All Entries in the "College Relief Programs" Category

8 Tips For College Students on How to Avoid the “Hey Mom and Dad, Please Send Money” Blues

A Dumpster Diving College Student

It’s that time of year.  The money earned last summer is getting dangerously low.  You’re going to name your first born  “Kraft” after Kraft macaroni and cheese.

There’s always that option to write Mom and Dad - see youtube below for instructions.

But maybe you can push off the groveling for a few more weeks with these tips.

1. Deep discounts on textbooks at Amazon.com/textbooks.  You can also sell your books here- but hopefully you can wait until the end of the semester!
   
2. Need a student loan?  Simple Tuition simplifies the process.
3. Find out how to get a break on paying back your student loans, too.
4. If you still want to get a away for spring break, even with your dismal financial situation, StudentUniverse.com sniffs out the best deals for you with their awesome search engine.
5. Shop smart by utilizing sites like the Students Savings Club
6. If you need a new computer, the Apple Store offers student discounts, and gradware.com offers software discounts.
7. Freeware- Malwarebytes will keep your computer running.  And check out all the freeware out there.
8. As a last resort there’s always dumpster diving.  Here’s a site on the do’s and don’ts that will keep you healthy and out of jail.   I know some college students that swear by this!

• College money all at once or allotted over time? I received a very interesting question from a reader this week. Marsha asks: If a child has money given to them for college, should it...
• Student Loans: How Much Is it Okay to Borrow? 65.7% of college students have to get student loans to pay for college, and the average student loan debt is $19,237 for a graduating senior...
• Why you should worry about interest I hear people talking sometimes about how they're not paying off their student loans because the interest rate is so low that it's not worth...

Thinking of Going Back to Graduate School? Make Sure There’s a Payoff

NPR recently reported that the cost of attending graduate school can often outweigh the benefits.

If you’re already working, but considering graduate school - either full time or part time - there are a number of factors to evaluate before taking the plunge:

What is your motivation?

If your motivation is financial, determine if the pay-off is there by:

evaluating your target job market over the next 5-10 years.

• Is it increasing?
• What is the pay scale? Will you make more money when you graduate?
• Where are the jobs located?

discussing with your current employer any potential job opportunites. Do they include a pay increase

If your motivation is to study what you love, Lucky you!

Not everyone finds something that draws them. In this case, the sacrifice is absolutely worth it, but you still want to be smart about your decisions.

• Do you need to attend a prestigious school? You pay a lot for a big name.
• Will your current employer pick up the tab?
• Is your major one that allows you to teach undergraduates as part of your education? For example, science graduate students almost always can get some financial support for teaching science labs.
• Would you consider an ROTC program? These programs commit you to five years of military service upon completion, but will pay for everything while you are in school.
• Will you go full time or part time? What will the impact be on your current lifestyle? Are these sacrifices you are able to make until you graduate?
• Are you eligible for any scholarships? There are many opportunities out there for scholarship money. Doing your homework could pay off.

How will you pay for it?

Graduate school costs have increased 60% in the last decade, 240% in the last 20 years, states the Wall Street Journal. If you’re borrowing the cash, even with an education loan, you could be paying back that money over the next twenty years. Will your increase in salary compensate for this additional payment? Does that matter to you?

Has anyone gone back to graduate school after working a few years? What has been your experience?

• Your Education: Is Graduate School Worth It? It’s pretty much generally agreed that taking the time to attend college, putting in all of the academic effort and paying for school will pay...
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• Online Degrees and Information Relating Online degrees are newest in technology, yet the schools have been in existence for years. Unlike attending classes, traveling to schools, or struggling to find...

Getting a Break on Your Student Loans

“The average college student graduates with $21,000 in debt,” says CNN in a recent article. That’s not exactly the best springboard to launch your life from. The good news is that there are a number of relief programs available that can ease the burden.

Loan Forgiveness- Working in public service jobs could buy you a loan reduction, or even a loan cancellation. The website Mapping Your Future provides tools to help you determine if you’re eligible for any of these programs. They can help you find out who holds your loan if you are unsure. There are also specific public service organizations that help their employees pay back their school loans.

Economic Hardship Deferments- if you’re struggling to make your payments, check out this hardship deferment calculator to see if you might qualify for a loan extension. This can ease some of the burden, but remember, you will be paying as much as twice the amount of interest by extending your payments over a longer period of time.

If you qualify for any of these programs, you can save thousands of loan dollars. I wish I had one of these for my mortgage!

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• Prosper com Loan Ordering Feature Request My account has 56 loans originating across 7 months.  I regularly go and look at the entire list and attempt to gleam which loans need...