City College

College and student loans can be tricky things to manage during the whole college application process and general college experience. In today's economy, people are tightening their belts more and more. Many colleges these days are extremely expensive and virtually impossible for many people to afford on their own. While scholarships, grants, and financial aid are all viable options, not all students are able to attain them. In this case, many students are forced to consider taking out student loans. There are several important questions to ask yourself before deciding if applying for school loans is the right thing for you. Can I Afford To Take Out A Loan? This is not a straightforward[..]

The college application process can be one of the most stressful in a person's life, and for many, the process goes on for nearly a year. There are visits to colleges and countless interviews, talks with guidance and career counselors, long study sessions for the SAT, and the attempt to define "who am I" in the form of a transcript and an essay. It is truly one of life's most overwhelming phases, but at the end, you're likely to be rewarded with that most desired award: the acceptance letter. After the initial celebration, a sense of shock will set in, as your mind frantically races to figure out how you're going to pay for college. For most students requiring financial aid, the first[..]

Home schooled children have the best of both worlds - they can attend summer high school programs abroad or locally, whether they are home schooled full-time or not. Cities across the country are now offering summer scholarship programs for high school students and graduates. Students are eligible for funding while completing their courses at home, as well as after they receive their diplomas. Additionally, home schooled students have the flexibility to extend their summer high school programs abroad, because they are not encumbered by specific school calendar. For instance, knowledge of a foreign language is almost always required for most undergraduate programs, especially if you plan[..]

The Common Application is geared towards helping a student find and apply to universities online. Currently they have over 300 colleges and universities to apply to including Ivy League schools such as Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton and others. In order for a college or university to become a member of the Common Application, they have to meet certain criteria. Some of those criteria include offering undergraduate degrees, maintaining non-profit status, and being in good standing with NACAC (National Association for College Admissions). The college or university must be accredited. A major requirement is that they must include all of the following in their admission process and[..]

The senior year of high school is an exciting time, but it is only a means to an end if you are a college bound student. The end, or the goal, is to complete your senior year with a next step in place - the college step. Taking the action steps to make this step possible are fairly simple if you plan ahead and pay attention to four areas: 1. College Applications 2. Letters of Recommendation 3. College Visits, and 4. The FAFSA form So now you are a senior in high school and the world is at your feet, ready to be conquered, and you can hardly wait to get there. But, there are just a few other things that you will need to do first, so pay attention. Assuming that you have been taking[..]

A frequent question from high school students and parents is whether it is wise to disclose a disability during the college application process. There are a variety of opinions on this, so there is probably no one "right" answer. Here I will present my personal feelings on the subject. Unless you are applying to a school that exclusively serves students with learning disabilities, i.e. Landmark College, I am of the opinion that it is no one is business but your own. It is one thing to send an application to a disability support program within a college, where it remains confidential. Besides, you know that it is going to a supportive office where they "get it". When you send an[..]

When choosing a college, the potential student has many factors to consider. Such as what degrees are offered, how long the program for each degree will last, and will the student want to live on or off campus? Some colleges do not offer the same programs and certain degree programs may require less time to finish. Location is important when considering a college or university. Some students prefer to stay close to their home, while others enjoy the freedom of living several states away. Community colleges are also a valid option for those who are interested in earning a degree. Part time classes can allow easier access to higher learning. Some colleges are available over the internet,[..]

Boarding schools present their students with a unique mix of opportunities and experiences. The trick to choosing boarding school lies in answering the question- "Am I the kind of student who can and will do well living and working away from my parents ?" If your answer is "yes," you'll want to consider the qualities and benefits of a boarding school environment. Relationships drive boarding schools. You will know your teachers as you never imagined. They don't go home at three o'clock when classes are over; they live with you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The classroom is just a small part of a boarding school faculty member's work. Some of the most important teaching takes[..]

As a result of the competitive nature of the college admission process, parents are constantly looking for anything that will give them and their children an edge over other applicants. With many schools cutting back on the number of students they admit, and with the requirements for admission becoming more and more rigorous each year, many parents are looking to do everything they can to help their children get into the college or university of their choice. For homeschooling parents, the competitive edge is often gained through their child's enrollment in a distance learning private school. Most parents find that traditional public or private schools cannot effectively prepare their[..]

