How to Use Summer Vacation to Find Scholarships

Although I fully believe students, teachers and parents need time off to destress and have a little fun over the summer, high school students would be wise to set aside some time during the next two months to look for scholarships. Depending upon the age of the student, thirty minutes to an hour each day could be devoted to doing this research. Doing so while other teenagers are goofing off will pay large dividends when it’s time to apply.

It’s helpful to create a routine. I find getting tasks out of the way early in the day is best. This leaves the rest of the day free for swimming, going to the movies or hanging out with family or friends. Students will want to create a journal or folder of scholarships they find. They should list the name of the scholarship, contact details, how much is being awarded and the requirements. If an application is provided, students could keep a copy in a file or on their computer.

Many scholarships are out there, but they won’t all be well suited for each student. Be sure to read the fine print. Avoid any scholarships or grants that contain loans of any kind. Work-study grants or scholarships will take away free time, but they won’t saddle graduates with decades of debt. The goal is free college; that means debt free. No loans. Don’t pay for information. Reputable colleges, universities and institutions do not charge a fee for information. Also, refrain from giving out your contact information at this point. You don’t want to be inundated with ads. Just search for scholarships and take notes about those that look promising.

You can start searching by looking at the websites of colleges you're interested in attending. You can also find information by searching the field you're interested in pursuing. Type in “scholarships and grants for students studying…..” Or, “scholarships and grants for future……. (engineers, doctors, lawyers, architects, software designers, teachers, dancers, artists, etc.)" in your search engine. But there’s another way to do this. You can use the efforts of other people. My Twitter account (@elizawallace27) focuses on free college. In addition to publishing tips on how to raise children who could qualify for massive scholarships, I retweet information I think will be helpful. I include tweets that announce scholarships or people who collect lists of scholarships. Looking through my twitter feed, therefore, could save time.

I haven't checked out these scholarships or grants in detail. I just want to make families aware of them in order to save time, and hopefully, money. If you find something of interest, record everything and do a little research to be sure the scholarships are real. Remember, those who do more, end up with more. While most teenagers won't start looking for scholarships until they're seniors in high school, those who start early will have an advantage. Play the game to win.

For more information, you'll want my new book, Free College Awareness, coming soon from Griffin Publishing and Watering Seeds. 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

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How to Teach Children the Value of Money

When my grandsons lived nearby, I took them on several small trips during their summer vacation each year. As a teacher, I had time off too. We went to zoos, museums, whale watching, etc. To save money, the first stop we made on the first trip each summer was to a gift shop. There I let them buy any hat they wanted. I didn’t even look at the price.

This was their only souvenir for the entire summer. No matter how many places we went, I paid for gas, tickets and food. When they were older, and the trips became longer, I also paid the hotel bill. At mealtime I taught them about leaving tips, dining where there were discounts and the like. They learned how to stretch the budget so money was left over for more rides at the zoo and other attractions.

On a weeklong trip to San Diego, we hit all the famous sites. As always, the first stop was at a gift shop where each bought a commemorative hat. Two days later, while walking through the San Diego Zoo, my younger grandson learned about "opportunity cost". Something on a souvenir cart caught his eye. “Grandma, Can I have that?”

“Sure, Honey. But it costs about what lunch will tomorrow, so which do you want more?” His brother answered for him, “Forget about it. We’re having lunch!”

Using fun times to teach real world financial lessons is pretty simple. Just be straight with kids. Money is a finite resource. If you spend it in one place, you don’t have it to spend elsewhere. This works when planning for college too.

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.

 

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Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist – Middlebury College

While the cost of obtaining a college degree in the U.S. has continued to climb, some colleges and universities offer enough financial support to make them virtually free to attend. Most of these institutions are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts, according to a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. Half base how much they provide a student by the financial need of the family (as determined by the FAFSA form). The others base their contribution on merit alone.

A Full Ride is still possible at is Middlebury College; ranked number 4 (Tie) in the nation by U.S. News. Middlebury College is located in a rural area in Vermont. The college was founded in 1800. The campus covers 350 acres. The current undergraduate population is 2,542 students. It’s a world class institution which provides an excellent education.

