College Cash Direct
Make it Happen for You


Do you feel like every time you look for scholarships online you barely get relevant information?
Do you hate reading articles that discuss the obvious about finding scholarships?
Here are my tips to help you find a scholarship now!
Use a scholarship search
Ok this one may sound a little redundant, especially if you don't like when people state the
obvious.
The biggest problem with this tip is that only a few people ever use it correctly. What I mean is
when I say use a scholarship search I mean take the proper protocol in the order listed below.
1) Register
2) Create your Profile
3) *Follow up weekly*
Last on the list number 3, that is the biggest problem. People register, create their profile then
they do not follow up. Or the people that do follow all three of the steps get stuck on the 3rd step.
They follow up but just not as frequently as they should. By following up or checking your email or
profile you will see "New" opportunities that are available for you to apply for. Many people sign up
or register using an alternate email because they think that they will receive spam. Well that is
why email accounts come with standard spam folders/filters and the option to email block
addresses. The last note about using a search is that you shouldn't use just one. You should use
as many free scholarship searches as possible. And it wouldn't hurt to ask your peers, or read
reviews about which searches are better.
Enter scholarship contest
This tip is one that I find people have the most trouble with. Many people lack the confidence to
enter a scholarship essay contest. So what you didn't get a good grade in your english class.
Some of these essay contest our looking for genuine unique essays about personal
experiences. You may just need to convince the judges that you are in need of a scholarship. If
you have trouble writing
you have a few options:
Create an outline
Have someone proof read your essay look up "persuasive writing" take your time and reread your
work
Don't limit yourself because you don't think that your a strong writer. And here is a tip for the
readers of this article who may have trouble writing. "The more you read, the better you write." So
keep reading because it will only help you.
Buy a scholarship book
If you have the extra money buy a scholarship book. A scholarship book will provide you will
ample sources of financial aid. Most of these sources are additional sources. Meaning they are
the same opportunities you would find from using a scholarship search. Also you can read book
reviews to see what others had to say about specific books.
Use reliable websites
This one can be tricky because a reliable website would typically be a website that is well known.
However there are many new websites that aren't as popular but they still deserve a visit from
anyone searching for a scholarship. An indicator of a good website is something that is featured
on digg, stumble upon or delicious. Those are social bookmarking sites and what that means is
just that someone who visited that website thought it had relevant information and they decided to
book mark it and recommend it to others.
Find scholarships in places you visit
Many people don't think about places where they can find scholarships. If you visit a local store
like: Target, Best Buy, Walmart etc. you should inquire about any scholarships they offer. A retail
clerk may not be able to help you with this information but a manager might. Also if you go to the
company website you will see all the benefits the company offers. They may offer fellowships,
scholarships, and tuition reimbursement.
State Contacts and Information
Find your state department of education, state contacts and organizations, ED press releases for your state,
and other state information. Just click on the State for desired information.
Considering Financial Aid
Scholarships are free money that can help you to pay for your college expenses including tuition fees, room and board, book, supplies and other required
materials. Do you need to apply for scholarships? If you ask this question to different people, you may get different answers. Some may tell you that it
depends whether you can afford to pay for your own education cost, if yes, then you do not need to apply for a scholarship. While other may tell you to go for it
since scholarship are free money from some one who is wiling to pay you money to go to school.
The rule of thumb, whenever you go for college, it is necessary to apply for scholarships
because the costs of attending college are rising, and current bad economy that leads to a
recession may causes the situation worse. You don't want any economy or financial factors to
be your road block to your college study. There are students or parents think they don't need to
apply for a scholarship or did not put a priority on it. When they realize they need it, it will be too
late as they may miss most opportunities or rushing to prepare for the application requirements
that make their applications not complete or making mistakes that cause them fail to win any
scholarship. These students who should be qualified for a scholarship end up with a student
loan, which need them to pay back later. So, make your scholarship searching as early as
possible so that you grab the most opportunities to win scholarships you are qualified for.
