This is an exciting time for a lot of you! You’ve likely received decision letters from all the schools you applied to, so now the ball is back in your court. As you gear up to make your final selection in the next couple weeks, here are some things you should be thinking about:
We are about a quarter of the way into 2012—how many of you have stuck with your new year’s resolutions? For those of you that have, phenomenal job! It’s not easy to build or break a habit, so keep up the good work. For those of you that haven’t, don’t beat yourself up! Sometimes you just have to refocus your efforts and remember why you wanted to make a resolution in the first place.
Spring is the season of re’s (rebirth, renewal, regrowth, etc.), so now is the perfect time to get back on the path to achieving your goals. If one of your resolutions is saving money for college, then you’re in luck—we have gathered some of the best scholarships with April deadlines in the list below.
You can also get a head-start on your scholarship search by checking out our affiliates at ScholarshipPoints.com, where you can earn points for the chance to win up to $10,000 in scholarship money.
When you go off to college, you will probably have to move away from family, friends, and other treasured possessions. The silver lining is that you will likely return home with a new-found appreciation for the things you might have once overlooked. One item that you’ve surely taken for granted before college is textbooks. Your middle school and high school probably provided textbooks for all your classes. You likely had so many that you struggled to carry them in your backpack. However, things change when you get to college. Free textbooks are no longer the status quo. If you’re not careful, they can cause a huge dent in your checking account. Luckily, there are many options out there to help minimize the high costs of buying new. Here are a few:
One of the most crucial pieces of advice we give you on this blog is to complete the FAFSA. We like to harp on it a lot, but we do it for good reason— there is really no downside to applying. The application is simple to fill out, provides you eligibility for all the federal student-aid programs available, and oh yeah—is FREE. It would be a shame if you missed out on funds just because you forgot to send in a form, so don’t make that mistake. If you haven’t done so already, head over to the FAFSA website to submit your application.
While we 100% recommend that you do your FAFSA, it can also be difficult to decipher the award letter that you end up receiving. Your funds will likely be spread across a bunch of loans, grants, and other programs that have different terms and conditions. Since you’d probably like to know what you’re getting yourself into, we’ve provided a glossary below of some of the most important key terms for federal funding:
In the coming weeks, many of you will have to make a decision that will shape the next four years (and beyond) of your life: which college should you attend? The school you pick will also shape another major decision that looms large for college students: which career path should you pursue? It is perfectly fine if you are undecided on your future career goals, as college is an excellent time to take chances and explore any areas of study that you might be interested in. Even if your career aspirations are not your top priority right now, it is still good to know what to consider when choosing a profession. Here are some of the most important factors:
*Based on average interest rate of loans selected by Marketplace users. Savings may vary.
Need extra money for college? Students won over $130,000 in college scholarships during 2011 at ScholarshipPoints.com.
Win monthly scholarship drawings of up to $10,000!
*Affiliate site opens in new tab
