scholarship essay,Affording College - a Guide for Students and Parents

Affording College - a Guide for Students and Parents
Scholarship essay : Education is Getting Expensive
There is no good news about college tuition costs. They continue to escalate, generally at a rate inconsistent with the cost of living. You are earning less while facing increasing costs for college.
Scholarship essay : Parents - Start Saving For College Early
You have most likely already been warned about the failure to start saving for college early. Most investment advisors suggest as soon as your child is born, that you begin saving for their college career.
This will affirm a couple of things: first, it already establishes a goal and precedent-college is a given; plus, if you save accordingly, you could have college paid for well in advance. When you consult a financial advisor, which could be the one provided free-of-charge by most banking institutions, he or she will likely have a number of diverse savings options.
If you did not start saving early there are also other options that will help ease the burden of college expenses. We will explore these below.
529 Tax-Free Investment Funds
A 529 program is a tax-free state-funded savings account that is available to individuals as a means to save for college spending. Parents control the account and the funds can be used at nearly any type of undergraduate or graduate educational institution in the United States.
One of the unique aspects of the 529 program is that each state designs and manages their own fund. There are no residency requirements, so feel free to explore the options of any state’s program. This type of flexibility offers you the chance to choose a plan with the characteristics most suited for you.

College Textbook Scholarships
Scholarship essay : Need Help Paying for Your Books?
According to the Government Accountability Office, the average cost of books for a freshman attending a four-year public university in 2003-04 was $898.00. This figure works out to approximately 26% of the cost of tuition and student fees.
Finding the means to purchase textbooks is a big concern for students attending post-secondary institutions. According to a survey conducted in August 2005 by Half.com, more than half the 1,000 people surveyed indicated that they would have to dip into their savings to cover the cost of books. And a majority (56%) of those surveyed admitted that they have put off getting the necessary materials for their classes because of the cost - one in six chose not to enrol in or dropped a class because of the cost of textbooks.
Fortunately for those finding the cost of paying for college textbooks overwhelming, some financial aid is available. Here are some sources of funding:
Scholarship essay: College Bookstores of America Scholarship
Five scholarships in the amount of $200.00 are given annually. Both full and part-time students with a GPA of 2.5 are invited to apply. Applicants not eligible for other sources of financial aid will be given priority.
Helping Hands Book Scholarship Program
Up to 50 one-time awards of $100.00 - $1,000.00 are awarded each year to college/university, technical, vocational, or graduate students. High school students (over the age of 16) planning on attending one of these institutions are invited to apply. To be eligible, all applicants must be attending an institution in the United States, Canada, or Mexico at the time of their application. Funding, in the form of a cheque mailed to the successful applicants' homes before the start of classes, is available for both the fall and spring semesters.
Scholarship essay: The Passage Institute Book Scholarship Program
This scholarship program is open to African-American undergraduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Five scholarships in the amount of $1,000.00 are available; $500.00 is awarded at the beginning of each of the fall and spring semesters.
Carl A. Scott Book Scholarships
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) awards two $500.00 scholarships each year to students in their final year of study for either a Bachelors or a Masters Degree in Social Work at a CSWE-accredited program. Applicants from the following ethnic groups are eligible to apply: Puerto Rican, Asian American, American Indian, African American, and Mexican American.
NACE Book Scholarship Program
The NACE Foundation invites graduate students who are Student Members of NACE to apply for a book scholarship of up to $1,000.00. The purpose of the scholarship is to allow students to establish or add to their personal library of corrosion-related books. Both North American and International students are eligible to apply for this funding. Applicants are required to provide GPA information, along with two written recommendations. Successful applicants can choose to accept their award in person at the NACE Annual Conference; financial assistance to help defray the cost of travel to the Conference for this purpose is also available.
Casimiro Foundation Book Scholarships
Business students in either two or four-year programs at an institution in the United States can apply for financial aid under this program. To be eligible, applicants must provide proof they are enrolled (either full or part-time) in school, maintain a GPA of at least 2.0, and demonstrate they are in need of assistance.
In addition to the programs listed above, many institutions have funds available through their alumni associations or other sources. Be sure to check with your school's Financial Aid Office to find out what is available to you.

Contact Your School Financial Aid Officer Early
Enough cannot be said about allotting adequate time to consult with financial aid officers and to research available financial resources. There are many financial opportunities, but you must make provisions to apply early enough to be considered.
Make sure to contact the appropriate personnel at colleges in which your child is interested, as soon as their sophomore year of high school. This way you have advance notice of deadlines for applications and financial aid requests, along with opportunites for bad credit or low income households.
High school guidance counselors can also be of assistance with helping you lay out a plan of action. A counselor might also have reputable financial assistance advice, as well as suggestions for a college or university that best suits your child’s personality, learning style, and career goals.
Tips for Prospective College Students
If your parents are like everyone else’s, then they are busy folks. Do not neglect to prod them about college savings. Ask them to help you complete the necessary financial aid forms well in advance. This is part of your responsibility and should emphasize to them your desire to pursue a college education.
Take time to explore the rest of our pages, including the resources for various types of scholarships, as well as tips for choosing an essay topic and writing a solid application essay . When you have the opportunity, try and visit the campuses where you will be applying. Sometimes what looks great on the cover of a glossy college brochure is the handiwork of marketing professionals.
Read through our site and soak it all up. If you are still looking for a few more resources you may want to visit our list of scholarship tip sites or more scholarship searching resources .