The application deadline at Middlebury College is January 01. The early action deadline is November 01. There's a $65 fee to apply to the university. ACT and SAT test scores are due on January 01. It's difficult to be selected to attend, with an acceptance rate of only 17 percent, but since the student to faculty ratio is 8:1 and most classes contain only 20 students, it's worth the effort to try.

The cost of tuition and fees for a year at Middlebury College is $50,063, (2016-2017) and since freshmen are required to live on college, it’s important to note that room and board are an additional $14,269 annually. But with a Full Ride, this doesn’t matter. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. 

The most important aspect of planning to go to any such university is to make sure that the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s advantageous to attend college somewhere that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with a mountain of 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 additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Google Images

Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist – University of Chicago

The cost of a college degree in the U.S. has continued to soar, but some colleges and universities offer enough financial aid to make them almost free. Most of these universities are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts. This is from a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. The financial need of the family (as determined by the FAFSA form) is taken into consideration by about half of these institutions. The rest contribute based on merit alone.

One university where a Full Ride is possible is the University of Chicago, which is tied for number three in the country by U.S. News and World Report as of the date of this blog post. The university is located in a big city environment in Hyde Park, Chicago. It was founded in 1890. The campus covers only 217 acres. There are 5,844 current undergraduate students. In addition to the college, there are a large number of graduate and professional schools.

The deadline for applications to attend the University of Chicago is January First. The early action deadline is November first. The application fee is $75. The acceptance rate is 8%, which is better than the Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but it is also more expensive.

The cost of tuition and fees each year at the University of Chicago is $52,491, (2016-2017). This is high, but with a Full Ride Scholarship, it doesn’t matter much. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. The most important aspect of planning to go to any high cost university such as this, is to make sure the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s wise to attend a college that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with any 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 additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Google Images

Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist – Yale

The cost of completing a college degree in the U.S. has continued to increase. Some colleges and universities offer enough financial support to make them practically free to attend. Most of these universities are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts, according to a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. Half decide how much they provide a student by the financial need of the family (after looking at the FAFSA form). Others base their contribution on merit alone.

One place where a Full Ride is possible is Yale University, CLICK HERE (ad) to learn more about the history of Yale), ranked number 3 (tied) in the nation by U.S. News. Yale is located in the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1701, making it one of the oldest universities in the country. The campus covers 343 acres. The current undergraduate population is 5,532 students. It’s a world renown university which provides a world class education.

The application deadline at Yale is January First. The early action deadline is November First. There’s an $80 fee to apply to the university. ACT or SAT test scores are due on March First. The acceptance rate is only 7%.

The cost of tuition and fees for a year at Yale is $47,960, (2016-2017). But with a Full Ride, this doesn’t matter. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. The most important aspect of planning to go to any such university is to make sure that the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. 

The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s prudent to attend college somewhere that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with a mountain of 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 additional cost to you.

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Relieving Student Stress

Life can be pretty stressful at times. Assignments, deadlines, tests, siblings and even parents can cause students anxiety, stress and depression. None of this is intentional, but it happens anyway. Three simple activities can prevent or relieve these conditions.

First is exercise. Don’t roll your eyes. All experts agree, adding more movement to your day can help you relax, feel better and improve your grades. Stressed out students make lousy learners. Do the following and watch your stress level go down and your grades go up.

1.   You already walk between classes. This adds up to 25 minutes each day. If you don’t walk to school, have your parents drop you off a ten minute walk from school. Now you’re up to 35 minutes of walking five days each week. If you ride the bus, start walking to the bus stop ten minutes earlier than normal. Walk back and forth between there and home until you’re at the stop at your regular time.

2.   Sign up for a sport. This can be at school or with the parks program where you live. It doesn’t matter. Find something you enjoy, which will not take hours of practice each day. If you aren’t into sports, your school or parks program may offer dance. Either will relieve stress and look good on college applications.

3.   Remember Jumping Jacks and Jump Rope? They’re easy, simple and you don’t have to go to a gym to do them. They increase your heart rate, build stamina and bone density (you’ll be grateful later in life) and relieve stress. Start small, do five daily. After a week, make it ten. The third week, up the number of Jumping Jacks to twenty. That’s enough. For Jump Rope, also start small. Just jump for three minutes daily the first week, five the next, then ten. You don’t need to do more than ten minutes daily. If you have a medical condition, please check with your doctor before doing this or any new exercise.

