What Can I Do to Minimize My Student Loan Debt?
As a financial aid administrator, I often get many questions from students and parents about how to qualify for financial aid, or what they can do to get more financial aid. Rarely do I get the question of how they can graduate from college with the minimum amount of debt. Just recently, this was the topic of a meeting I had with a current college freshman.
Considering that in June 2010, student loan debt outpaced credit card debt and is now close to a trillion dollars, this question should not surprise me as it continues to concern students enrolled in college. So what exactly can students do to minimize their student loan debt? The answer is quite simple; focus your energy on winning scholarships. The how-to is much more difficult to achieve, but it does not have to be.
In my experience, many students spend a large portion of their time searching for scholarships and a lesser amount of time preparing to become a competitive applicant.
Posted by Gerardo Ochoa, Associate Financial Aid Director, Linfield College, Portland Campus, OR on 01/13/2012 - 2:22pm
What? Student Loan Debt Rising to $1 Trillion!
Total student loan debt is increasing at a rate of about $2,853.88 per second.
Presently the student loan debt is close to one trillion dollars, which has surpassed credit card debt in our country! Students borrow because they believe they do not have any other choices or options. There is an alternative available for all students to pay for their college without accumulating excessive student loan debt.
With the rising national deficit, can we afford not to teach and support students with the scholarship process to assist them pay for their education using the free Path to Scholarships® courses available through www.Edudaris.com?
Posted by June McBride, Author and Founder Path to Scholarships® and Edudaris™ on 01/10/2012 - 5:05pm
Help, I Need a Scholarship!
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Scholarships are FREE money used for tuition, fees, and living expenses. Scholarships are money that does not have to be repaid. Scholarships are available for almost every type of post-secondary study including vocational, technical, community college, college and university, and also for graduate studies. Scholarships also come in the form of grants, work study, internships, allowances, graduate assistantships, and fellowships.
Posted by June McBride, Author and Founder Path to Scholarships® and Edudaris™ on 01/05/2012 - 10:00am
What is the Timeline to Request Winning Recommendation Letters?
Almost every scholarship and college requires a recommendation
letter. This is at times a stumbling block for many students! Often students wait until thelast minute to request these needed recommendation letters. The best time for high school students to request recommendation letters is in September. Very few students ask for recommendation letters at this time.
Posted by June McBride, Author and Founder Path to Scholarships® and Edudaris™ on 01/05/2012 - 8:45am
Evaluating Financial Aid Award Letters
Spring is an exciting time for you high school seniors as you prepare for graduation, select a college to attend, but don’t forget about a very important letter your colleges will send you, the financial aid award letter.
Financial aid letters are composed in many formats; this makes it difficult for students and families to compare one to another because they all look different. Although they differ, the types of aid in the letters are very similar, they will all include at least one of the following: grants, loans, work study, or scholarships.
Posted by Gerardo Ochoa, Associate Financial Aid Director, Linfield College, Portland Campus, OR on 01/05/2012 - 11:24am
June McBride, M.A.
Author and Founder of Path to Scholarships®
June McBride, M.A. is the founder and CEO of Outreach Youth Empowerment, LLC, a growing company focused on a dream and a vision for the families and children of this world. She has been traveling throughout the U.S. conducting Path to Scholarships® workshops and trainings.
As an educator, author, founder of Path to Scholarships®, and motivational speaker,
June McBride has been a professional educator since 1970. Her teaching experience includes public and private schools, and homeschooling, educating students from elementary school to college. She has two undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts degree.
Testimonials
Knowing Mrs. McBride and Path to Scholarships® for over six years has been more than a pleasure. She has made a difference in my life by inspiring me to succeed in the present and in the future. She has helped me to overcome many difficult obstacles in my life and encouraged me to succeed academically. I admire and respect her for who she is and I hope to become like her one day.
Beatriz Adriana Valle, St. Edwards University, Austin, Texas
"The Path to Scholarships® scholarship planning portfolio method made it possible for my family to attend college. Not only did I win $44,550.00 in scholarships, but also my two sisters have won over $60,000.00 in college scholarships. The Path to Scholarships® scholarship planning portfolio has become a family tradition."
Rosario Venegas, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho
"Mrs. McBride’s Path to Scholarships® organizational planning portfolio method made all the difference in the world for me! I was awarded over $65,000.00 in scholarships plus the prestigious Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship which pays all my expenses through medical school!"
Travis Johnson, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
*All testimonials are subject to our Disclaimer.