarship and financial aid information!
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
And now a word from our sponsors...
Graduate student? Many private graduate student loans can't even cover the cost of tuition, never mind the total cost of graduate school. The GradLoans.com Private Graduate Student Loan provides up to $50,000 per year for graduate students, and $70,000 per year for medical, dental, and law students. Learn more or apply now. Visit:
Tired of textbooks and gloomy newspapers? Pick up one of the most refreshing books on poetry, philosophy, and leadership - Wisdom from the Village of the Cold Moon, by Stephen K. Hayes. Filled with inspiring verse and ideas, this rare, out-of-print book is available again for only a short time as a limited edition hardcover. Beautifully bound, individually numbered, and autographed by the author, this collectible will inspire for years to come. Visit:
Financial Aid Strategies (FAS), LLC is comprised of the most dedicated and talented financial aid consultants in the country. FAS will:
+ Develop strategies to lower Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and thus qualify you for the maximum financial aid available. + Complete, file and review all financial aid forms for each year your student is in college + Guide your family's college selection by showing you which schools provide the most aid + Negotiate with schools in an effort to secure the most beneficial financial assistance for your family
Thousands of dollars are lost each year by parents, students and other preparers who have little or no idea how to legally represent a family's financial position which will in turn, increase their eligibility for financial aid.
Find out whether we can help you! Visit:
Not affiliated with or a service of the Student Loan Network.
Privacy & Subscription Information
You can always change your subscription options by visiting our subscription page, located at:
We value your privacy. We do not under any conditions sell, rent, share, or distribute your email address at any time unless you specifically request that we do so by applying for a specific product or service. Organizations and companies that wish to communicate with you must do so by sponsoring our newsletter.
Would you prefer to read Financial Aid News as an RSS feed? You can! We update the feed for each issue. You can subscribe to it using FeedReader or any RSS/XML feed reader at:
Subscribe to our podcast in 2 easy steps!
- Download iTunes and install it.
- Click here to subscribe!
If you wish to write us via postal mail, you can direct correspondence to:
The Edvisors Network, Inc.
1250 Hancock Street, Suite 703N
Quincy, MA 02169
Missed an issue? Did you remember a scholarship but can't find the back issue? You can always find back issues of the Financial Aid Newsletter at:
Want to tell a friend about the newsletter? Forward a copy to them, or have them visit:
Sponsor the Financial Aid Newsletter!
Sponsorships are limited to one per month. Your Sponsorship message in the newsletter will be delivered to more than 779454 subscribers, many of whom forward the newsletter to friends, associates and customers. If you would like us to consider you or your company for Sponsorship, please send email to: newsletter@financialaidnews.com
Share this page!
