Holiday Gifts for Teens

Often when meeting parents at Back to School Night, they would ask me what they could give their children for Christmas or their birthday that would help them get ahead. I loved this question, and soon began writing a list of gift ideas on the board before any parent meeting. Here’s the list I would write on the board this year, (if I was still in the classroom) and the ages when I would give them:

1.   Seven Habits of Highly Effective Students by Sean Covey – Age 13

2.   Personality Plus by Florence Littauer – Age 14

3.   The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz – Age 15

4.   Free $ for College for Dummies by David Rosen and Caryn Mladen – Age 16

5.   The Blue Zones of Happiness by Dan Buettner – Age 17

6.   The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley – Age 18

Of course, it would be unethical to suggest families buy my own book, Free College, if I was still in the classroom, but I’m not. So, long before your child is thirteen, you need a copy of Free College. It’s for all families of Pre-K through high school students (college bound or not). Like the strategy in this article, parents start the process and students take over as they mature.  

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

Why Should Students Enjoy College?

How Does Hard Work Pay Off?

Keep This in Mind When Taking a Risk

How Do We Create a Positive Environment?

How Teachers Help Students Avoid Needing College Loans

When I first started teaching, few of the students who graduated from the school where I worked went on to college. This included my foreign language students. I knew for them to do well after high school graduation, something had to change. I started slipping reasons for going to college into our conversations. A hint here, a hint there, the idea eventually took hold.

I started putting up a poster each January and encouraged all seniors to list their post-graduation plans for everyone to see. This had a positive impact on all of my students. After a couple of years of doing this, I noticed all my seniors listed college as their destination. As college prices increased to absurd levels, I began informing my students of ways to avoid college debt. Some students were better at this than others. I wondered what they did that made the difference.

After doing a great deal of research, I put together a questionnaire. I distributed it widely and also solicited comments. It became clear those who received the most scholarship money had several habits in common. I wrote my book, Free College using this information. In addition to listing the sixteen successful strategies, I explain them and the results I saw for each. I suggest ways families could adopt them as well. The families and/or students who were better at practicing these habits received more scholarship money than those who only followed some of them. Those who completed them all received Full-Ride Scholarships.

I feel it’s vital to make this information public. I want it known by families everywhere. This way, everyone will be aware of what to do to avoid college loans. College debt is difficult to pay off, and becomes a monster that follows students for years, if not for life. My book is available on Amazon, click on the book cover in the top right corner of this page, to buy it now. If you have Pre-K through High School students in your life, my book will show you how they can graduate from college debt free. 

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.

Photo: My book cover

What Does Notre Dame Mean to You?

To me, Notre Dame represents a promise made, and a promise kept. In the late 1980s, I left a school district where the student population was dwindling. I took a job in a lower socioeconomic minority high school with only two foreign language teachers. They taught first and second year French and Spanish. When the French teacher retired, I took his position.

The graduation rate at this school was low, and the number of students going on to college was even lower. I believed the way to help these students reach their goals in life was through higher education. So I set out to make sure my students fulfilled the A-G requirements for college acceptance. I told them they were mine for four years, unless there was a more beneficial course for them to take in their senior year. The six new foreign language teachers we hired over the next few years followed my lead. The counselors knew what we were doing, and backed us up.

As I worked to make taking French or Spanish the “thing to do” at the school, several students asked to study German. Since I’m degreed, credentialed and experienced teaching German, we added it to the master schedule. District administration thought offering three languages was beyond the abilities of students at this school. We proved him wrong by giving students reasons to take the classes, and to stay with them until graduation.

One such enticement was language trips to countries where the languages students were studying were spoken. The first group we took was small. Most people at the school didn’t really believe we would go. But a dedicated group of students was not about to give up. One boy caught the measles. His doctor told him if he scratched, the sores would not heal in time for the trip. His brother told me it was awful watching him resist the urge to scratch. But he made it. He’s on the right in this blurry photo. 

