When Should High School Students Look for Scholarships?

Which Colleges and Universities Offer the Most Financial Aid?

USA Today recently published findings from the 2018 issue of the Princeton Review. They listed updated information on colleges and universities helping families in their search for the best choice for graduating seniors. Although all details contained in the article are beneficial, I find the list of the Best Financial Aid to be the most compelling. I don’t believe college graduates should have to spend decades trying to pay back college loans.

I’ve dedicated the rest of my life to helping families avoid taking out college loans. This is why I wrote Free College Awareness. Until the US joins the rest of the first world countries in making Pre-K through College tuition free, I believe families should pursue scholarships and grants, not loans. Therefore, this list of institutions of higher education offering the Best Financial Aid is of interest to me.

The top college in financial aid in 2018 is Bowdoin College, with grants averaging $42,200 per student. The second and third are Vanderbilt University and Colgate University. I believe students should select the lowest cost accredited university which will provide them an education in the field of their choice. These three institutions should be high on the list, considering how much financial aid they supply. But, families would be wise to read the offers their children receive to insure that they do not end up needing student loans to cover all costs.

It’s far better to go to a lower cost university for free than a higher cost university no matter the amount of grant or scholarship, if the financial aid package does not cover everything. Remember, college loans are forever.

For more information, you’ll want my new book, Free College Awareness, coming soon from Griffin Publishing. How to avoid needing college loans; available soon to families of Pre-K through High School students.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo credit: Google Images

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Why Students Do Better with a Study Buddy

How to Gamify a “Boring” Classroom Lesson

Although using games in the classroom to keep students engaged is currently all the rage, it’s not new. Several decades ago I realized I could use competition and fun to help students enjoy practicing new grammar or vocabulary in my language classes. One funny incident comes to mind. My French 2 students laughed and hollered encouragement to their teammates one day as they hurried to the board to manipulate elements in sentences I had written there.

Students shouted hints when they saw a mistake in subject/verb agreement or an incorrect possessive pronoun. It sounded like chaos, but it really wasn’t. I had complete control, which is what the principal saw after he threw open the door, thinking there was a fight in my class. The students froze when they saw his face. They were more surprised than he was.

After a brief pause in which I explained what we were doing, the students went back to their competition. Each student went to the board and changed an element in the sentence and made sure the grammar was correct after doing so. When he/she was finished, another student from the same side of the classroom ran to the board and did the same. They couldn’t leave the board, until I confirmed their sentence was correct. The winning team (side of the classroom) was the one in which everyone had completed a turn at the board.

The principal watched until the game was over, and then asked what students were practicing. I had a student volunteer explain the point of the game, and the grammar involved. He was impressed students were so enthused while completing what could have been a mind-numbing grammar exercise.

Almost any lesson can be turned into a simple, fun competition. I almost always used one side of the room against the other, moving a student if necessary to make the numbers even. I used this technique for years. Students loved the “game”, knowing full well I was conning them into doing vocabulary or grammar review. It was one of their favorite activities. And what did the winning team actually win? Bragging rights until the next time. No prizes, no extra points, just fun, and higher scores on the next test, of course.

For more information, you’ll want my new book, Free College Awareness, coming soon from Griffin Publishing. How to avoid needing college loans; available soon to families of Pre-K through High School students.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo credit: Google Images

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Music and Art Lessons Can Help Win Scholarships

Although Music and Art are proven to help with brain development and to enhance learning across the curriculum, many such classes have been removed from public schools. It’s all about the money, of course. Parents and students can encourage their local districts to reinstate and fully fund such programs, but in the meantime, parents should look elsewhere. I received a brochure from my city Recreation Department in the mail recently. I was pleased to see the wide-ranging Art and Music programs they provide children in this community.

There are classes and workshops for toddlers to teens. They run the gamut from introductory exploratory sessions to more advanced and private lessons. All sorts of art classes are offered. The same is true for music, voice and dance. Some are traditional in nature, like tap or ballet, others more modern in style, such as hip hop. No matter a child’s tastes, there are offerings that will interest him or her.

The brochure I received is for this fall. Prices range from $45 to $139. The lower priced courses meet less often and for a shorter period of time, often a month or so. The more expensive meet more frequently and for about two months. While I fully support art, voice, music and dance in public schools beginning in Pre-K and continuing through high school, parents and students should find opportunities to study, enjoy and benefit from such lessons wherever they can be found.

Such lessons, continued for years, enhance brain development and improve learning and grades in many subjects such as English, foreign languages, math, science, etc. They are also prevalent among high school seniors who earn the highest amount of scholarship money for college. It isn’t a coincidence. It’s cause and effect, therefore worth the time and investment. Parents can request a brochure like the one my city sends out from their own local city Recreation Department.

For more information, you’ll want my new book, Free College Awareness, coming soon from Griffin Publishing. How to avoid needing college loans; available soon to families of Pre-K through High School students.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo credit: Google Images

How to Reach Your College Goals

What Does It Take to Win Scholarships?

Scads of Free Writing Prompts for Teachers

Most people think teachers simply teach from the textbook. They don’t know teachers are often frantically scouring outside resources looking for interesting ways to start each class period, for 185 school days. But I’ve been there, done that. I’ve lots of experience since I often had several preps in three different languages. I’m no longer in the classroom, but I still remember what it was like. I’m here to help.

While traveling to promote Free College Awareness, which I wrote to help families know what to do in order to avoid needing college loans, I use my iPhone 5s to take lovely photographs wherever I go. My pictures are often of the sea, the sky, beautiful gardens or butterflies (when I’m lucky). Now here’s where it gets good for teachers. I put these photos together with motivational quotes and post them for teachers to use for free. Although the quotes are from famous people, the subjects they cover relate directly to what students need to do to be successful in school, get into college and win lots of scholarship money.

You can find the quotes on my blog, FreeCollegeAwareness.com, Twitter, @ElizaWallace, or on TeachersPayTeachers.com/Selling Academics. Teachers should feel free to print them in color and use them to decorate their classrooms or project them on the whiteboard and use them as writing prompts. They are also good for discussion starters. Students can explain what the quote means to them or talk about the photographs themselves.

I have made 124 posters so far. I’ll continue until I have enough to cover an entire school year. Enjoy them, and spend the time you save doing something for yourself. You deserve a break.

For more information, you’ll want my new book, Free College Awareness, coming soon from Griffin Publishing. How to avoid needing college loans; available soon to families of Pre-K through High School students.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo credit: Elizabeth Wallace 

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