MAKE MONEY AT HOME TIPS

What Every Student Needs to Know About College Grants

Article by Dave Poon

Did you know that the United States Department of Education allotted a $ 60 billion budget for low-cost student loans this year?

Out of this amount, $ 82 billion will be assigned for college grants, loans and other financial assistance for students. This is an astounding leap, making it possible for 10 million students to benefit from government-financed aids, according to Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Your parents can never stress enough the importance of your college education. As early as the day that you were born, they were already saving up for your future.Looking at it from a practical point, first, studies show that a college graduate has the potential to earn more in the workplace as compared to somebody who just came out of high school. Second, a college education is invaluable and cannot be taken away from you. However, with the rising costs of college education – if your family is not that well-off – your parents might not have saved enough to send you to college. One of the options that you have is to get a private college loan. The disadvantage of personal loans is that they need to be repaid. A college grant, on the other hand, is like any other financial aid provided by the government which does not need to be paid back.

Thus, it is better to take advantage of the federal aids and grants provided by the government to help you have a college degree. Take a look at the following grants that you can obtain:1. Federal Pell Grant Program

This is the most common form of federal grants available to help finance your college degree. It is awarded to undergraduate students and may be used alongside other college grants and financial aids. The amount of Pell Grant money given to a student depends on the cost tuition fees, books, room and board and transportation, as well as the financial capacity and size of the applicant’s family, and whether the applicant is a part-time or full time student. 2. Academic Competitiveness Grant

This government financial aid for college students will provide as much as $ 750 for your first year in college. For your second year of undergraduate study, you can be awarded an amount of $ 1,300.

You are qualified to apply for this grant if you have completed a rigorous program in high school. The most important requirement is for you to qualify for a Federal Pell Grant.3. National SMART Grant SMART stands for Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent. This grant is provided for third and fourth year students who are also eligible for the Pell Grant. To qualify for the National SMART Grant, you should be enrolled in an Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science or Critical Foreign Languages major. There are other related majors which will qualify you for National SMART grant. 4. SEOG or the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. The SEOG is granted to undergraduate students and is based on the applicant’s financial need. Just like the Federal Pell Grant, this can be combined with other financial aids for college. The usual amount given is about $ 1000.

5. Individual Grants Provided by different Colleges and Universities. You can also go to the college or university of your choice and ask about the grants that they offer for qualified students. Another important thing to remember before applying for any college grant is that you need to fill up a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA form.

If you are nearing your high school graduation and you just can not wait to pack off your bags and head off to college, make sure to check out all of the available college grant options that you have to help kick your way off to getting that ever-important college degree.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Careers and Education. For more information regarding Grants For College Students please drop by at http://www.topcollegelife.com/










What It Really Takes To Earn Money With Online Surveys

Making money filling out online surveys seems simple enough and while many websites sell it as the ultimate way to make easy money on the internet, it’s not exactly what most people think it is. Although online surveys have great potential for earning money in your free time there a couple of things you need to be aware of before you dive in with unrealistic expectations.

Firstly, earning $10,000 a month from online surveys is very tough. Although some people are making that kind of money, it’s completely unrealistic to expect that when you are first starting out. Online surveys is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

What it is, is a nice way to earn an extra $1,000 a month. Of course you could work harder and earn more, but if you set your sights at making an extra $500 to $1,000 a month you will most likely reach your goal if you are committed.

The real trick to online surveys for cash is to do a lot of them. On average they only take about 15 minutes to complete – meaning that you could do 4 of them in an hour and earn $100?

Although some surveys pay as much as $50, the majority of them pay much less. Never bargain on earning more than $15 per survey. If you are serious about earning an extra $1,000 a month then you will need to do at least 2 or 3 surveys a day.

The biggest problem with online surveys is finding enough surveys to do. It’s one thing to say you are willing to do 2 or 3 a day, but getting into 2 or 3 surveys a day is another story. You need to sign up to a lot of market research companies if you want a stead stream of surveys coming your way.

There’s a lot of factors that determine weather they will give you surveys to do, but as a rule of thumb you need to sign up to 10 companies for every 1 surveys you want to do a week. In other words if you sign up to 30 companies you can expect to get 2 to 3 surveys a day. Sometimes it’s more sometimes it’s less but over time it will balance out.

The real power of doing making money with surveys is in doing it for a long time and sticking with it. As you start building y reputation and track record with market research firms, they will start to send you more and better surveys. Not only will you get more surveys to do, but you will also get surveys that pay better.

The easiest way to sign up to 20 or 30 market research companies is to join a survey directory. Not only do they pre-screen the companies they list, but they will help you to greatly improve your chances of actually getting surveys to do. I can highly recommend Survey Scout, but there are many others out there. The more the better and don’t limit yourself. Spread your wings and be open minded to different things and you will succeed with online surveys.

Access practical tips in the topic of website traffic – welcome to your individual tips store.

Tags: Make Money Online

0 responses so far ↓

  • There are no comments yet…Kick things off by filling out the form below.

You must log in to post a comment.

Copyright ? 2009 MoneyMakingTactics.com.
Tactics to Make Money Online via Internet Marketing.