It's not unusual for parents to ask me, "What can my student do over the summer to give them an edge in the college admission process?" So without further ado, here's my Top 10 Summertime list for College-Bound Students: #10 - Prepare for the dreaded SAT / ACT tests This could be a book, online course or a visit to the tutoring centers in your area. It will keep your mind focused and give your extra confidence when you sit down to take the SAT in October. #9 - Don't forget the Essays I find many students procrastinate on this subject, mainly because they don't realize the difficulty of writing a solid essay (in 25 minutes on the SAT!) Your best bet is to start on several drafts for the[..]

p>If your career change requires you to go back to school right around the time another member of your family is also headed off to college, timing it such that you're both in school at the same time might increase your financial aid eligibility. For example, in an earlier post this month, I linked to an article about a dad who, after many years producing TV ads, wants to become a physician's assistant - a career change requiring him to complete a 2-year degree program. While his kids are still preschoolers, if one or both of them happened to be approaching college age, he might find that syncing up his return to school could make education costs more affordable. No doubt, having a[..]

I frequently get asked whether it is better for homeschoolers to take the SAT or the ACT in high school. In general, the SAT is more commonly given on the coasts, and the ACT is more commonly given in the center of the country. Regardless of the geographical biases, both tests tend to be accepted at all colleges. In fact, every college I've spoken to has accepted both of these tests. One of the great benefits of homeschooling is that we can choose the test that is right for OUR student, and they don't have to take the same test as their age-mates in public school! I always recommend that students take a sample of both tests and then study for the one in which they score best. Students[..]

It's Tuesday April 18, 2006, and the big news on the geopolitical front is the arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao. The NAMC Newswire has made a few changes and the Wall Street to Main Street daily segment and the Investors Corner segment text version in their entirety will only be available to subscribers. Keep in mind that all subscriptions are free and will remain that way. All that you need to do is go to and add your email address to receive the full segments. Remember that you can always listen to the NAMC Radio on Streetiq.com, the leader in financial podcast. We introduced thousands of Wall Street to Main Street subscribers to the Elder Statesman of Emerging Growth[..]

Connecticut parents with children in high school who are distraught over rising college costs, decreasing home values and talk of a recession now have a free resource in plain English which gives over 35 financial aid strategies. Including filling out forms to qualify for the most financial aid, scholarships searches and using money-saving strategies to pay for college while continuing to contribute towards retirement funds. According to college planning specialist Chris Rivers, CEO of Michael Hanley Group, during the college admission process parents of college-bound students are required to fill out tedious and time-consuming forms, assess their child's career options and make[..]

The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering college in increasing numbers. Getting into the best schools is increasingly competitive. Having good grades, a great SAT score and participating in extracurricular activities is no assurance that your student will get into the school of their choice. Because of that phenomenon, parents are taking a much more active role in their children's college admission process. But for some parents, participation in their child's college search has led to a troubling development that college admissions officers are seeing more frequently. It is the High Maintenance Parent (HMP). And college admissions officers are reporting it more[..]

High school counselors spend an average of 23 minutes working with their college-bound students on the college search and planning process. Most high school counselors work with more than 350 students. Few high school counselors are able to visit colleges or attend conferences because their schools do not have the budget for them to do so. Many parents do not feel they have the ability to serve as a guide to college for their teenager. This is a real concern for families. What's a student to do? Many are turning to educational consultants who are helping to fill this gap. They have the expertise to assist college-bound students with the college search and application process. They also[..]

You don't need to have a sure major to enter law school. Law schools generally also are interested during liberal arts backgrounds. You actually generally want to have wide spread of classes like math, business, social sciences, and stats. First, start about yourself for the law college admission process because soon because practicable. This implies working on your grades from the 1st day of undergraduate college with the understanding that they also are single of the primary components of your law college application. You have to too begin preparing for the Law College Admission Test, or LSAT, years during advance. If you actually do not experience year, start getting ready at the[..]

  My father passed away before my 19th Birthday and I miss him dearly. I had just received my college admission letter, and we were in the middle of celebrations and preparations to get me the money and other resources I needed to report to campus. So my Dad's death after a brief spontaneous illness was sudden and unexpected. The pain, heartbreak and sadness I endured cannot be described in writing. Memories of him taking his last breath run through my mental screen every time I think of his death. I can still remember responding, "No, he's not" with tears draining down my cheeks when the doctor declared him dead. And I remember trying to prevent the nurse from pulling the shroud up to[..]

Standardized tests taken by college students nationally are heavily weighed as part of a complete application. There is obviously trepidation and stress over the actual test taking process. Before the tests are taken and once they are over, it's important to keep in mind the affect that these tests have on acceptance to a school. Many people have spoken out against standardized tests, claiming they are a poor representation of a student's intelligence or academic potential. The fact remains, standardized test are very important to colleges when it comes to admissions. The reason some students and administrators have been in opposition is because standardized tests are given and scored in[..]

