FAP383: Fantastic scholarship tips from Ben Kaplan, FAS video games, grace period student loan consolidation, Matthew Ebel

Click the blue arrow to listen: MP3 file

Student Financial Aid News
+ Two private colleges in New York State, Union College and Nazareth College, announced Tuesday that the would no longer require the SAT for admission. College officials said that they believed success at their institutions could best be predicted by grades in rigorous courses.
+ The Citizendium was announced Tuesday — an effort to create a Wikipedia alternative in which entries are produced by scholars and other experts, who are identified.
+ “Welfare recipients might find it nearly impossible to go to college under new rules being forced upon the state by Congress, state officials said Sunday,” The Charleston Gazette reports. “Today, 535 college students in West Virginia use welfare to support their families while they go to school, said Dan Hartwell, state program manager for Temporary Aid to Needy Families. Those students count their college classes toward meeting their TANF work requirement, under current state law. But the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 changed the rules.”
+ At the Brown Corporation meeting two weekends ago, members passed a resolution that calls for increasing the financial aid resources available to prospective international students at Brown. In an e-mail sent out to students, President Ruth Simmons wrote that the University “will seek to increase the financial aid budget for international students by over 30%.” The budget increase is part of an attempt to further diversify the student body and enhance Brown’s international prestige.
+ Student Ben Bernstein strongly disagrees, arguing that aid should be increased for domestic students first
+ I’ve got my opinion but I want to hear yours. What do you think? Vote now!
+ The Federation of American Scientists — which typically weighs in on matters of nuclear weaponry and government secrecy — declared Tuesday that video games can redefine education. Capping a year of study, the group called for federal research into how the addictive pizazz of video games can be converted into serious learning tools for schools. The theory is that games teach skills that employers want: analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem-solving under duress. Unlike humans, the games never lose patience. And they are second nature to many kids.

Scholarship Search Secrets
+ Ben Kaplan of BenKaplan.org wrote a fantastic column
+ Concrete steps towards becoming eligible for more aid
+ Get admitted to colleges where you stand out
+ Add personal, supportive anecdotes to essays
+ Find areas where colleges have need – oboe example
+ Contact individual professors or coaches in your specialty and ask
+ Winning additional outside scholarships can actually improve your desirability to a college
+ Money attracts money
+ Free scholarship search site
+ Free scholarship contest site

Focus On Financial Aid
+ Student loan consolidation in your grace period
+ 0.6% off your rate for variable rate loans
+ How much of a difference can that make?
+ Stafford at 7.14% vs. Stafford at 6.54%
+ From $234 to $158 – $76/month or $907/year
+ $151 with the additional 0.6% – $7/month, $84/year
+ $30K: 350/237/226 – $11/month, $121/year
+ $50K: 584/361/342 – $19/month, $228/year
+ When does the grace period end? 6 months after you graduate or drop below half time enrollment
+ Run the numbers yourself at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Consolidate your student loans now at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ If you graduated in May, it’s up in November, so act soon

Podsafe Music
+ Matthew Ebel, I Know You’re There
+ New single from Matthew Ebel tomorrow
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network

Reminders
+ Private student loans
+ Federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidNews.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

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