Government Grants for All

10 Tips for Adults Considering College

As a person who returned to school at age 35, with three teenagers, worked a full-time job and earned a physics degree, I understand what it’s like for the older student who chooses to go back to school. I learned many things along the way.

My best advice is to ask questions, read the catalog, research grants and scholarships available to you, then ask more questions. Below are just a few things to think about and consider when making your decisions.

1) Attitude is everything – If you charge right in, eager to learn, and you are willing to put forth the effort it takes, succeeding at school is possible. You are only as old as your attitude. Don’t let other people’s attitudes influence yours. You can do this. Ask questions in class. Ask questions after class. Your professors, for the most part, will appreciate your effort.

2) Childcare and dorms – Some colleges offer childcare and living quarters for single mothers, such as Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA. Through our experiences, my kids and I have found that renting an apartment is almost always cheaper than staying in the dorms. When making decisions regarding your living arrangements, be sure to ask about mandatory freshman cafeteria plans if you are going to stay on campus. These can usually be waived if you live close to campus.

3) Online courses – Many accredited state universities offer online courses for a variety of subjects. My children and I have taken several of these types of classes at the University of North Alabama. If you take an online course with plans to go on to a four- year university, be sure to ask the admissions office of the university you are planning to attend if the credit is transferable so that you are not throwing your money away.

4) Ask Google – Search the web for grants and scholarship opportunities according to your situation. There’s a SMART grant for science majors, a TEACH grant for education majors. Pell grants are also available if you meet income qualifications.

5) Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov – Read everything and apply early. If you plan to attend in the fall, apply now. As soon as you get your taxes filled out, go to the website and fill out the FAFSA. You will need to have your tax documents available when you fill out the application. If you need assistance, use the online help at their website. You can also inquire at the Financial Aid Office of any college. Make an appointment to see them and discuss available funding opportunities.

6) Read the school’s catalog – Really read it. Make sure you find out if the university requires an entrance exam like the ACT for older students. Find out if they require the writing part of the exam. It is very important to know ahead of time what tests are required for admission so that you can be fully prepared.

7) Talk to Admissions – The Admissions Office or advisers usually have a worksheet showing how many hours and what types of classes are needed to graduate over and above what is required by your major. Ask for it. Most universities have policies about how many courses are required in all subjects beyond what is listed in the section for your major.

8) Local scholarships – Ask the Admissions Office for a list of scholarships given by the different clubs or departments at the university. If you are currently working, ask your employer if there are grants available from the company or if they have a tuition reimbursement program.

9) Admissions policy – Ask for the admissions policy for older returning students. Ask about the process turning experience into credits towards graduation. The military does this all the time with servicemen and also civil servants. It is becoming more common.

10) Withdrawal policy – Ask about the withdrawal policy and know when the last day is to withdraw. Keep in mind that it is better to withdraw than to fail a class. You can explain a withdrawal at an interview, but low GPA’s usually don’t produce interviews for jobs.

Going back to school is a lot of work. Asking questions makes some people feel stupid. Don’t let it. The best scientists in the world made all their discoveries because they wouldn’t stop asking questions. You really can go back to school and successfully graduate. Asking the right questions will help make it a better experience.

Tags: Adults, College, Considering, Tips

What Constitutes Financial Assistance When Considering Student Loans?

As with everything else the cost of education has risen significantly. Tuition increases of more than 6% per year are commonly seen today. As an example, in 1973 the price to register at UCLA (University of California) was approximately $200 per quarter and today it is more than $2,000 per quarter.

A tenfold increase is not at all unusual and many things cost ten times more than they cost 25 years ago. On the other hand, salaries have risen about three times in the same time period from in the region of $15,000 – $30,000 per year to approximately $39,000 – $42,000 per year. These numbers vary according to gender, age and more although as a rough guide a threefold increase is about right.

But it is not all gloom and doom. There are many more types of financial aid available today to both parents and students than ever before. Financial assistance, as its name implies, is money which parents and students receive from grants, loans and scholarships issued by both Federal and private lenders to aid students in paying for their education.

A few years ago, students could depend almost entirely on Pell grants and Stafford loans to finance the cost of their education and living expenses. Nowadays Pell grants are still issued although they are needs based and meet a very small proportion of the education cost today. Stafford loans are also needs based but can range from 25% to 40% of the average cost of financing school these days. Another form of aid is Perkins loans that are similar to Stafford loans but that are issued only to the lowest income families.

Fortunately, plus loans are also available now and these were not around a few years ago. plus loans are given to parents and not students to help parents to pay for their child’s education. Interest rates on PLUS loans are average and there are some restrictions and fees levied but they often form part of the student’s total package of funding.

A very quick note about fees. A lot of loans are for a specific amount like $6,000 per year to be disbursed in several payments (typically one payment each semester). But it is common for up to 4% in fees to be taken from the loan amount before the funds are disbursed. That 4% fee on a $6,000 represents $240 that you never see but that you must repay. If you are seeking a loan ensure that you do your homework and see if you can find a low or no-fee loan.

Though Federal loan programs like the subsidized Stafford loan program have low fees and the government pays the interest, they are not the only source of financial assistance today and are not always the best choice.

Funding the cost of education today is a complicated operation and most students will need to assemble a package of funding that includes scholarships, grants, Federal loans and private borrowing.

Luckily, there are now far more sources of finance available than ever before and market competition between private lenders especially means that it is possible to get funds at a price that will not necessarily break the bank.