Second is Meditation, CLICK HERE (ad). Lots of experts and organizations preach meditating. They explain the health benefits, which are real, but the best thing about meditation is it teaches you how to relax. You don’t have to sit cross legged and chant. Just find a comfortable sitting position somewhere quiet. 

Sit relaxed and quiet and concentrate on your breathing. If you find that hard to do, repeat something simple either out loud or silently. Try “I am”. It’s easy. Do this each morning and each afternoon or evening for about five minutes. Once you get the hang of it, increase the time to ten minutes each session. You’ll find it pretty simple to slip into this relaxed state when you’re in a stressful situation, like just before a big test.

The third activity that will help you relax, decompress and avoid or relieve stress is the hardest one. It isn’t tough or complicated, but it sure is hard to convince students to do it. You probably need to get more sleep. Unless you’re getting about 9 ½ to 10 hours of sleep each night, you’re making life difficult for yourself. 

You’ll feel better. Your stress level will drop and your grades will improve. Figure out what time you need to get up to get ready for school and eat breakfast, then count backwards nine hours. If you’re already going to sleep then, move it back one more hour. 

If you don’t believe me and the thousands of doctors who say these activities will reduce or eliminate stress, try them for a month and prove us wrong.

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 additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Google Images

Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist – Harvard

While the cost of obtaining a college degree in the U.S. has continued to climb, some colleges and universities offer enough financial support to make them virtually free to attend. Most of these institutions are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts, according to a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. Half base how much they provide a student by the financial need of the family (as determined by the FAFSA form). The others base their contribution on merit alone.

One university where a Full Ride is possible is Harvard University, for more details on Harvard University, CLICK HERE (ad), ranked number 2 in the nation by U.S. News. Harvard is located in an urban setting in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1636, making it the oldest university in the country. The campus covers 5076 acres. The current undergraduate student population is 6,699. It’s a world renown university which provides a world class education.

The application deadline at Harvard is January first. The deadline for early action is November first. ACT or SAT scores are due on the sixth of March. The fee to apply is $75. The acceptance rate is only 6%, but no worthy applicant should be scared away. The average freshman retention rate is a whopping 97%.

The cost of tuition and fees for a year at Harvard is $47,074, (2016-2017). But with a Full Ride, this doesn’t matter. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. The most important aspect of planning to go to any such university is to make sure that the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s prudent to attend college somewhere that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with a mountain of 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 additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Full Ride Colleges and Universities Still Exist - Princeton

While the cost of obtaining a college degree in the U.S. has continued to climb, some colleges and universities offer enough financial support to make them virtually free to attend. Most of these institutions are private, and about two-thirds are liberal arts, according to a recent U.S. News and World Report survey. Half base how much they provide a student by the financial need of the family (as determined by the FAFSA form). The others base their contribution on merit alone.

One university where a Full Ride is possible is Princeton University, ranked number 1 in the nation by U.S. News. Princeton is located in a suburb in New Jersey. It was founded in 1746, making it the fourth oldest university in the nation. The campus covers 600 acres. The current undergrad population is 5,402 students. It’s a world class institution which provides an excellent education.

The application deadline at Princeton is the first of January. The early action deadline is November first. There’s a $65 fee to apply to the university. ACT and SAT test scores are due on January first. While it’s difficult to be selected to attend with an acceptance rate of only 7 percent, there’s an early acceptance rate of 19.9 percent.

The cost of tuition and fees for a year at Princeton is $45,320, (2016-2017). But with a Full Ride, this doesn’t matter. Most colleges that provide a Full Ride do so by combining student loans, scholarships, grants and a work-study program. The most important aspect of planning to go to any such university is to make sure that the amount of student loan required is zero, or close to it. The rest of the aid is free money. It never has to be paid back. It’s advantageous to attend college somewhere that provides a suitable education without leaving the graduate with a mountain of 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 additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Pixabay