Financing Higher Education
4. Private scholarships and interest free loans. Many private organizations offer scholarships based on income and/or special criteria. These organizations range from local school districts and chambers of commerce to national religious organizations, from endowments in memory of a special person to multinational corporations. Awards range from a few hundred dollars to full tuition, room, and board. Use guidebooks available in your library or guidance counselor's office or free online search engines such as "http://www.fastweb.com". Avoid using fee-for-service scholarships searches, as they are often scams.
5. Choosing your path wisely. Full tuition, room, and board at a private college or university can easily run well over $30,000 A YEAR. That adds up to $120,000 for a bachelor's degree, not counting the significant costs of books, supplies, transportation, and other necessities. Even with a lot of aid, you may not be able to afford this cost. But there are other ways. Public colleges and universities often provide just as good of an education as private schools do, and for a much lower cost -- at some schools, costs are under $6,000 a year for in-state residents. If you would really like to graduate with a degree from a prestigious private college, consider spending a time at a public community or junior college first, then transferring. Even if you loose some credits or have to spend three years at community college for two years of credit, the cost will be much lower. Another plus is that it is often easier to gain admittance as a transfer student than as a first-year. Remember, though, that less financial aid may be available for transfer students, and that many credits may not be available. Choose courses that are equivalent to courses at prestigious schools, and speak to the admissions offices far in advance. Earning as many credits in advance through Advanced Placement courses and other high school programs can also help -- most classes taught this way are free or cost less than $300. If you save a semester or a year's worth of tuition at college, it can be very worth it.
6. Working your way through. It may seem obvious that you can work while attending college part time, but you can work if you attend full time as well. You may have to cut back a little bit on activities and fun stuff, but the average 15 or 16 credit course load only requires twelve to
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