Guest Blog Post: College Scholarship Tips for Grandchildren

This time last year, I had a discussion with Deborah Dian, a friend and the host of Baby-Boomer-Retirement.com. We were both surprised and displeased with the number of seniors raiding their retirement accounts to  help their grandchildren pay for college. We know, although there are more than $46 billion in scholarships available for college, there are no scholarships or grants for retirement. She asked me to write a guest post for her blog, telling parents and grandparents how my book, Free College, can help families avoid needing to take out student loans, by earning more scholarships.

I did write the blog post for her, and have provided a link below, so you can read it easily. Spending retirement savings to pay for college is not only dangerous, but unnecessary. Just give them a copy of my book. It certainly costs a lot less than any college textbook. You can buy it by clicking on the image of the book in the upper right hand corner of this page.


To read "College Scholarship Tips for Grandchildren" on Deborah's blog, click HERE.

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 to Become The Ideal Scholarship and/or Grant Applicant

My new book, Free College identifies the habits, practices and strategies used by successful Full-Ride Scholarship winners. It's a valuable tool for parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone in the lives of Pre-K through High School students. 

You can help students acquire these fundamentals throughout their growing up years, so when they reach their senior year in high school, they may win more free cash for college. The goal is to graduate college debt free and start life with financial freedom.

Free College is available now. To buy, click this link: BUY NOW If interested in making a bulk purchase for a nonprofit group, send an email to FreeCollegeInfo@earthlink.net. Remember, scholarships and grants are far better than 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: Elizabeth Wallace

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.

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

K.I.S.S. Makes All the Difference

Embrace Competitive Friends

The Secret to Happiness after College

Find a college that offers the course of study you need for the occupation of your choice which will also give you a full ride scholarship, (excluding loans of any sort). If they don't require you to take a job, that’s even better. Under no circumstances should you go somewhere requiring you to take out student loans, even if that university has a fabulous reputation. No one cares where you went, just what you learned.

If you can't find a full scholarship, attend the least expensive accredited college that will teach you what you need to know for your career choice. Start applying for scholarships while still in diapers (not really, but do start early). Live uber-frugally, even if that means living in your childhood bedroom (as I did). Get a part time job to pay any bills your parents are not willing or able to cover (dentist, shoes, etc.). Don't get married, no matter how cute he/she is. Don't have children either, no matter how adorable they may end up being.

I worked a full time job, lived at home and took a full load of classes the first two years of college. Then I foolishly married, making everything more difficult. We saw each other more while dating. Study hard, work hard. You can hold your breath for four years. Time will pass. The only two things that last forever are what you learn and student loan debt. Avoid the second while acquiring the first. Yes, of course there are other factors that contribute to or detract from happiness. But all things being equal, people with no debt are less stressed and happier than those with debt, especially student loan debt. This is the secret to happiness after college.


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

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Where Do Dreams Begin?

How to Turn Time into Money for College

Lots of people are busy, yet not everyone reaches his/her goals. If becoming the ideal college scholarship or grant applicant seems like a good idea, then learning how to manage time is important. When teaching students who would soon become the first in their families to go to college, I knew scholarships were vital.

I used a simple illustration to show them how to use their time wisely to help reach this goal. I had them write down their five year goals. One, of course, was to graduate high school, another to be accepted to the college of their choice, a third was to earn lots of scholarship money. The others varied.

Once they did this, I asked them to write down all the activities they were planning to do over the weekend. Then they looked at each one, and asked themselves, “Will doing this help me reach one of my goals?” If the answer was yes, they put an “A” next to it; if not, they labeled it with a “C”; if they weren’t sure, they used the letter “B”.

The next step was to decide if the items were urgent or not urgent. Was there some sort of time constraint on the activity, like studying for a test to be taken on Monday? They ranked each activity in each category in order of urgency, using numbers 1 through whatever.

Over the weekend, they finished all the activities in category “A” in numerical order. Then they completed category “B” and some of category “C”. This not only helped them pinpoint the important items which were urgent, but kept the urgent, but not important items from distracting them.

When students used their goals as a measuring stick for selecting activities to do, they were less confused, stressed or frustrated. They also moved closer to reaching their goals. This is just one of the strategies my students used to earn Full Ride scholarships to college. Others are in my book, Free College Awareness, coming soon from Griffin Publishing and Watering Seeds.

