Every high school where I’ve taught has had at least
one counselor who was an expert in “all things college”. What do you do if your
high school doesn’t have such a person? I recommend you take a look at Free $
For College For Dummies by David Rosen and Caryn Mladen. Click HERE to get a
copy.
It won’t help you become the ideal college scholarship
applicant, like my book, Free College. It will, however, help you through
the process of finding and applying for scholarships. It consists of
twenty-four chapters containing important details you need to know. I wasn’t sure if my
grandson’s high school in another state had an expert on campus to help him, so I
sent him a copy of this book when he started his junior year.
The book is like having a mentor walk you through the
process. It can’t nag you to complete forms on time, of course, but it does
give you a timeline to follow. The first four chapters include an overview of
the process of finding free money. It explains what you can expect and how to
avoid scams, (yes, as we have seen on the news lately, there are con men out
there).
The second section of the book helps you optimize what
you can receive from the federal government. Although there’s more than $46
billion in grants and scholarships available annually, over $2.9 billion in
free college federal grant money went unclaimed last year. Read these chapters
carefully, so you don’t miss out. This section also helps you avoid problems
with the Internal Revenue Service. There’s a right way and a wrong way to
report money received, do it right, so you don’t have problems.
Section three goes into finding money from the state in
which you live. Like with the feds, there are grants and scholarships available. Free cash for college exists on a local level too. This part of the book helps
you go after this money.
Next, you’ll learn how to negotiate with colleges for a
lower tuition. Just like with cars, it's possible to pay less than the sticker
price. Plus, you can apply for merit, athletic and even international scholarships
from the college itself. All of these, naturally, must be appropriate for your
student. As with the recent college admission scandal, students and parents who try to scam the system end up
in trouble, and might even go to jail.
Lots more scholarships can be unearthed from private
and public organizations. The next section of the book explains how to find them. Some are
obvious, like charitable and fraternal organizations, unions, and the military.
The last section of this chapter includes a resource guide for finding more obscure scholarships.
The final four chapters of Free $ For College For
Dummies explains what else you can do, as well as what you should avoid while looking
for ways to pay for college. Whatever you do, avoid taking
out student loans. They can't be forgiven in bankruptcy, will follow you
everywhere, and often grow so large, you’ll never be able to pay them off. I
know people in their seventies who have student loan repayments taken involuntarily from
their monthly social security benefits. Whether you buy this book, or mine, do
whatever you can to avoid student loan debt.
You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.
For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE. It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Photo Credit: Google Images
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