Scholarship Announcement- Need a Quick Coin? "No Essay" Scholarship at CollegeProwler.com

Photo Courtesy of http://cdn.pearltrees.comCollegeProwler.com sponsors a  $2,000 scholarship every month.   All you have to do is register for a free CollegeProwler.com account.  This scholarship is open to all high school students and college students of every level.  Any person planning to enroll in college within the next 12 months is eligible as well. The monies can be used for any and all education related expenses, including tuition, housing, meal plans, books, computers, etc.  The deadline to apply is August 31^st.  The Winner will be announced on the CollegeProwler.com Facebook Page on September 15th.   This is a quick and easy way to get some legit cash for college. If you don’t win this month, you can reapply in September. Don't miss the bus children! 

About CollegeProwler.com

CollegeProwler.com, a website run by students for students, features thousands of reviews of colleges and universities around the country.  These are not the scripted, watered down reviews that you would find on admissions websites. This is Real Tea. :-)  Actual students share recommendations, photos, video and in depth written reviews of the curricula, programming and culture of the colleges that they attend.  Colleges are graded on academics, computers, strictness/campus policy, athletics parking, campus housing, night life, local atmosphere, safety and much much more.  

 Photo Courtesy of http://stanfordflipside.com

College Prowler, also provides comprehensive statistics and rankings that allow prospective students to do side by side comparisons of schools that they are interested in. The site also publishes current admissions statistics, tuition, average costs of books and supplies, student fees, etc.  This website is an excellent resource for students that are starting their search for the right college.

And another component of the CollegeProwler.com is a scholarship database that contains 3.2 million scholarships. Ain't that it! With all that free money out there, you are bound to find the right opportunity to get paid. Click the link below to create your CollegeProwler.com account and apply for this scholarship TODAY. 

Click HERE to Apply!

Dear High School Seniors, File Your FAFSAS ASAPTUALLY!

Hey Hey.. I know it's been a while and things are looking different.  I've been making some changes and gearing up for relaunch of the site and things are not quite ready but I had to break my silence for this very important announcement. * Clears throat*  File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid as soon as you can.  Federal monies are distributed on a first come, first serve basis.  In putting off the FAFSA you could literally be putting your grants/scholarships and subsidized loans into someone else's pocket.  Please.. Don't miss this bus children. Although deadlines are much much later, remember that financial aid is usually given on a first come first serve basis.  Freshmen are already at the bottom of the barrel.  It is suggested that most students file their FAFSA by January 15th.  

I know you're probably thinking.. " My parents have not filed their taxes." This is the case for most Americans. File your FAFSA anyway and do it today! While you're waiting for your parents to file their income taxes you can provide estimated information on your taxes.  Base these estimations on the previous years taxes.   Once your parents have properly filed this year's tax forms  you can go back into the system and provide  the official accurate information.  

The most efficient way to file your FAFSA is online, it is much faster and easier than completing and mailing the paper aplication.  The instructions for filing online are quite clear and easy to follow. Click here for the online FAFSA application.  If you need assistance there are tons of resources available online and through the guidance office at your high school. You could even contact the Finacial Aid office of a school that you are applying to for assistance. You could always send me an email as well :-) 

Also please remember that there are several FAFSA deadlines that you need to be aware of as well.  The FAFSA is a universal financial need assessment tool that all federal & state government agencies, colleges and universities use to assess your financial need. Consequentially there are federal, state and instituional deadlines that students must adhere to in order to receive aid monies.  You can read more about these deadline by clicking here to read that post. 

Also, remember indicate that you are interested in all forms of student aid especially for federal work study and for student loans.  Many students feel like they only want scholarships but these are valuable resources as well. Additionally, the FAFSA should not be something that you fill out on your own.  It requires the financial information of all the members of your family so if at all possible, it's best that you complete the FAFSA as a family.  I will do another post very soon that will include more tips for filing your FAFSA please be sure to check back in the coming weeks for that information. 

If you have any questions in completing your FAFSA and/or navigating this process, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.  I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you all for your patience and continued support.  Please check back in.. there is so much more to come.  

Money Talk- Don't GET Caught Out There

As you know, the start of a new school year is often complicated by a series of financial aid issues.  Students are on hold, they receive massive bills, loan disbursement issues, hold ups in housing, etc.  These problems are usually preventable and could have been totally avoided with a little fore sight, responsibility and preparation.  That’s where we come in. I’ve enlisted the help of one of my favorite followers and twitter buds.  She’s a financial aid officer and she’s here to help you all keep your necks and eyes from rolling all up and through the student accounts office. 

1. Make sure FAFSA is complete and error free! FAFSA’s can be done as early as January 1 for the following school year. Students should aim to get their FAFSAs done by the state deadline to be eligible for state grants.   After you’ve submitted, check with your school to make sure there are no errors or additional information you need to submit before you can eligible for financial aid.   For example, lots of students are selected for verification but ignore correspondence and other verification  forms from  the FA office notifying them of this. THIS IS NOT THE MOVE!  Verification means that a student needs to submit taxes and other income info to Financial Aid office to verify information reported on the FAFSA.  This information must be submitted and processed before that student can receive aid. In other word, before you get your money.  It’s important to get this info in as soon as possible because the timeline on getting this processed varies from a few days to a few weeks.   Drag your feet and you’ll be sorry. 

2. Some schools require students to accept or reject awards (or just loans) before they will disburse. Also be sure to read through your award letter and make sure you only take what you need.  Schools package student with the maximum amount of loans that they are eligible for, but you may not need that much.  Make sure you notify school of any loans that you don’t want before loan disburses.

Also, new students taking out loans should make sure they have completed loan entrance counseling.  Loans cannot disburse until this is done. 

New students & some returning will have to sign their Master Promissory Note (MPN) before loans can be disbursed (if receiving loans).

Most schools disburse aid during 1st week of class,(no sooner than 10 days before classes) so its important to get these things done ahead of time so that books, supplies, and other things can be purchased by the start of classes

Thanks Again to my Boo Afro Chic for this priceless information and always I hope this helps. 

Take care,