So is Denise. On our first trip, we visited Paris. On the first full day, we went to see Notre Dame Cathedral. We wandered around inside. Each looking at whatever he or she found most fascinating. Then I saw Denise. She was standing about two feet from an interior wall. It was made of stone, and brown with age. I suggested she touch it. She was horrified. So I took her hand and placed it on the wall. I then named several historic figures who had also, perhaps, touched the same wall. This was a student who hadn't been anywhere. She could only come along because we sold everything we could get our hands on. She lived thirty minutes from the sea, but had never seen it.

Here she was in Paris, France, with her hand on the wall inside Notre Dame Cathedral, crying. She realized the significance of being where she was. She could set a goal in life, work hard, and realize it. I promised these kids I would take them to Paris, help them get into college and reach their goals in life. To me Notre Dame is a promise made to students who had dreams, but not the courage to fight for them. It’s also the realization of the promise kept. All five of these trip kids went to college. So did every other student who travelled to Europe with our school, and thousands of others who cheered them on and believed they too could reach their dreams. This is what Notre Dame means to me. 

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

Don’t Let Your College Acceptance Turn into a Nightmare

Going to college is only a dream if you have a plan to pay for it, and you continue to work your plan. Far too many families think money for college will magically appear, but it doesn’t. Students who go to college on a full-ride did a great deal to earn their award. The most important thing they did was to apply for scholarships and/or grants over and over, until they had enough free money to pay for everything.

Paying for college entails having enough money for more than just tuition. There are books, fees, room and board to consider as well. Students whose families are extremely well off, and have put away enough money for retirement, may be able to help. Most families probably won’t be much financial help, however. Of course, if you live at home, room and board won’t be an issue, but transportation might be. I lived at home when I went to college. My family bought me a very inexpensive car, and I drove to campus and work daily. Tuition then was minimal and books were inexpensive. My job paid enough to cover it all.

A simple financial plan to pay for college might include looking for scholarships and grants while children are still in elementary school. At this time, parents are doing the searching and applying. As children mature, they should take over. In high school, they should be applying for scholarships at least three times each week, and more over holidays and vacations. A major mistake many students make is they stop applying for scholarships once they’ve been accepted to college.

Acceptance is an important step, but most of the time it has nothing to do with paying for college. If a college provides financial help through grants, scholarships or a work-study program, that’s great. It does not mean students should stop looking for more free money. When they do, they often realize too late, they can’t pay their bills. Taking a job might help pay for books or some fees, but it won’t cover everything, not by a long shot. Scholarships and grants are the best way to avoid needing to take out student loans.

The only time a student need not continue to apply for scholarships is if he/she has received a truly free ride. This must include tuition, fees, books, room, board and travel for all four years. These awards exist, and are wonderful. But every scholarship is not a free ride. Some only cover part of tuition or tuition for the first year. Many do not include books, or room and board. There are thousands of college students who are homeless and food insecure. There’s money out there to pay for all of this, but it won’t come looking for your student. Someone has to find it.

Parents who have purchased my book, Free College, know I provide a place in the book to record scholarships and grants. If you don’t have my book, be sure to purchase a calendar and notebook to keep track of all scholarships you've applied for over the years. If you don’t, you’ll become confused and miss something important, like a deadline. You can buy my book instead by clicking on the book cover in the upper right hand corner of this page. Continue applying for scholarships until your student has graduated from college debt free.

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

Will Sweeping Changes to College Admissions Help or Hurt Your Child?

This depends upon who you are and where you live. If you’re an alumni or a donor living in California (this is where the changes are starting), your child will no longer be given preferential treatment in college admissions. If you aren’t, then the proposed changes may help your child. They also make learning the sixteen defining habits of successful scholarship winners even more important than before. (To learn about these habits, click on the image of Free College, to the right of this post.) Although these modifications are proposed in California, they're likely to spread.

State colleges and universities in California don't presently award legacy or donor admissions to students, but some private institutions in the state do. The state legislature is looking into removing Cal Grants from colleges who continue to do so. I’m sure there will be a fight in the courts over this, so be aware everything about admissions is in flux. You can no longer count on your children being given preferential treatment.