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

Photo Credit: Google Images

Why is College Tuition so High?

The general public and politicians 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 had 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 actually 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 in the next decade, 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 Awareness, 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.

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

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Lower Stress, Higher Grades = More Scholarship $, Pt. 3

Stress is really tough on learning and memory. If students are able to reduce stress, they may end up with higher grades and more scholarship money for college. There are three simple things which students can do to reduce stress in their lives.

The third activity which helps is laughter. We’ve all heard proverbs and sayings about the benefits of laughing. They’re all true. It is the best medicine, and it does soothe the savage beast. Best of all, it not only reduces stress, it’s fun.

There are several places to find laughter. My favorite author is Janet Evanovich. I love her books, but I can’t read them in public. I laugh out loud and people look at me funny. My favorite comedian is Robin Williams (miss him desperately). An example of his comic genius is when he appeared on Inside the Actor’s Studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U48KpK1srx4

I also used Whose Line is it Anyway as an anecdote to work related stress. I recorded all of their episodes and watched them whenever I experienced a tough day. On the worst days, I watched three in a row, laughed out loud and relieved my stress.

A student introduced me to Rémi Gaillard’s YouTube videos. He's a comic genius of a different sort. Watch “The Spider” with a friend and be prepared to laugh so hard your sides hurt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpwZt7uMIPU.

These are mine. Find yours. Use them to relieve stress, improve grades and receive more free cash 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 additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Google Images

College Loans: A Monster with a Growing Appetite

We all know the national student loan debt is enormous, but it didn’t used to be so bad. Just eleven short years ago, student loan debt was dwarfed by home loans, automobile loans credit card debt. It was tied with other types of loans (such as personal loans) at only 18%. Credit card debt was at 31% and auto loans were 33% of non-home loans.

Times have changed. No one seems to be able to explain why this is the case. Salaries of college professors are abysmal, so they aren’t the cause. I’m guessing the failure of states to support public education as they did in the past has something to do with rising tuition and fees.

Last year, miscellaneous debt fell to only 11%, credit card debt dropped to 21%, auto loans were almost the same as in 2006, at 32%, but college loan debt has risen to 36%. People who have student loans are not buying homes or cars. They don’t have the money.

One way to avoid being part of these statistics is to be born rich. Most of us weren’t so lucky. Timing is important too. People my age paid around $65 per semester for in state tuition. Fees were pocket change and books cost in the single digits.

Current and future students need another option. I suggest parents and grandparents pay attention to the habits of students who were awarded Full Ride Scholarships and learn what they did to end up with no college tuition or fees to pay. My book Free College is at the printer and will be available soon. In it, I divulge the strategies used by hundreds of scholarship winners. My hope is that future students will learn how to become ideal college scholarship and grant applicants, so they can do what I did, graduate 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.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Why Grit Matters

Stop Stressing about the Meaning of Life

Never Give Up

Senior Post-Graduation Plans

Every January, Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors were able to see their goal: To be a senior in my German or French class and write their post-graduation plans on the poster in front of the room for all to see. In order to do that, of course, they had to be enrolled in my class as a senior. This message was subtle, but it worked.

I started displaying this special poster every January several years ago. It is a simple thing to do. It seems insignificant, but the impact was huge. My goal was to encourage students to go to college. At first, only a few had such plans. After a few years, there was a shift. The last thirty years of my teaching career, all of my seniors went to college.

But there was a secondary benefit that I did not expect. Often I heard underclassmen saying, “I can’t wait until it's my turn.” They knew they had to be enrolled in my French or German class as a senior in order to put their names and post-graduation college plans on the poster. This helped my advanced classes grow in size.

Supplies Needed: One large white poster. If this is not available on campus, go to Smart and Final or some other restaurant supply store and buy yourself a roll of white butcher paper. It is much less expensive, and has many uses. Two fine, felt tipped pens of two different colors. I used black and blue, but any two dark contrasting colors will do. Two wide, felt tipped pens of two different colors. Pick colors that are bright, cheerful and easy to read from a distance.