College students who are required to submit their essays would normally hire a freelance editorial service to develop their essays. If you want to add college essay editing to your freelance services, you should have enough background in college writing; for someone who already went to college, this could be a cinch. Familiarize yourself with the different styles such as APA, MLA and Chicago. Before you accept any editing project from a college student, try to ask for details and instructions. Ask specific information as it would help you go through with your editorial services. College essays vary in style and required number of words or pages. Thus, it is better to know this before you[..]

If you’re thinking twice whether or not to buy a Mac for college, stop it. There’s no room for doubts! Buy a Mac for college and prepare yourself for the battle ahead. Getting into college is like engaging into a war. You’ll never survive it without proper plans, strategies, and weapons. And during this challenge, the MacBook might be your most effective weapon that will bring you a high chance of survival! Why Buy a MacBook for College? The new MacBook has everything you need in a laptop computer. You get power, performance, and portability in one super device that you can bring along with you during classes, thus increasing your productivity in school. The MacBook is designed to[..]

Submitting a good college essay is another aspect that has to be considered by the high school student who wishes to attend a competitive school. This essay, together with the SAT (see my article on SAT Test Preparation), are two key aspects that must be satisfactorily completed by the college-bound student. Sometimes the college essay is what makes or breaks a student's chances of getting into the school of his or her choice. The college essay gives the admissions board a chance to sneak a peek inside the head of the prospective enrollee. Given comparable grades and other "good" qualities, the student with the better essay--the one which is coherent, well thought out, and[..]

History essay writing is somewhat tricky for one very important reason - history is really not about dates and names and places. A good college history essay should take the issues of a history class and represent them in an interesting way. After all, history is all about telling stories and telling them in new and interesting ways. I always tell my writing students that a good college essay should be argumentative or persuasive in nature. The job of a college writer is to present an issue in a new and interesting way - not to simply rehash information. This is the biggest mistake student writers make in history essay writing! You should never approach a historical essay as though the[..]

College writing is a challenging course for many new college students. In my experience teaching college writing, I have found a number of key tips very useful for my students. Although every essay writing situation is different, some general principles apply to most every writing problem. Read on to find out how you can write an essay for any college class to get the 'A' you want. The most important thing to note about college writing is the difference between a high school essay and a college level essay. The differences between these two types of essays can be very difficult to understand at first as most college writing classes do not point out them out and often assume that students[..]

Do you have a child who will be graduating high school in the next couple of years? or even next year? Then now is time for you and your college bound student to start thinking about how to pay for college if you haven't thought about it already. With the rising cost of college tuition, the sooner you start planning how you will pay for college, the less worries you might have when it is finally time to actually make those tuition payments. Pell Grants Pell grants are the first type of aid you will apply for. This simply requires that you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is usually the first step in applying for student loans and no one should avoid it.[..]

Nothing in life is free. Money doesn't grow on trees. There's no such thing as a free lunch. No doubt you've heard these phrases before. But here's the exception to the rule; you can get a college scholarship absolutely free with no strings attached. This is a legitimate website offering college scholarships to you free of charge with no purchase or participation required. All you need to be eligible for this amazing opportunity is a valid email address. These available scholarships are valued at $10,000 and are given out every month. Scholarship winners will be chosen and notified at the end of each month. The money you could receive from this valuable scholarship can be used to advance[..]

Are you heading to college in the near future? Many current high school students are burdened every day and pressured to find the perfect college. You may be wondering what kinds of students your dream school is accepting, or what you can do to get into that school. Many people assume these conversations just aren't taking place, but they are every single day at a place called College Confidential. College confidential is a forum where college hopefuls chat about their chances to get into their dream schools, safety schools, how to do better on the SATs, extracurricular suggestions, scholarship opportunities, and much much more. The advantage of learning about your prospective colleges[..]

Going to college and getting a degree, is without a doubt one of the biggest decisions a person can make in his or her life. This one decision will have a direct impact on how much money this one person can earn throughout their life and which direction their career might lead them. Look, statistics report that those people with a college degree earn 30 per cent more money each year than those with a high school diploma only. Statistics also reveal that someone with a Graduate degree will earn as much as four times the salary than someone without a college education. Find A Free College Scholarship Online! Listen, for one reason or another, we have been lead to believe that going to[..]