They're also considering eliminating standardized testing such as the SAT and ACT from the admissions process. This will make other considerations, such as which courses are taken, their difficulty level, and the overall GPA even more significant. So if you aren’t involved in your high school student’s course selection already, you’ll want to look into them in the future. It would also be wise to read progress reports and report cards before signing them.

Another development is the regulation of admissions consultants. In the past, anyone could open an office, and do whatever they wanted to help parents place their children in the colleges of their choice. This led to the recent admissions scandal, and perhaps to people going to jail. Students who were implicated in the fraud will be inspected on a case by case basis. Those already enrolled may be expelled. Some who applied, but have not yet been admitted, have already had their applications rejected.

Many of the fraudulent admissions involved coaches. Some parents faked a history of participation in sports, and their children were admitted. In the future, it’s proposed that any student awarded “special admissions” for athletic, musical or other talent, be approved by an oversight committee of at least three staff members. This should level the playing field for students with exceptional talents.

It’s hard enough going through school, knowing you’ll need a college education in order to enter the field of your choice, without less qualified students sneaking in front of you. The proposed changes should eliminate this. However, if students who have been given preferential treatment in the past no longer have these benefits, parents will find other ways to help them. They’ll hire tutors to make sure their grades are high. They’ll give them private lessons in music or sports, all in order to give them a leg up in entering the college of their choice.  

In order to compete, learn what honest families do that results in both college acceptance and lots of scholarships. After doing extensive research, I found sixteen defining habits of graduates who won the most scholarship money for college. They’re in my book, Free College. Click on the image of the book cover in the upper right hand corner of this page to be taken to my book on Amazon. Do what other people don’t, and your children won’t have to worry about college admissions or scholarships. Both will come to them without cheating.

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

How You Can Satisfy Your Curiosity about Free College

Recently I was interviewed for The Southern California Writers Showcase. This is a group of over 2,000 writers from Long Beach, south through Orange County, to the Inland Empire and even to the East Sierras. You can read the entire interview by clicking HERE. The interviewer was one of their writers, Jeanette Fratto. She’s a published author of a series of fascinating novels whose main character works in the probation department in Orange County, California. The questions I was asked in the interview were insightful, and I tried to keep my answers informative and succinct.

One question she asked was a first for me. She asked me to share a success story of one of the students who used all the tactics contained in my book, Free College. I told her about Mia, one of my students who was offered full-ride scholarships by Harvard, Yale and MIT. When she came home from a free trip to visit Yale and MIT, she was confused.

I asked her five questions about the colleges so she could focus. Were they accredited? Did they teach what she wanted to study? Were they well known in this field? Did they offer her the same amount of money, and/or would she have debt left to pay? Did she like the people she met there? She answered yes to all of them. I told her she was in luck. There was no bad decision. She could flip a coin. She was relieved.

Then Mia came back from visiting Harvard, again on their dime. She was confused all over again. I asked her the five questions once more. She answered the same for all of them. So I asked her where she felt the most comfortable. It was MIT, and she graduated from there with honors four years after her high school graduation.

It’s fun doing interviews. The questions allow me to zero in on what people want to know. Then I can advise them better. When I taught, my goal was to help students reach their goals. To do so, most students needed to go to college. I learned how to assist them, and later, when college costs soared, I showed them how to win lots of scholarships. I continued after my retirement. I did extensive research on how students earn the most free scholarship money, and wrote Free College. 

I hope all families learn the sixteen defining habits of successful scholarship winners I discovered and included in my book. By following the step-by-step guide I created, their kids can graduate from college debt free too. Everyone should be able to start their lives after college with no debt and a bright future, like Mia.

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

You Don’t Need to Bribe Your Way into College

Plenty of students do it the old fashioned way. They fulfill all the admission standards, complete the  A-G requirements, earn a high GPA, score well on the ACT or SAT and apply, all without the aid of “admissions consultants”. For many decades the über-rich have given massive endowments to prestigious universities resulting in special treatment for their children. This is not new. Recently, however, it wasn’t the universities which received massive “gifts”, but counselors and coaches. Now people are going to jail. Both methods of gaming the system are, in my opinion, unethical.