Procedure: 1. Using the wide pens put the title SENIOR Post-Graduation PLANS on the top of the poster. 2. Create two columns on the poster, numbering one through the total number of seniors you have enrolled in all your classes combined. 3. Ask seniors to tell you when they have decided which college they are going to attend, and have been notified of their acceptance. 4. Once they know where they are going, have them put their first name and last initial next to a number, the name of the college or university, and what they are going to study. If their major is undecided, they write “undecided”.

Be sure to hand them the fine, felt tipped pen you want them to use, alternating colors to make it easier to read. Remind them to write bold, like John Hancock. You will have to stay on top of them, until this becomes a tradition in your program. Once it becomes the thing to do, they will remind you. This annual event helped create a positive vibe in class. Students were proud to display the fact that they reached their goals. This instilled the desire to take part in the underclass students in lower levels of French or German. As a side benefit, administration liked it as well. It’s easy. It’s fun. It encourages students to stay in German or French until they graduate and to go to college. All good.

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

Why Flexibility is Important to Success

Smart Way to Get More Free $ for College

Colleges tell you what they want, but often students don’t hear what they are saying. Let me translate for you. They want you to take the hardest classes offered at your school and do well in them. Of course, not everyone is talented in many different courses of study; so this may seem impossible. It isn’t. Here’s how to look great to college admission and scholarship personnel.

Figure out your strengths. Perhaps math comes easy to you, or maybe it’s foreign languages. You might love science or find writing is your talent. Look at your grades. They will tip you off. If it's routine for you to get an “A” in a specific subject, then that’s your strength. If you don’t mind studying for a particular class, if it doesn’t feel like work to you, then this too may be in your wheelhouse.

Take the hardest classes in those subjects that administration will allow you to take. Enroll in extra classes in these areas, even if that means summer school. They will not overwhelm you, because for you they come easy. Here’s an example from my own life. I started French in ninth grade. In the tenth grade I continued with French, and added German. I continued both in the eleventh grade, and added Spanish. I made room for these electives by taking required subjects I didn’t especially like, but which were not tough for me, in the summer. I aced all of the foreign language classes and the others I took in summer school.

Why? Because I enjoyed the languages and didn’t mind studying. The summer classes were easy because I didn’t have anything else to study. You may not choose extra foreign language classes, but pick something you both like and don’t find difficult. Because I had taken and aced many foreign language classes, college personnel were so impressed; they didn’t notice I only took the required number of math classes.

Find your strength, talent or interest. Take as many classes as you can in these subjects, as far as you can and settle for nothing less than an “A” as your final grade. There are always creative ways to make more classes fit into your schedule. Find them. Do more of what colleges want and become the ideal college scholarship and grant applicant.

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

Why Should We Persevere?

Avoid College Loans and the Pay Gap

In the past few weeks two news articles related to higher education caught my eye. The first revealed that the pay gap between college graduates and non-college graduates is at an all-time high. The second, given the information in the first, was horrifying. The UC Board of Regents has voted to raise tuition 5% per year for the next 5 years.

The disparity in pay between those with a college degree and those without one is causing more than just frustration. Families are falling behind in many areas of life. Home ownership, having children and even getting married have fallen victim to these lower wages. New jobs since the Great Recession have gone mostly to those with college degrees. The Economic Policy Institute reports that college grads earn 56% more than non-college grads. While the college-educated have seen an increase of 21% in employment since the Recession, employment of the non-college educated has dropped 8%.

At the same time, the cost of attending a four-year college has continued to increase. It hit a record high in 2016. In the last five years, public college tuition has increased 10%, and tuition in private colleges has increased 12%. Over this period, incomes of American families have dropped 7%. How are families going to put their children through college with dropping incomes and increasing costs? Take out more college loans? Not necessary.

There are millions of dollars in college scholarships and grants waiting for those who qualify. But, it takes more than just fulfilling the A – G requirements, having a high GPA and great SAT scores. Individual students must differentiate themselves from all the others who have completed college entrance requirements. They have to do more to become more, so they will earn more free cash for college. 

This is why I did a study of high school seniors who earned college scholarships. I determined the factors that went into some of them becoming ideal college scholarship and grant applicants. I’ve included their strategies in my book, Free College Awareness. It should be available later this month. You can check this link to see when and where to obtain the book. This way, you can avoid both problems described in this article.

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

The Power of Setting an Example