Why Students Should Not Fear College

How to Use This Spring and Summer to Pay for College

If you snooze, you lose. Now is the time to find a summer enrichment course for your elementary, middle and/or high school student. Colleges have made their plans. Now it’s time to make yours. Families who do the research, and find summer enrichment courses for their children in colleges and universities will end up paying less for college. Yes, that’s right. Scholarships are awarded to students who have taken college enrichment courses at a much higher rate than those who have not.

Last week I received a catalogue in the mail from my local community college. It was entitled College for Kids. It contains over 40 pages of courses aimed at children from 3 to 18. There are classes for every type of child, and dozens of subjects. These programs exist in universities too. Just look online. These programs look fabulous on college and scholarship applications.  

The prices range from not very much to lots more, but they’re nowhere near what college courses will run after high school graduation. But if you don’t want or can’t spend money right now, there are free programs at many colleges and universities. Greenlight has a list of hundreds of free college courses for summer 2018 at, Summer Programs with Financial Aid. Check them out, find what your child will enjoy, apply. These classes will add the most important item to his/her college scholarship application, summer college enrichment courses.

For more information, you’ll want my new book, Free College, coming this Spring from Starfish 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: Pixabay

What Do We All Need to Know about Kindness?

How Do Students Benefit from Having a Mentor?

Why Is College Tuition So High?

The general public may believe colleges are flush with cash, but this is not the case. Although the cost of tuition is almost five times as high as it was thirty years ago, college professors are paid far less than they were in the past (when adjusted for inflation). So why is tuition so high?

The answer is simple. Public universities are now receiving far less money from state governments. State funding has dropped over 37% in the last two decades. Although colleges now receive more money from the federal government than the state, the overall amount is much less than in the past. Much of the federal money is in the form of grants to students. It passes from the federal treasury to state institutions and then back to the college through student grants.

We all know every time money changes hands, some of it is used moving it from place to place (employees, computers, building, etc.). Wouldn’t it make more sense if public education covered students from pre-k through college or trade schools? It would be a more efficient way to educate our young, release more cash for educating students and unburden families. It would also put more cash into the nation’s economy.

Since this doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon, families need to find another way to pay for educating children after high school. Scholarships and grants are the only solutions until politicians start thinking long term. 

After realizing all my students were not only going to college, but also receiving scholarships and/or grants, I did a study to learn which strategies worked best. My new book, Free College, explains what parents and grandparents can do to help their children become ideal college scholarship and grant applicants. No one should be in debt for the rest of their lives in order to earn a college degree. Although I don’t have the authority to make college tuition free, by writing my book, I hope to help students graduate from college debt free.

For more information, you’ll want my new book, Free College, coming soon from Starfish 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: Pixabay

Why You Should Ignore Criticism

How to Insure Success

An Open Letter to School Administrators Everywhere

From time to time weather keeps students from going to school. Heavy snow falls, torrents of rain pour down, the wind blows at dangerous velocities. In such cases and others, many of you school administrators wisely close schools to protect the lives of children. When you do so, you send out tweets, emails and notices through radio and television media.

I suggest you use this opportunity to pass on other vital information. Families would benefit greatly if they used some of this time at home to apply for college scholarships. There are thousands of scholarships available for students of all ages, types and ability levels. There's free money waiting for your students.

Last year alone, over $2.9 billion in federal college grant money went unclaimed. This is tragic. Today college loan debt is over $902 billion in the U.S. Helping families avoid college loans is a goal we should all get behind. The next time you, a school administrator, tweet an announcement that school is closed due to snow, sleet, ice, rain, flooding or other natural disaster, suggest families use this time wisely to apply for college scholarships.

There are many simple ways to find scholarships no matter the grade level of the child. Yes, college scholarships are even awarded to elementary school students. Parents or secondary students can simply do a Google search, or search Twitter using the hashtag, #scholarships. Personnel at your schools could do the grunt work for parents by supplying them with websites of organizations that assemble scholarship and grant information.

Families need something to do when kids are forced to stay inside instead of going to school. Why not suggest they apply for college scholarships? They’ll need the money.

For more information, you'll want my new book, Free College from Starfish Publishing. It shows how to avoid needing college loans; and is 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

Why Should We Teach Kindness to All?

What Should We Teach Children About Being Good?

College, Career and Scholarship Readiness Begin before Preschool

Some people believe preparing for college starts in high school. They feel the same about career and scholarship planning. But this isn’t the case. Getting ready for all three should begin while children are still in diapers. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, as the twig is bent, so grows the tree. What happens in early childhood has a direct impact upon post high school success.

Babies are fed on a schedule. Sleep takes up much of their days and nights. While they’re awake, parents coo, sing and read to them. All of these activities are vital to a child’s development. As they grow older, some adults forget kids are still under construction and need to eat, sleep and learn at regular intervals. Sitting a child in front of the TV or some other screen may give parents a break, but if it happens too often, these children will fall behind others who have had more enrichment and attention.

If you take the strategies of high school students who earn the most scholarship money and trace them back to early childhood, you’ll see the same attention to detail was being paid then. All such students report having had a complete and healthy breakfast daily. They had dinner together as a family at least five times each week. Their families talked, read and played music and games together. Schedules were created and routines established. In such an environment, children thrive.

All sixteen habits which result in graduates being awarded huge college scholarships have their roots in early childhood. Following “First Five” (there are several branches online) and “Zero to Three” (@ZEROTOTHREE), makes it easier for parents to keep abreast of what experts in early childhood education recommend. Three chapters of my upcoming book apply to Pre-K children, while six other activities are most often implemented in elementary school. The remaining strategies are intended for middle and high school students.

Remember, as Stephen Covey recommends, “Begin with the end in mind.” Begin thinking about college, career and scholarship readiness while children are still quite young and take appropriate action for the best results.

For more information, you'll want my new book, Free College, coming soon from Starfish Publishing. It shows how to avoid needing college loans; and is 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

What Should We Teach Children About Kindness?

Why Are Some People Luckier Than Others?