See more here: 
What It Really Takes To Earn Money With Online Surveys

Why Study Abroad? Get Educated In A Foreign Country

Why earn a college degree abroad? Have you considered sending your kids (or yourself) to study in a different country? Besides some relatively cheaper options for schooling, studying abroad may also offer a lot of rich and new experiences. In this article, we explore Mexico as a potential place to get an education, but the ideas here are simply representative of what to consider when you decide to pursue your studies overseas.

study abroad, get educated in a foreign country
Pretty picture by the NYTimes.com

When I was living in Mexico, teaching English to Mexican university students in Monterrey, a doctor friend of mine launched a bold program to attract dollars to the School of Medicine via American students who either were unable to enter a school due to the high costs, or who were simply rejected because their SAT scores were too low. He was quite successful and I helped him welcome the first batch of 20 students from various states north of the border.

Of course, these medical students were aware that once they had their degree, they would still have to satisfy State Bar medical exams to be able to work as physicians. Some courses were in English, but a wise requirement by the University of Monterrey mandated that they had to learn Spanish during their first year; hence, ad hoc classes were provided as part of the curriculum.

Take Your Studies Abroad

This program lasted only 3 years, as the founder passed away suddenly of a heart attack; however, any American student can study at any Mexican university, as long as she/he understands Spanish. The costs are a little higher than for native Mexicans, but still a long way below the amount paid in the U.S. The Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon is a state university that is renowned the world over for its extraordinary record in kidney transplants. It has its own public hospital which caters mainly to the indigent population.

…And Broaden Your Horizons

You don’t have to get your degree in a foreign country to enjoy studying abroad. Many American universities even require some students (based on their curriculum) to spend a year in a foreign country studying the language and the customs. Some financial aid is even available:

“The Carlos Castañeda Memorial Scholarships are available to students with an above average academic record as well as significant financial need. Awards are $1,000 toward summer tuition or $2,500 for a year of study in Mexico. Applicants must also meet Spanish language proficiencies,” according to this site called College Scholarships: this offer is among many other offers of scholarships for American students in various areas. Isn’t it fascinating to think about archeology or anthropology in Mexico, Costa Rica, or Honduras? Primitive artifacts are awaiting the audacious graduate student!

Note as well that if you have a 529 college savings plan in your name (or your child’s name), then the funds here can be applicable to certain accredited colleges and universities abroad. There are certain “study abroad programs” that are approved as viable recipients of funds from 529 plans.

Scholarships For Americans!

While most of this site is in Spanish (you’d also have to ignore the questionable web design), there are sections here that discuss options and possibilities for financial support for American students (referencing the Fulbright-Garcia Robles scholarship for tuition and living allowance.) The U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (COMEXUS) has government support for growing the understanding between the two neighboring countries by developing programs of this sort that allow graduate students who are US citizens to seek international experience.

Advice For American Students

One of the most important words of advice to young American students who wish to polish their education abroad is: Be Careful! What may be tolerated here may not be acceptable in the host country. I remember a young American tourist in Singapore who was condemned to 20 lashes for smoking pot. You will discover very quickly that we enjoy a much greater freedom and safety here in the United States than in many other countries. Mexican jails are not particularly hospitable to gringos (particularly to the younger ones). But if you adapt quickly and show tolerance for different mores, your stay could be highly memorable!

Read the original:
Why Study Abroad? Get Educated In A Foreign Country

Summer Concert Tours To Enjoy: Get $5 Lawn Concert Tickets!

Having Citi card as one of the cards we cover on this blog, I was happy to hear about Citibank’s great new promotion, which sounds like something to take advantage of if you’re a Citi card holder or account owner. During the months of July and August, those who own a Citi debit card, credit card or bank account can visit the Citi Private Pass (citiprivatepass.com) site in order to receive an access code that allows you to purchase $5 tickets to some awesome concerts by well known bands. The Citi Private Pass program is another benefit that Citi cardmembers can enjoy apart from the well-known ThankYou Points network rewards program. You’ll find that the Private Pass program is geared towards events; they offer a lot of great deals for dining, shopping, sports events and concerts. And right now, Citi and Live Nation are working together to promote lawn concert tours for just $5 per ticket through the Summer of Savings promotion. There are over 600 scheduled shows that will be running all the way through October which include bands such as Depeche Mode, Nickelback, Crue Fest 2 and blink-182. For a taste of what you may get to watch in these lawn concerts, check out one of my favorite bands ever, Depeche Mode, doing their thing. ? Ah memories! Hope that concert video got you in the mood to pick up some tickets! Make sure you check out the many other chart topping artists on the Summer Concert list

View post:
Summer Concert Tours To Enjoy: Get $5 Lawn Concert Tickets!

How To Get A Job By Thinking Outside Of The Box

Here’s more on the creative job hunt . Find out what people are doing to stand out from the job hunting crowd ! We live in a society in which most people fear being different, fear making waves and thus fail to exhibit their unique qualities. In this jobless era, however, the few and the bold (to paraphrase a military slogan) are the ones who will get the good positions available. For let’s not forget a very important fact: Companies are hiring, albeit not as much as usual. For every open job, there are 250 people (OK, I exaggerate; it’s more like 4 per opening) asking for an interview and/or plopping their resumes in the company’s inbox at a job fair. So how can one differentiate oneself from all the other applicants?

Go here to see the original: 
How To Get A Job By Thinking Outside Of The Box