"How many scholarships do I need to apply for?" Most often, it would better to apply for more
scholarships to increase your chances to win a few or at least one of them. There are thousands
of other students around the country who applying the same scholarships with you, you are not
guaranteed to win it. However, there are several strategies as to which scholarships you should
apply for and which ones you shouldn't. By implementing some strategies in applying for
scholarships, you will increase your chances to win the scholarships that you have applied and
minimize the waste of time in preparing the requirements of those scholarships you shouldn't
apply for. However, it would be more beneficial to apply, say 10 scholarships and focus to win
them then apply for 30 scholarships without giving much time on particular one.
While the free money from scholarships can cut down your college cost considerably, the process of applying for scholarships help to develop the winning
skills that you may found it useful in whatever you do in your life. For example, the essay writing, one of requirements in scholarships applications will
sharpen your writing skills considerably, making your transition to college easier. In addition, the process of applying for scholarships that required you to
meet the deadline with all the necessary document preparation will develop you with organizational skills. Attending the award ceremonies provide you with
opportunities to network with those success individuals.
A Must Read: "Before Applying"
As they were ringing in the New Year on January 1, high school juniors and their parents were also ringing in their college financial aid "base year." Although
the actions taken in the base year can mean the difference between saving thousands on college expenses and needlessly overspending, few people
understand what they need to do to achieve the former rather than suffer the latter. So, let's take a closer look.
If you are like the vast majority of American's in our sagging economy, your family will be looking for additional funds to help cover the cost of a college
education. The largest share of this need-based supplemental money comes from the federal government through its financial aid system.
But the government also assumes that you are able to participate in the expense of educating
your child prior to considering how and to what level they will participate in funding your child's
education. Therefore, in order to determine your initial level of participation, families are required
to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA form.
The FAFSA captures the required financial information used to calculate how much your family is
expected to pay via a formula known as the Federal Methodology (FM). Your initial or beginning
monetary participation level is known as your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
The data used to generate the initial EFC calculation is collected beginning in January of your
child's junior year in high school and ends on December 31 of that same year, which would be
his or her senior year in high school. This time frame is referred to as your "base year."
In essence, if you're in your base year, you are now under the financial aid microscope and any
financial moves being considered (including the sale of real estate or stocks, withdrawals from
IRAs, contributions to retirement plans, receiving monetary gifts, etc.) must be weighed not only
from a federal tax standpoint but also in relation to the financial aid system. The catch is that
what makes sense from a 1040 point of view may have adverse consequences on your chances
of receiving financial aid.
Case in point: Consider contributions made to your 401(K) plan at work during your child's base year or any year prior to financial aid application. In order to
encourage individuals saving for retirement, the federal government does not tax contributions made to 401(K) plans up to a specified annual limit. This
money enters the retirement plan on a pre-tax basis with taxes being accounted for as money is withdrawn to supplement retirement.
The Federal Methodology used to calculate your EFC treats these contributions from an entirely different prospective. The financial aid system believes that
you can stop contributing towards retirement and apply these contributions to college expenses. They anticipate you playing "catch up" with these
contributions after your child is out of school.
Accordingly, your pre-tax retirement contributions, which are not considered taxable 1040 income, are considered "untaxed income" by the financial aid
system and are added back into the EFC calculation and assessed at the applicable rate.
If we assume an assessment rate of 30 percent and $10,000 of retirement contributions, your initial EFC just increased by $3,000 for the year in which
federal aid is applied for. This could very well eliminate you from being considered for preferred financial aid.
This is not to suggest that you discontinue your retirement contributions. However, the harsh reality of the situation is that the enormity of funding your child's
college education and your retirement collide with each other at an inopportune time, especially as our national economy struggles. As you make decisions
regarding college education versus retirement funding, you should carefully weigh how each decision will impact your wallet, both during the base year and
well into the future.
Tips on Finding the Cash for College
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