myUsearch blog

You applied, you got in, you packed your car and you’re all ready to go off to college. But what about tuition? What about books? And you can’t forget room and board. You’ve sent in your FAFSA form and received a small scholarship, but it still seems like the college price tag might be more than you can bargained for. Where do you go from here?

College Fund photo by djukami

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Today’s guest post was contributed by Eugene Aronsky from wecomparebooks.com

College is expensive. (I am sorry to be so blunt, but this is true). What’s more, given the state of the current economy getting funding for college is far more difficult, and for those of us who are able to get loans to pay for school, paying those loans back will not be easy. On this note, I would like to talk to you about some things that you might do to make college more affordable.

Photo by Steve Wampler 

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Students don’t need to wait until they’ve finished high school to start earning college credit. There are many ways for students to complete college coursework during high school, and this challenge may further motivate them, give them access to a college environment, and can ultimately save thousands of dollars in college tuition. A recent article published by Inside Higher Ed advocates these programs, but I think it might be best for students to wait to take college classes until, well… college. (more…)

It’s that time again. myUsearch has just launched another scholarship to help its users pay for college. This new scholarship will be open to both international and undocumented students, i.e.: any students who are NOT citizens of the United States. We will award $1000 to the international student who can best answer (with a video or an essay):

“How will the completion of a US degree impact your life, your family and your home community?”

 Photo of International Students at Wittenburg by Matt Cline

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Need some money for college? Did you take the SAT or ACT? Consider applying for the myUsearch scholarship. All you have to do to apply is respond to the question: “The SAT/ACT doesn’t measure me…..or does it?” But don’t slack, the deadline is March 1st!  

Photo by Vanessa 

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By now you have probably scoured the internet for scholarships and sent in your CSS Profile and FAFSA in order to apply for financial aid. Still searching for ways to pay for college? Roll up your sleeves, get ambitious, and keep an open mind as you consider these 5 creative ways to pay for college. College is expensive. If you want to graduate without the burdens of being deep in debt, consider some of these options.

 Photo by jtyerse 

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It’s no secret that the cost of college tuition is sky-rocketing. Add the price of books, food, and other personal expenses, and you’ve pretty much dug yourself into a deep dark hole of debt. In the past 2 and half years at the University of Rhode Island, I’ve found some ways to lessen the load of college costs and break the typical “broke college kid” stereotype. Here’s my top 5 tips for saving money at school:

Photo by Material Boy 

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Ok. So I get press releases all the time, but I think this one is really worth a post. Since the media only seems to cover bad news about the struggling economy, I am happy to report a bit of good news for families in the hard-hit financial service industry. The Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation has just announced that it will award five $50,000 scholarships to students whose parents or guardians work (or worked) in the financial services industry. Here is the release:

Photo by ClintJCL

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During this time of economic volatility, we are all beginning to realize that life as we know it will forever be different. But that doesn’t change the ever-present questions on the mind of most high school seniors: What are my college options? What colleges should I apply to? Do I want my parents to foot the bill for an expensive education?

So what exactly should you do to gain access to the best college opportunities during this uncertain time?

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In August, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) was officially signed into law in the hopes of making colleges more affordable, accessible, and responsible. Political buzzwords and legal mumbo jumbo aside, how will this new legislation affect your college plans and college experience?

photo by cdedbdme

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Although Halloween is over, your scariest concern may not be. With all this talk about the economic downturn, you might be wondering how the economy will affect your college search.  With a sagging stock market, federal bailouts, and an increasing unemployment rate, our economy might look more like a haunted house than the dilapidated house down the street.  What does this mean for your college plans?  Should you delay going to college and simply enter the work force?  Can you afford college?  Should you avoid applying to certain colleges because of their cost?  These are valid questions, but I encourage you to take a deep breath.  You’ll get through it.  And let me tell you how… 

 Photo by md91180

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College application season is upon us. You’re a high school senior trying to keep up in classes, striving for the perfect college essay and filling out college applications like it’s a full time job. Sorry to break it to you, but there’s one more thing you need to be thinking about: Financial Aid. The FAFSA may not be available online until January 1, but if you start thinking about financial aid now, your life will be much easier in the spring — And for the next four years.

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It feels like everywhere you turn, life is becoming more and more expensive. There’s the cost of food, gas, rent, bills… it never seems to end. When applying to college, you look for the one with the best reputation or the one that supports your major. You look for the school that will ultimately become your niche. But what kind of price tag should you expect?

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So today is Blog Action Day. Thousands of bloggers have agreed to blog for a cause: Eradicating Poverty. Today myUsearch will join the fight by encouraging one of the most effective ways for individuals to break the poverty barrier: A COLLEGE EDUCATION. College graduates overwhelmingly earn more than those without a degree, but unfortunately the barriers to actually getting a degree and securing a job can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to help you overcome the obstacles to completing your college degree and starting your career:

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Today, we have a guest blogger, Linda P. Taylor, author of “Insider Secrets to Scoring Scholarships”. The following is a short excerpt from her book:

Good news, there is nearly $1.6 BILLION in scholarships available each year. So finding the $5,000 to $50,000 per year you need for college should be easy if you just knew the “secret” of where to look, right? Sorry, no. Bad news is, there are 4 “dirty little secrets” that no one shares about scholarships. If you don’t know how these will 4 secrets will impact your cost of college, you may be wasting your time looking for scholarships. Once you know the truth, you will focus your efforts where you have the chance for REAL success.

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FAFSA, EFC, COA… What do these letters mean?! If you’re looking into financial aid to help lessen the burden of college tuition, you may find yourself swimming in a sea of meaningless jargon and fine print.  It can be tricky knowing where to start when you want to apply for financial aid. The many “do’s” and “don’ts” can be intimidating as well as frustrating. These tips should help you navigate the process. (more…)

As a college freshman, I’ll be experiencing my first year forking out my own hard-earned cash for taxis from the airport to campus, textbooks, concert tickets, bottles of aspirin, those really colorful curtains I want for my dorm room and everything in between. I admit it: I’m really bad at saving money and am an impulsive buyer, but this all about to change (I hope). Here are a few ideas I have to stretch my college budget from August to May.

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Textbooks are expensive. Everyone knows this. A recent survey stated that the average student pays between $700 and $1000 per year for textbooks. Paying hundreds of dollars for a single textbook is bad enough, but when a student has to buy several books, it adds a big chunk of money to pay- in addition to tuition, residence fees and other mounting costs. To save some money, students can buy used textbooks from other students and sometimes from the college’s bookstore. However, the modern way of dealing with textbook prices is to head online. The following links will hopefully help you on your quest to save money.

Photo by wohnai.

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Whether you’re heading off to college this fall or in a couple years, it’s never too early to start figuring out how to pay for college. Even after scholarships and parental contribution, the reality is that you’re probably going to have to take out a student loan. According to FinAid.org, about 65% of students at 4-year colleges take out loans. After you’re sure it’s the best option for you (remember, student loans are scary), it’s time to start hunting for a loan.

Disclaimer: I’m just a kid starting college this fall. This is what I’ve personally learned going through the financial aid process and I am not any kind of financial aid advisor.

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If you thought applying to college was stressful, applying for financial aid is even more daunting. Applying for financial aid can be challenging because you are sharing sensitive financial information on long and complicated forms.

As seniors and their parents put the final touches on their financial aid applications, learn from the following mistakes that many families make about financing a college education.

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