You are also fortunate to be living in an age where finding the information that you need to make reasoned decisions about the choices open to you is also quite easy.

TheStudentLoansCentre.com provides a wealth of information for students covering everything from an introduction to student loans to a detailed look at student loan consolidation

Tags: Assistance, Considering, Constitutes, Financial, Loans, Student

What Constitutes Financial Assistance When Considering Student Loans?

As with everything else the cost of education has risen significantly. Tuition increases of more than 6% per year are commonly seen today. As an example, in 1973 the price to register at UCLA (University of California) was approximately $200 per quarter and today it is more than $2,000 per quarter.

A tenfold increase is not at all unusual and many things cost ten times more than they cost 25 years ago. On the other hand, salaries have risen about three times in the same time period from in the region of $15,000 – $30,000 per year to approximately $39,000 – $42,000 per year. These numbers vary according to gender, age and more although as a rough guide a threefold increase is about right.

But it is not all gloom and doom. There are many more types of financial aid available today to both parents and students than ever before. Financial assistance, as its name implies, is money which parents and students receive from grants, loans and scholarships issued by both Federal and private lenders to aid students in paying for their education.

A few years ago, students could depend almost entirely on Pell grants and Stafford loans to finance the cost of their education and living expenses. Nowadays Pell grants are still issued although they are needs based and meet a very small proportion of the education cost today. Stafford loans are also needs based but can range from 25% to 40% of the average cost of financing school these days. Another form of aid is Perkins loans that are similar to Stafford loans but that are issued only to the lowest income families.

Fortunately, plus loans are also available now and these were not around a few years ago. plus loans are given to parents and not students to help parents to pay for their child’s education. Interest rates on PLUS loans are average and there are some restrictions and fees levied but they often form part of the student’s total package of funding.

A very quick note about fees. A lot of loans are for a specific amount like $6,000 per year to be disbursed in several payments (typically one payment each semester). But it is common for up to 4% in fees to be taken from the loan amount before the funds are disbursed. That 4% fee on a $6,000 represents $240 that you never see but that you must repay. If you are seeking a loan ensure that you do your homework and see if you can find a low or no-fee loan.

Though Federal loan programs like the subsidized Stafford loan program have low fees and the government pays the interest, they are not the only source of financial assistance today and are not always the best choice.

Funding the cost of education today is a complicated operation and most students will need to assemble a package of funding that includes scholarships, grants, Federal loans and private borrowing.

Luckily, there are now far more sources of finance available than ever before and market competition between private lenders especially means that it is possible to get funds at a price that will not necessarily break the bank.

You are also fortunate to be living in an age where finding the information that you need to make reasoned decisions about the choices open to you is also quite easy.

TheStudentLoansCentre.com provides a wealth of information for students covering everything from an introduction to student loans to a detailed look at student loan consolidation

Tags: Assistance, Considering, Constitutes, Financial, Loans, Student

The It Consultant: Considering The Costs Of Downtime

There’s nothing more stressful for IT consultants than getting the dreaded emergency call from a client whose office is “crippled” because of a major systems outage.

If you’ve been an IT consultant a while you know the harsh realities of small business technology adoption. Your clients demand perfection, but don’t have much of a technology budget to invest in fault-tolerance.

Clients Should Understand the Costs of Downtime

As their IT consultant, it’s crucial to get your clients to understand the critical importance of protecting against unplanned downtime. The following is a two-pronged approach:

1) Help your clients figure out their cost of downtime.
2) Encourage your clients to invest accordingly in spare PC hardware.

The Cost of Downtime

If your clients have more than a handful of PCs, in time they’ll develop a service history and learn what kinds of hardware items break fairly regularly.

They’ll also learn from you, their IT consultant, how to convince their PC vendor to supply replacement parts under warranty coverage, as well as how to estimate the time for getting the replacement part to their office and installed into the appropriate PC.

Valuing System Downtime

For a quick, back-of-the-napkin calculation of what system downtime might be costing your clients, consider that the hourly cost of system downtime equals:

Projected annual revenue / (Business days per year x Hours in a business day)

Use This Tool on Your Website

If you’re a little handy with JavaScript, this calculator could be a really nifty marketing tool to place on the home page of your IT consultant website. Just be sure to give credit where credit’s due and link back to our end user site, http://www.SmallBizTechTalk.com.

After all is said and done, a major cost to consider is employee downtime, as well as time spent by your clients’ internal gurus chasing down the warranty replacement part, perhaps during an inopportune time.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Tags: Considering, Consultant, costs, Downtime

Is The Royal Military College Of Canada Worth Considering?

I’m interested in maybe pursuing a career in computer science but also study history as a minor. I enjoy sports and it seems that I can get a lot out of going there because I’ll come out knowing a 2nd language and still be in shape.
As a school, is it worth considering going there even though you’re not planning on joining the army after graduating?

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It looks like it would be very unusual to be admitted to RMC under arrangements other than enrolment as an officer cadet (all expenses paid, commitment to serve as an officer for several years afterwards). The article does say that it’s possible to back out of your commitment by paying back all the expenses of your education; I have no idea how common that is and how badly it would look on your record.
If you’re not interested in military life, I can’t help but think that student life at RMC – military training, discipline, uniforms and inspection – would not be enjoyable enough to make it worth the extra effort.

Tags: Canada, College, Considering, Military, Royal, Worth