TGIF scholarship seekers! Well, after a slow month of August, school if finally back in session — and so are a lot of scholarship committees. This week I have three exciting opportunities for you, all with late September – mid October deadlines. That should be plenty of time for you to write a scholarship essay and really dot your I’s and cross your T’s when it comes to your college scholarship application. Now while I don’t normally include state-specific scholarships, this week I have two. The first is up to $8,500 for high school students in rice-growing states (Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas), and the second is $10,000 for a “heroic” New Jersey resident. I also have an awesome scholarship from Siemens and t...

TGIF scholarship seekers! The scholarship world remains a bit quiet here in the last week of August. As I have been saying all month, the end of the summer is a hiatus for many scholarship committees, as they too gear up for the start of the new school year. This quieter period also provides you a good opportunity to get organized for fall and winter scholarship application. Go work on your scholarship essay or check out our handy guide to the scholarship application process. In addition, I have found two very exciting scholarships opportunities with late September / early October deadlines, that you will definitely want to check out. There is the Horatio Alger Scholarship for low-income students from 26/50 U.S. states and the $1,000 Shout it Out! scholarship from the Scholarship Exper...

Welcome to the part IV of my series on how to reduce the cost of college.  So far I’ve given you three suggestions: 1. Graduate from college in three years rather than four 2. Go to a local community college for up to two years before transferring to a four-year university 3. Volunteer for AmeriCorps and earn nearly $5,000 toward college This week’s tip is to reduce your college expenses by taking advantage of all available education tax credits and deductions. According to a recent survey, most taxpayers don’t even know about these tax breaks — and if they do, they aren’t using them in the most efficient manner possible. If you or your child is currently in college, education tax credits can help you to offset the costs. The best way to save money is wit...

TGIF, scholarship seekers! It’s nearly the end of August, which means that many of you are heading back to school, busy figuring out how best to arrange your dorm room — and your class schedule. August also brings a brief lull in my list of scholarships with immediate deadlines. While there are still a few opportunities out there, many scholarship committees take a break in August to gear up for the coming year. So, I thought I would take this week to focus on ways to find a scholarship, specifically through free scholarship search engines. If you have ever Googled “free scholarship search”, you know that there are a plethora of sites out there claiming to have the inside scoop on the scholarship world. But can you believe their claims? Or is there a catch? If ...

Welcome to the part III of our series on ways to reduce the cost of college. If you are currently suffering from college sticker shock, this series if perfect for you! Check out past posts on how to reduce the cost of college, including graduating in three years rather than four, and attending community college for up to two years before transferring to a four-year university. This week’s idea for cutting college costs is to volunteer… specifically be an AmeriCorps volunteer. If you aren’t familiar with AmeriCorps, it is President Clinton’s public service initiative, similar to Peace Corps but for populations in need right here at home. A network of service programs across the country aims to meets critical needs in education, public safety, and health. If you wan...

The weekend is nearly upon us, all you scholarship seekers! How has the summer been treating you in your neck of the woods? I’m off on vacation, writing up this post lakeside and feeling rather lucky indeed! As I have been saying for the past couple of weeks, August is slow season for scholarship committees, but never fear: As the weather starts to cool in September, the scholarship deadlines will heat up. In fact, I three awesome leads for you this week, all with September deadlines — plenty of time for you to perfect your scholarship essay and make sure to get your scholarship applications in on time. 1. Student Web Mapping Competition: $500 Recognizing the importance of the Web in the future of cartography, the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) is s...

We have been conditioned to think that student loans are inevitable. A necessary evil for today’s college student. But yesterday’s New York Times article on student loan debt has an optimistic message: One out of three students earn their BA degree with no student debt. That’s right — one-third of all undergrads will get through their degree without owing a penny in student loans, according to a new survey conducted by the College Board. So what’s that we keep hearing about how all students are drowning in student loan debt? According to one of the College Board’s researchers, Sandy Baum: People think students are drowning in debt, and there is a small proportion of students that borrow an exorbitant amount, but most students graduate with a manageable d...

Welcome to the second part of my new series on ways to reduce the cost of college. Even if you have been savvy college shopper and received financial aid, you might still be suffering from sticker shock.  So last week we talked about how to save one-quarter of your tuition, room and board costs by graduating college in three years rather than four. This week I’m exploring how community college can help you keep your costs down. One of the best ways to cut college costs is by enrolling in a local community college for the first two years, then transferring to a four-year school. Your diploma will be from the four-year institution, but your out of pocket expenses won’t be. Take for example my neighbor, who just finished her freshmen year at Johnson County Community College (...

It’s the first week of August, which means there is going to be a brief lull in the number of scholarships with upcoming deadlines. That’s because everyone is focusing on back-to-school preparations — including the scholarship committees! Now if you are looking for local scholarships, such as opportunities through the Kiwanis club or your local church or synagogue, you may still be in luck. But I try to focus in our weekly Scholarship Announcements on national leads, of which there are definitely fewer options this time of year. So, instead of my regular format, today I am bringing you some wonderful scholarship opportunities for women. You will definitely want to mark your calendar for these great scholarship programs — and I’ll be sure to remind you when...

President Obama visited George Mason University yesterday morning to mark the start of a new GI Bill with expanded higher education benefits for post-9/11 veterans. The law’s new programs, expected to provide $78 billion in assistance over the next decade, issued their first payments to colleges on August 1st. In his address to some 350 veterans, Obama confirmed his obligation to America’s servicemen and women. “We owe a debt to all who serve,” said President Obama. “And when we repay that debt to those bravest Americans among us, then we are investing in our future — not just their future, but also the future of our own country.” Among other new benefits, post-9/11 veterans will be able to attend any in-state public university at no cost. “...