It can be confusing trying to get scholarship. There is so much contradictory information on the web that finding the right place to start your college scholarship search can be tough. Fortunately, there are plenty of scholarships to be had and your chances of getting one are pretty good if you put in a certain amount of work. It's a struggle for single parents to raise families and attend college at the same time. It may not even be possible because of the expense. However, scholarships can help make college affordable. These days, it's tough for a single parent to raise a family. It's been the worst recession in two decades and jobs are being lost at a record rate, money is tight, and[..]

Because of the rising cost of college tuition, more and more students have to apply for scholarships to augment their financial aid package. Luckily, there are many college scholarship sources available. The government, private companies, individuals, and nonprofit organizations grant scholarships, and there are many ways to access information about how to apply.. Using college scholarship search engines Log on to free online scholarship databases and research websites. These very powerful tools can save you time and money by matching your profile to hundreds of scholarships that you may be eligible for. College scholarship search enginesare continuously updated, making access to the[..]

The search for private college scholarships is an integral part of the college planning process. Even a small scholarship can help defray your college expenses and may allow you to turn down a loan or reduce the amount one needs to borrow. High school seniors, haven't begun your college scholarship search yet? Now is the time to start! Deadlines for private scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year for college bound students will start cropping up after the New Year and will culminate for the most part by July. If you are planning to conduct your own scholarship search, there are strategies that you can use to manage your search and improve the effectiveness of your search. GET[..]

While it may sound appealing to pay someone to do all of the research and documentation for a college scholarship search, it is perhaps best for the student and their parents to do the work themselves. This is for several reasons; first only the student knows all of their own interests, activities, hobbies and relevant data. A typical scholarship search agency will ask about academic interests and career choices and may miss out on dozens, if not hundreds, of potential scholarship sources. For example, there are hundreds of civic organizations that make scholarship funds available to the children of their participating members. An agency may not take the time to ask for all of the[..]

There are many young men with children and a wife to support, who find themselves in a dead-end job, unemployed or have an opportunity for advancement but simply don't do anything about it. Oftentimes, the reason is a monetary one. They could go back to college to earn that degree that will open other doors for them, but this costs money and this is where scholarships for dads can help. Unfortunately, going back to school is often last on a man's list when he is married with kids, but this does not have to be so. A man, who is also a father and spouse, can afford to go back to college even if he doesn't have the money. This may seem contradictory but it is true. All he has to do is look[..]

Generally, as a woman you want a fulfilling and happy life with your family. However, sometimes life hands us situations that we weren't prepared for and our circumstances change from a happy family to raising your children alone with little or no help from your spouse. This can feel overwhelming, you need to find employment but nobody is hiring without a degree. You start considering going to college but how can you get a college degree when you can barely make ends meet now. This is where single moms college scholarships make it all possible. It is true going to college requires money which is where a college scholarship can be a blessing. There are many different scholarships for[..]

When you step into college life, your financial aid must be strong enough to support you throughout your whole college life. In this article I will tell you how to apply for college grants absolutely FREE in just 3 basic steps. 1) Applying For College Grants Is Really FREE You must keep this in mind that when you apply for college grants, it does not cost you a dime and make sure that you are not having any doubts regarding the FREE term. You just have to find the right website on the internet which will support you in your educational life. To find a suitable website, just visit any search engine and type: Free college scholarship website, college grants website. 2) Reputation Of The[..]

Scholarship money is available to almost anyone! Whether you are a high school senior, a college student or the parent of a college student, you already know that the financial burdens of financing a college education can be staggering. Before spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition, all students and parents of college students should explore the options available to them by way of college scholarships. We hear each day how college tuition costs are increasing more each passing year. The average cost of a four year college education is around $100,000 and this does not even include the high price of textbooks, travel, transportation, food, and housing. The escalating costs[..]

Scholarship money can help take the sting out of online college tuition costs, and students don't necessarily have to be on the honor roll or win a pageant to obtain them. A wide variety of scholarships are available and a little research into those for which students might qualify could result in a good amount of tuition assistance. The best online degree is the one that leaves you prepared for the next step, be it work or additional schooling. Students typically don't have to repay scholarship money and they can find this assistance through colleges and universities that help students pay for the on campus and online degree programs they offer. Students can also find scholarship money[..]

Your graduate school personal statement is what will help the school get to know a little more about you. Before allowing someone into a university or a program, a school wants to know who they are, what they plan to do with the degree, and whether they will be a good addition to the school. Writing this statement is one of the most important things you'll do during the application process, so let's make sure you get it right. Start Early The first thing you need to do to write a successful graduate school personal statement is start early. Don't wait until the week or night before the essay is due. Start several weeks early, outlining and drafting your essay. Many people like to start[..]