Instead, learn what successful, honest students and families do, and follow their lead. Successful students fulfill all the admission standards listed above, of course, but they don't stop there. Often students take extra courses in math, science and foreign languages instead of focusing on just one of the three subjects. Families have their eye on the prize early, and don’t need to resort to extreme or illegal measures. They send students to summer college enrichment courses beginning as early as elementary school. Since these are in subjects the students enjoy, it’s fun for them and not a burden.

By following the step-by-step guide in my book, Free College, families learn the sixteen defining habits that have allowed thousands of students to not only go to college, but to do so with scholarships. Many of them received far better scholarships than those “purchased” illegally by celebrities. Most students don’t need help from outside professionals, honest or otherwise. They rely on the expertise of their local high school counselor. Every high school should have at least one counselor who is the go-to expert on everything college. If your school doesn’t have such a person, follow the suggestions in my book to find a mentor.

Students researched for the writing of my book paid no specialists or bribes. They went to the colleges of their choice, even USC, and with scholarships. Your children can too. Click on the image of my book, Free College, at the top right corner of this page to buy it from Amazon. Start now, and do all the right things. No one needs to go to jail.

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

You Can Prevent Your Children from Needing College Loans

Hundreds of thousands of high school graduates sign up for student loans each year because their families didn’t know the defining habits of successful scholarship winners. It wasn’t their fault. They did they best they could, but their efforts fell short. No one told them about my book, Free College. Or, perhaps their children grew up before I finished writing my book. For that, I apologize. If you’re intrigued, you can stop right here, click on the image of my book in the right hand corner of this page, and buy it right now.

The last decade or more of my teaching career, all of my seniors went to college, all with scholarships. Many were awarded a full-ride. While I was thrilled for them, I was disappointed more hadn't earned enough to pay for all four years. These students ended up taking out student loans, and are still in debt today. I wondered if there was some “secret sauce” that allowed the most successful to win so much free money for college. I was too curious to let it go, and conducted extensive research to discover exactly why some students earn a full ride scholarship, while others are awarded just a few thousand dollars. I discovered there are sixteen defining habits shared by the most successful scholarship winners. Those who do only some of them earn less cash .

How would you feel if you knew there was a way to prevent a terrible mishap, but didn’t have the information needed to avoid it? That’s how you’ll feel if you don’t learn the simple steps to help your children earn a full ride scholarship. When you spend a few dollars to buy my book, you’ll learn how to help your children qualify for more college scholarships. Once you do, tell family and friends about Free College, and where to buy it. Billions of dollars in scholarships go unclaimed every year. It’s tragic and avoidable.

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

Don’t Waste Your Spring Break

If you use your time wisely, you can have fun now, earn scholarships for college and avoid needing student loans. You’ve seen all the movies about Spring Break, beach parties, camping trips, and even trips abroad. But if you plan ahead a little, you can enjoy yourself and still avoid joining thousands of people who will be making loan payments for decades.

Spring Break is in March for some high schools and colleges, and in April for others. No matter when your time off falls, you probably have nine days of freedom from classes. That’s over two hundred and sixteen hours. Don’t sleep the whole time. Don’t spend it all hanging out with your friends. Set aside ten hours to help secure your financial future.

Right now, decide if you’re going to apply for nine scholarships all at once, split them up or spread them out over the nine days. Then, take out your phone or day planner and mark when you’re going to do this. If you’ve applied for one already, you know how long it takes to fill out an application. Block out the time you need, so nothing will get in the way later.

Next, make a list of online sites where you know you can find scholarships. You can use Twitter, or your search engine to find them. If you go to my Twitter page, @ElizaWallace27, you’ll find I retweet at least three scholarships each day. Other sites are dedicated to scholarships; @scholarships360 and @PayingForSchool are two such sites. If you do this before making other plans for Spring Break, you’ll have far more flexibility and be able to do both, have fun and apply for scholarships.

I know Spring Break is fun. The weather is usually better than it has been, and you don’t have school work to do (hopefully). But don’t squander your free time. Peel off enough to apply for at least nine scholarships, which will take less than 5% of your time off. You can do this now, or wish you had later, when you find you don’t have enough money to pay for college without taking out student loans.

