myUsearch blog

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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On Monday, President Bush signed a $162 billion war spending bill into law. The new bill will increase educational benefits for service members who have served at least three years on active duty. Veterans will be eligible for up to 100% of their full tuition fees and will receive a monthly housing stipend, a tutoring allowance of up to $1200 and $1000 dollars per year for textbooks and supplies.

On the surface, this bill seems like a much needed improvement to the benefits our armed forces receive, but will the benefits really outweigh the costs to our country and our troops?

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Many people dream of graduating from college and moving into that picturesque American lifestyle: An interesting job. A marriage. A house. A speedy car. Kids, a dog and trips to the coast on holidays. And then it hits, the student loan payments show up in a burning red bill every month. Student loans can be dangerous and cause the suspension of that picturesque life for many, many years. Be smart about student loans.

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About a month ago, myUsearch launched a $1000 scholarship for students frustrated with college admissions. We are very excited to give this scholarship to a worthy candidate, but we have a slight problem — we hardly have any candidates.

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Everybody knows that it’s hard to save money while attending college. Everything costs money. For the first time (for many), we’re paying for traveling costs instead of just borrowing the family van, paying for our own meals, washing our own clothes, et cetera. Because of busy class schedules, a part-time job might not be a possibility for many students. So, how can a student make money?

Here are a few creative ways to make a few bucks while in college.

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Scholarships are the ideal form of financial aid…money you don’t have to pay back! For me, they were the only way I could attend the majority of the schools I applied for without going into major debt. Everyone told me the money was out there, I just had to find it. I applied for over 35 national, local and college-specific scholarships. I ended up getting three.

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In honor of Memorial Day, we thought we’d honor those veterans who have selflessly fought for our country by giving them a few tips to pay for college. If you are a veteran, or a spouse or child of a veteran, there are several resources to help you partially or completely pay for your college education.

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Tuition rates are going up all over the place, but its not the education itself that’s pushing prices up, it’s the campus extras that are doing the deed. Colleges claim they have to offer attractive amenities to stay competitive, but some colleges are taking extra amenities – and their tuition costs – to the next level. The question is, do students really care about these amenities or would they rather just have lower tuition?

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myUsearch.com will award a $1000 scholarship to the student with the

best ideas to improve college admissions

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FACT – In 2004, nearly two-thirds (62.4%) of graduates from public universities had student loans. (Source)  Given this level of borrowing, there is no doubt that the current mortgage and student loan crisis has the immediate attention of parents and students.   The student loan squeeze is a  three part series that will answer  a  few of the most  important  questions on the  minds of  students and  parents  around the country.

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myUsearch has just announced that 10% of the company’s profits will be directed to a scholarship program for students in need.  You might be asking, is this just another marketing ploy?  The answer is NO.  Believe it or not, we really do care, seriously.  If it weren’t for a sports scholarship, the founder of myUsearch never would have had the chance to go to college.  So who is eligible for these scholarships?

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According to articles on Michigan Newslog and Young Money, major sources of funding for student loans are backing out of the business, particularly banks like the TCF Financial Corporation, HSBC Bank USA and the M&T Bank Corporation. With three of the fifty largest lenders out of the game, $560 million dollars worth in student loans is now unaccessible to the students who need them. While the need for an education becomes more and more important, tuition rates are soaring to new heights.

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It’s easy to get a little freaked out by all of the news of recession. Just like any other bad news, “if it bleeds, it leads” and news organizations are going to try to capture your attention by making any economic downturn sound as bad as possible.

If you’re hesitating going back to school because you feel the future is too uncertain, or you don’t want to take on debt in a recession, remember that recessions are temporary; education is permanent.

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I remember back in the 80’s when Reebok came out with their new “pump” style sneakers.  The shoe had a rubber ball shaped pump at the top of the tongue, and when you squeezed it, the sneakers would inflate around your heels.  If I was ever going to dunk the basketball, the Reebok Pumps were my ticket.  Of course when I presented the situation to my parents, I got the same response I always got when I asked for money…”do you think money grows on trees?”   My dreams of playing professional basketball were shattered. 

Now that I’m taller, and a financial aid director, I’m starting to believe that my parents were wrong.  Perhaps money really does grow on trees. (more…)

Almost as soon as you start thinking about college, the money questions won’t be far behind.  As the price of higher education continues to skyrocket, more and more students seek scholarships to help pay for school.  Thousands exist, but how do you get them? (more…)

I know there are plenty of parents out there that are saving to pay for the college education of their children.  First of all, I think that is a noble and honorable thing to do and I applaud parents who are doing it.  Your children will be better off because of your intuitive thinking and fiscal intelligence. (more…)

I have spent countless hours researching the best scholarship sites and I now have a serious appreciation for scholarship searchers.  There are so many scholarships out there and there is not one single place to find them.  This list is by no means complete, but it is a list of the best scholarship sites I have found so far. 

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The student loan industry has been viewed with much skepticism over the past few years due to the fact that the percentage of loans over grants and scholarships has increased drastically. This is bad news by itself because many students will not graduate and find a job that enables them to pay off the loans, leaving them to either default or reduce their standard of living. Some schools default rates are so high that federal loans are being removed from the financial aid package entirely.

Until today I thought that default rates and ability to pay the loans back were the only issues. (more…)

There are thousands of scholarships offering money for college to people in virtually any circumstance. If you’re a “nontraditional” student interested in a school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah or Wyoming, the Daniels Fund Opportunity Scholarship is just one possibility. (more…)

Forbes recently estimated the financial aid industry to be a $129 billion business. When there’s that much at stake, you can count on some high-pressure schemes designed to skim some of that for themselves, at your expense.

Here are some guidelines to keep from getting burned on college financial aid. You can beat the scam artists by following a few simple principles. (more…)