The Essentials of Education » Information

College Bound Students Affected by Economic Downturn

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:33:33 +0000

High school seniors are faced with the daunting challenge of selecting a college. The current economic downturn is altering their college choices. In many cities unemployment is over 5 percent and some parents cannot afford the colleges that students are selecting as their first choice. Colleges are affected too. Students are comparing their financial aid packages and going where the money leads them. Some college admission experts say that this may not be the best way to make a college choice.

Students are submitting multiple applications using websites like commonapp.com They want to know that they have options. It is not unusual for parents to take their students on an east coast college tour. The students and parents will visit five or six colleges to determine the one that is the best fit for their particular interest and financial circumstance. This can be an expensive venture if the colleges require airplane flights that are far distances. Some parents and students are making a decision to stay close to home. They can reduce the cost of travel and some of the living expenses that are increased when a student is studying at a college that is away from home.

Some of the students are put on a wait list by prominent colleges. This is not a reason for alarm. Due to the economic downturn students who are on the wait list are receiving new acceptance letters. Some colleges are not getting the number of applications that they expected. This has forced colleges to scramble to make their numbers. College admission offices may call students to make them a financial aid package that they cannot refuse. Some financial aid offices are able to offer a better financial aid package because more money is available due to students who have not accepted their offer.

Making the right college choice is a frustrating experience for many college students. They listen to their friends to find out where they are sending their college applications. Unfortunately their family’s financial circumstance may not allow them to have many college choices. Students do not know that college selection should be an independent decision. Colleges don’t always give students enough information during the student’s early years of high school. Students and parents need more admission and financial information in these changing economic times.

It appears that colleges are becoming more aware that students are a valuable asset. The economic downturn is a real issue that families must confront. If not navigating the financial obligation of a four year college education could result in financial pit falls. For some parents it may mean sending their student to a community college for two years. Many of the four year colleges have articulation agreements with community colleges. The reduced cost will give them time to recover from their employment circumstances. In spite of the challenges these students are facing college attendance is still the right choice. It is the one life experience that will increase a student earning potential for decades.

How to Get a Scholarship for College

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:59:09 +0000

It’s not that people don’t want to get a scholarship for college its that they don’t know how. Whether it’s a student athlete or a student with a B average who wants to go to college. The problem is that there is more available information about applying for student loans than there is about applying for scholarships for college. Now let me ask you the question would you rather get a student loan or a scholarship for college? Exactly.

Get A Scholarship for College

The first thing that you must do is: Apply

The next thing is follow up and be persistent

The third thing you must do apply for more than one

The fourth thing you must do is keep your options open

Applying for a Scholarship for College

Once students find out about scholarship options about 70% of them do not apply.

Now this occurs because of a combination of being lazy and being discouraged.

A high percentage of students that don’t apply for scholarships think that they will not get the scholarship. I can understand this thinking but what kept me from thinking like this was seeing my peers actually get scholarships from using scholarship searches. One more important thing is to apply for more than one scholarship to college. Don’t limit yourself. You may get one $10,000 scholarship or if you apply for one you increase your chances and that could mean ten $1,000 scholarships.

Following Up

Following up simply means if you apply for a scholarship don’t think of it as being online
entering a random contest so you don’t want to use your primary email. I can understand the thought of spam mail but this is not the case trust me. When you use scholarship searches or apply for scholarships online you will only receive information that is coherent with your profile information. So use your primary email or an email that you will check often. And you will be surprised when you see the large number of scholarships that are available for you.

Keeping your scholarship options open

When looking for scholarships for college your main goal is to find money for college. So you want to keep your scholarship options open.

This means applying for college grants as well. College grants are similar to scholarships because you have to apply for them and you don’t have to pay them money back. Learn how to get college grants at the source of this article.

If all else fails, you guessed it= Student loans. You can read more about student loans from the source of this article.

Student Scholarship Searches

Student scholarship searches are designed to allow students to create a profile on the web and
receive scholarship information based on the details in their profile. It is free to use student scholarship searches and it takes about 10 minutes to set up your profile.

Scholarships -Recap

Apply
Follow up
Keep your scholarship options open
Use scholarship searches apply for more than 1 scholarship

If you follow the steps listed in this article you will be on your way to finding a scholarship for college. Good luck.

How Can Online Math Tutoring Be a Great Homeschooling Resource

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:30:32 +0000

Homeschooling is a rewarding experience, one that allows children the unique opportunity of one-on-one learning. One-on-one learning helps students absorb information more quickly and also helps parents better see any weak points in study. It also helps students be more open to asking questions and getting their doubts cleared as opposed to a group setting where they may feel shy or embarrassed. There are many homeschooling resources available for homeschooling families (just Google it and you’ll know what I am talking about) but have you ever thought of online math tutoring as a helpful and effective resource?

Why Online Math Tutoring And Not Traditional In-person Tutoring?

You may ask- since I am seeking tutoring, why don’t I go for in-person help as opposed to online math help? Online math tutoring has a lot of advantages over traditional tutoring (you can find some on clickandclimb.com homepage) including convenience, flexibility, and affordability. I will highlight some advantages of online math tutoring here that make homeschool math a breeze.

Extra Learning Boost/Support

Sometimes there are points in a child’s study where the parents do not feel they have the capabilities or feel the need to give their kids an extra learning boost. This is true especially for higher grade level math like algebra, geometry, calculus etc. Some venture with a new or different curriculum, some seek help of other families and some even put away math for some time. Online math help can be very beneficial during such times. You can have a professional tutor work with you at your pace and provide that much needed support and bring back the confidence in your child. It can help a child who is behind catch up. Also, it can help a child learn a certain concept better or prepare for a test like SAT with professional support.

Coincide With Current Homeschooling Curriculum

Online tutoring sites, such as clickandclimb.com often will work with the child directly from the curriculum that the child is using as a part of their home school program. This feature is beneficial to homeschooling students, as they will be able to keep up with their lessons. It also gives the parents reassurance that student is being taught from the family’s chosen resources. The fact that the child’s current curriculum is used helps the child not only learn the concepts, but to also re-enforce previous concepts.

Comfortable Studying Pace

This benefit of Online tutoring coincides with one of the varied reasons that parents choose homeschooling. Homeschool students can move at a pace they are comfortable with while learning. Not all children learn at the same pace or with the same learning styles. Online tutoring is done at the child’s pace. If a child needs extra attention in a concept, that concept can be worked on until the child fully understands it.

Affordability

Options exist for both offline, as well as online tutoring. Online tutoring can be more cost-effective as companies use global resources and easy to use cutting edge technology to make online tutoring affordable for all. You can schedule sessions when you want and not revolve your day around it.

Cultural Experience

Because of advanced technology, students can interact with teachers that may be in a different country like India. Homeschooling parents and students find it fascinating to learn from a qualified and professional tutor with such a different cultural background. The interactive tutoring sessions makes sharing cultural experiences very enjoyable and informative.

Confidence

Online tutoring can build confidence in both the children and the parents. Parents will gain confidence in knowing that their children are succeeding with homeschooling. There also will be confidence gained, due to the fact that lessons are being taught by an expert. The children will gain confidence as they learn and understand each new concept. When children are confused during learning, some might feel frustrated or worthless. A child’s natural confidence can again be restored when those hurdles are overcome during online tutoring.