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

You Don’t Need a GPS to Find the Road to Free College

You can use your computer, tablet or smartphone instead. There are several onramps to this road. If you prefer watching videos over reading, you can find the Road to Free College channel on YouTube. Just go to YouTube.com, and type Channel Road to Free College in the search bar. This onramp is new, and more videos will be added weekly. Each will contain a tip to help you and your child learn how to earn more free cash for college.

If you prefer Facebook, then visit the Road to Free College there. This onramp leads to motivational posters families can use as wallpaper, or just enjoy as they're posted. Teachers can use them in the classroom for free too. There are also interchanges (links) to articles rich in information necessary for raising the ideal college scholarship applicant. Just type Road to Free College in the search bar on your own Facebook page to merge­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­.

The third choice is a major highway, RoadToFreeCollege.com. This blog is updated often. There’s lots of traffic here, but picking your lane is easy. One contains lesson plans and teacher tips. Another will help students learn how to maneuver. A third includes news about education to enjoy while en route. There are plenty of motivational quotes to use in the classroom as posters or writing prompts. The most popular lane on this thoroughfare is Free Money for College. This is the fast lane on the Road to Free College. It will lead you to your destination the quickest. The easiest way to reach this onramp, is to Click Here.

All of these onramps to the Road to Free College include helpful tips for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and others in the lives of preschool through high school students. The most efficient tool of all is my book, Free College. It contains the sixteen defining habits of successful scholarship winners. You can find it by taking any of the onramps above, or use the toll road, (Amazon). You can go directly to the book and take a peek inside, Click Here, then buy a copy for your family.

I hope you enjoy the ride, no matter which onramp you select.

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

Simple Tips to Encourage Your Child to Love Reading

Kids who love to read are happier, do better in school and win more college scholarships. If this sounds good to you, then fill your home with books. Start with yourself, because you’re your child’s first role model. It’s pretty simple. Find an author you enjoy. See if he or she wrote a series. I love the Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly. For the first novel in the series, CLICK HERE (ad). I found a list of these books online, and started reading from the top. I’ve done the same for several other authors too. You can buy books online or in a book store, pick them up at the public library or do as I do, download them from the library for free. Your children will see you enjoying yourself as you read through your list of books.

Next determine which books your child might like. This will depend upon age, of course. When my daughter was little, I read to her daily. She loved Peter Rabbit, so I bought her a set of Beatrix Potter books, CLICK HERE (ad). I continued giving her books as gifts and reading to and later with her as she grew. Our home was full of books. She’s a mother of teenagers now, and they’re readers too. If you don’t know where to start, ask your child’s teacher for a suggestion. Look online for popular titles by age, or ask for a recommendation from an employee at your local bookstore, or the librarian in your neighborhood library.

I continue this book giving tradition with my grandsons. Each birthday and Christmas, I give them a book on a subject I know they enjoy. My oldest loves science fiction, so I give him books from classic science fiction authors starting with Jules Verne. He loves them all. The younger boy enjoyed the Wimpy Kid series of books. As he grew older, he joined his school track team, so I gave him an autobiography of Louis Zamparini, track star and WWII hero, for his birthday. He told me it was fantastic, so I bought him an autobiography of Jesse Owens for Christmas this year. You get my point? Feed your kids and grandkids books in subjects they love, and they’ll learn to appreciate reading.

Readers do well in English, History and Foreign Language classes in school. They’re at an advantage, since the act of reading is one they relish. You have time to start this tradition in your house. You’re already online, just slip over to your favorite search engine and type in “Most popular books for ____ year old children”. Order a few books, and when they arrive, write a sweet message inside. My daughter told me my grandkids love the little notes I write in the books I give them. Yours will love them 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.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.

Photo Credit: Google Images

How Students Can Be Happy for the Rest of Their Lives

Parents and school counselors often encourage students to take advanced classes in every subject. This might look like good on a transcript, but how does it make students feel? Are they overwhelmed, or inspired? Be careful to avoid the first emotion while boosting the second.

I’m a perfect example. In my case, I have loved words and grammar CLICK HERE (ad) since I was little. Numbers, however, seem to slip through the cracks in my mind, especially zeroes. I don’t know why, perhaps it's cultural. When I grew up, girls were told they were bad in math and good in storytelling. I guess I fulfilled this prophesy. 

In the ninth grade we were told to pick a foreign language class. I chose French and continued studying it through college. In the tenth grade I was instructed to select an advanced math class, since I had completed the required courses already. My reply was, “Can I take another language instead?” Lucky for me, the answer was yes. I added German to my schedule and continued studying it happily through college. 

I kept adding languages and avoiding courses I did not enjoy. The result was happiness. I liked my classes, even when they became complex, and competition from foreign students grew intense. I graduated college with a degree in German, French and English, and taught them for over 40 years. If I had been forced to take advanced math instead of the extra languages, what would have been the result? I’m sure it wouldn’t have been a successful career teaching languages. There were times where my abilities in multiple languages even granted me a job over someone with fewer language skills.

Apply my example to any student. Take the required classes in every subject, but push harder in courses you enjoy. Go to summer school or the local community college to eliminate required subjects of lower interest. Then, there will be room for more classes in your strength. Not everyone is into words. Some students love music, math or science. Whatever the strength, talent or interest, feed it, and watch it grow. Imagine having a career in something you love. As they say, it won’t feel like work. 

Picking the right courses will help students be happier and more successful in secondary school and earn far more scholarship money for college. 

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

Gift Ideas to Help Students Be Successful and Win More Scholarships

Often when meeting parents at Back to School Night, they asked me what books they could give their children for Christmas, Hanukkah or on their birthdays to help them be more successful. I loved this question, and created a list of gift ideas. Here’s the list and the appropriate age for each book:

1.   Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey – Age 13

      https://amzn.to/3QJPrl7 (ad)

2.   Personality Plus by Florence Littauer – Age 14 

      https://amzn.to/3scT3TB (ad)                 

3.   The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz – Age15 

      https://amzn.to/45WzzjH (ad)

4.   Free $ for College for Dummies by David Rosen and Caryn Mladen – Age16 

     https://amzn.to/3QsQXqN (ad)

5.   The Blue Zones of Happiness by Dan Buettner – Age 17 

      https://amzn.to/474MwJS (ad)

6.   The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley – Age 18 

      https://amzn.to/3SsKfUm (ad)

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

Thanksgiving Holiday Scholarship Challenge

Although many students want to go to college, few have the financial resources to do so without scholarships, grants or loans. I’m completely against loans, since they often destroy a graduate’s future. That leaves grants and scholarships, but they don’t magically appear. Someone has to apply for them.

When writing my book, Free College, I realized I didn’t complete many chapters without having a specific goal, including a time limit. Once I set this up, the chapters almost seemed to write themselves. This could be true for scholarship and grant applications too. I suggest setting up a routine for finding, filling out, and submitting college scholarship and grant forms.

To this end, I propose a challenge over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. For most students, this means four days. For others, it may be five days. Whichever is the case for you, pick the number of applications you wish to submit during this time. They will all be completed online, of course, so you don’t have to worry about offices being closed. My suggestion is a minimum of one per day, better yet would be to double or triple that number.

You’ll still have time for visiting with family and friends, watching football or the Twilight Zone Marathon, and eating lots of turkey or ham. Discuss your family’s travel plans with your parents in advance. Block this time out on a calendar (you can print templates online for free). Then block out your sleep schedule. You’ll do a terrible job if you’re sleep deprived.

You now know when you have free time for meeting this scholarship/grant application challenge. Use a red pen to outline the times you are allotting to find, complete and submit your applications. If you have already filed at least one, you know how much time you’ll need for each. The average student takes about an hour, after the first one.

Sure, vacations should be fun, but wouldn’t you dedicate ten hours of the 120 over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday if doing so might result in being awarded thousands of dollars for college? Go ahead and do it. I dare you. 

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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Photo Credit: Google Images