Scholarship Search Videos

FAP932: Scholarship craziness, heavy metal Hanukkah, MASFAA 2009 Download the MP3 file here. Weekly Financial Aid Roundup Why does college cost so much? Merit based scholarships getting the axe. Scholarship Update Entertainment abounds in the results of our $10,000 scholarship. We hope to have a confirmed winner really soon. In the meantime, our next $10,000 scholarship deadline is December 15. Focus on Financial [...]

FAP922: Social media scholarship, last minute financial aid, free stuff Listen now: 20090821.mp3Enable Javascript to play audio content on this site. 0:00 / 0:00 Student Financial Aid News From Forbes Magazine: Most states have quasi-governmental agencies that monitor the status of federally subsidized student loans and administer loan forgiveness programs for those who follow certain career paths, Forbes reports. Many of these agencies temporarily foot the bill for loan forgiveness before being reimbursed by the federal government. But some have been using excess revenues and state government funds to create their own loan forgiveness benefits. Now, with loan markets in turmoil and states facing record deficits, some state loan forgiveness initiatives are on shaky ground or have been cast aside altogether. From the Washington Post: College students are appealing financial aid decisions this summer in unprecedented numbers, an outpouring of need that underscores how layoffs and pay cuts have battered household budgets in the past year, The Washington Post reports. Appealing for more aid was a little-known and seldom-advertised option in higher education until this year. U.S. Education Department officials wrote to financial aid administrators in the spring, when most aid decisions are made, urging them to reach out to your students particularly those who seem to have hit a rough patch, to make sure that they know there may be ways that you can help. Scholarship Update Are you working towards a marketing degree that will take you through the constantly evolving world of multi-channel marketing (mobile, web, email, virtual worlds, social media networks, podcasting) in the 21st century? How would you like to earn a $500 Scholarship and real world experience at the same time? We will award one (1) $500 scholarship to the person with the highest number of referred sign-ups to ScholarshipPoints as of midnight, September 30. Here’s how it will work: Up to 20 people will be chosen to submit a two-page marketing strategy for driving ScholarshipPoints.com membership. How do you get chosen? Simple: tweet the reason why you should be one of the 20. The only requirements here are your tweet must include the hashtag #SPSMM and it must appear on the public timeline prior to Midnight EST August 23, 2009. Remember you have only 140 characters and only ONE shot to make the cut. Details at Scholarship Points. Scholarship Points Instructions Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. News You Can Use Are there secrets to winning scholarships? Yes and no. Many of them are common sense. Some are search queries. That said, there s no magic bullet at all. Free Stuff Friday Apollo Dreamgirls Shirt Parents Choice Baby Formula Sports Illustrated Swimwear Edition Tillys Back to School CD Sports t-shirt from Olympia Sports 8 10 or 10 13 portrait from Picture People Taylor Swift s Single Fifteen Astroglide NoDoz Sample Define the sample survey $10 iTunes Card Victoria s Secret Pink Body Lotion EmergenC from Walmart Free Song of the Week Latte Days and Porter Nights, Matthew Ebel 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford loans | Other federal student loans + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP921: FAFSA oversimplification, scholarship newsletter, gay chorus covers Listen now: 20090814.mp3Get Adobe Flash Player to play audio from this site. 0:00 / 0:00 Weekly Financial Aid Roundup FAFSA oversimplification and consequences. Watching student loan company profits. Scholarship cuts. Scholarship Points Instructions Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. Scholarship Update Chevening Scholarships are prestigious awards available to international students for study in the United Kingdom. The scholarships are named after Chevening House in Kent, the official country residence of the Foreign Secretary. They are available in more than 130 countries and around 1000 new Chevening Scholarships are awarded globally each year. Chevening scholarships offer an ideal opportunity for young, high-flying graduates not only to study their chosen subject, but also to meet and network with their peers in the unique learning atmosphere that the UK provides. The ultimate objective is to build a network of friends of the UK, who will be future leaders in their countries. Candidates are selected by the British Embassy/British High Commission. The scheme is managed by the British Council, on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Details at our free college scholarship search site. News You Can Use Setting up your own personal scholarship newsletter. - Use a service like Google Groups or other free mailing list providers - Include affiliate links - Include donations - Provide updates on the progress of your own search - Provide updates on things you ve found that aren t for you Free Stuff Friday It s the best time of year for free stuff for college students as you head back to campus and gather up lots of crap you won t need. Remember to donate what you don t need to a local homeless shelter or food pantry if appropriate. Make a difference in your community without costing a dime. Burts Bees Acne solution. Lily Allen remixed. Paramount citrus juicer, manual. Lucy.com wristband. Nurofen injector. You might want to ask a doctor about this before you go buying preloaded syringes of stuff on the Internet. Just sayin . Nature Valley trail mix. 1 year of SPIN magazine. 25 4 6 photos from Walgreens. Kiwi splash drink mix. Scrubbing Bubbles shower caddy. Free Song of the Week In the mood for a laugh? London Gay Men s Chorus The Masochism Tango (mp3) from Showtime (The Sound Corporation) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP919: $10,000 Scholarship, Scholarship Points, Scholarship eBook Listen now: 20090731.mp3Get Adobe Flash Player to play audio from this site. 0:00 / 0:00 Weekly Financial Aid Roundup Notes from College Goal Sunday. Scholarship Update Our new Scholarship eBook is out! Today is the deadline for our $10,000 scholarship drawing. Scholarship Points A video on how to use refer a friend: Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. News You Can Use Minimum wage law changes and waitressing. Mail Bag Jerod asks, How much money can u receive with fafsa? What are the best options in your opinion. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your help. Free Stuff Friday Nero CD burning software Dunkin flavored coffee. N10 nail polish. Free el Baton cigar. Usual disclaimer about how putting things that are on fire in your mouth can be hazardous to your health. Urban Outitters has a ton of free MP3s. National Museum Day is September 26, 2009. Tons of places will be giving away free admission. Go. Total cereal. Microflex gloves. 10 free moo cards. A Shamwow cloth. Gain plus Febreeze. Free Song of the Week Ashley Gearing Out There Somewhere (mp3) from Maybe It s Time (Squeeze Records, LLC) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP918: Student loans, FAFSA changes, scholarship dailies Listen now: Weekly Financial Aid Roundup FFEL termination Perkins Loan changes FAFSA changes Scholarship Points Instructions Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. Scholarship Update Student Loan Network $10,000 Scholarship is in TWO WEEKS News You Can Use Scholarship daily tasks - Check calendar each day to see what deadlines are coming up - Search for and put 2 new scholarships on your calendar each day takes 5 minutes - Check your dedicated scholarships inbox - Check your dedicated scholarship searches in Google reader Scholarship weekly tasks - Set aside 2 hours every week, like a Sunday afternoon, and - Apply for 2 scholarships - Send thank you notes to any awards that have contacted you, positive or negative - Update your scholarship contacts database Free Stuff Friday Replens moisturizer Aviary image editor PureVia sweetener Random House Advance Copies 2 GB flash drive Breakfast at Ikea this weekend Ashley Tisdale party accessories Google Docs templates for everything More of Rachael Ray s pet food Make your heart explode with Venom Free Song of the Week This week, identify the musician who s rapping. Last week s song was from the cheesy martial arts movie Kickboxer. Paul Hertzog Stone City (mp3) from Kickboxer (PERSEVERANCE RECORDS) Buy at iTunes Music Store 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP917: Diminishing student loans, IOU student aid, Twitter scholarships, Mystery song Listen now: Weekly Financial Aid Roundup US Bank exiting student lending. An alternative student loan proposal. Questionable issues at the FSA Ombudsman office? California IOUs for student aid? Scholarship Search A refresher on using Twitter to find scholarships. Scholarship Points Instructions Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. Free Stuff Friday Nivea stuff from WalMart. Part 1 | Part 2 Paper towels from WalMart. Ziploc Pack and Go containers McDonalds has free Mocha drinks on Mondays until August 3rd, between 7 AM and 7 PM. 5 issues of Oprah s magazine. 15 songs on iTunes from Lollapalooza bands Purina Beneful magazine Aveda hand relief Free Song of the Week Today we ll have some fun. There will be a song in the show, and the first 5 people who correctly identify what movie it s from and post the movie on the Scholarship Points Fan Page on Facebook will get an extra 20 points. Listen to it, tell me what movie it is, and in addition to the regular 20 points for this episode, you ll also get 20 extra points but it will be the first 5 people only. 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP913: Income based repayment, Canada, and free stuff Listen now: Weekly Financial Aid Roundup 529 plans getting hammered. Scholarship Update Scholarships begging for applicants on MySpace. In the interest of providing additional opportunities to potential students, the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges has once again moved the deadline for submission for a $1,000 or $5,000 Dade Medical College scholarship to June 30th, 2009. There is still more than $130K available for various programs of study at the Miami and Hialeah campuses of the college, including Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography, Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, General Radiologic Technologist and more. Details at our free college scholarship search site. Scholarship Points Instructions Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. News You Can Use Income based repayment scaling. Focus on Financial Aid Oh Canada? Free Stuff Friday Burt s Bees. All National Parks. Visit such parks as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park for absolutely free from June 20-21 (Father s Day weekend), July 18-19, and August 15-16. Ending today: underwear from Victoria s Secret. Green Hill CD of easy listening. Report cards for baseball cards. A small can of smell from Glade. Free Song of the Week Douglas Spotted Eagle, Doolitsaada 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time - visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP912: National sales tax, student loan consequences, Rich Palmer Listen now: Weekly Financial Aid Roundup Last Friday, the credit card bill was signed into law by President Obama. Farewell, student credit cards as we know them. California s kind of imploding, budgetarily-speaking. Consequences of CCRAA and anti-FFEL legislation surfacing now. Figuring out that you can t spend what you don t have, Congress looks at a national sales tax to make every part of your life 10% more expensive. Scholarship Update We re nearing the end of the month. Make sure you re a participating member of Scholarship Points, as we draw our $1,000 and $2,500 scholarships on or about May 31, 2009. Also, I m giving out to podcast listeners and followers a sneak preview of the 6th edition of Scholarship Search Secrets, our free eBook. This version has two new secrets that are relatively advanced, plus some edits and updates. Scholarship Points Instructions Are you a Scholarship Points member? In today s show, get a Points code for 20 Scholarship Points by subscribing to the podcast and listening to the episode. Subscribing is fast, easy, and free. If you have iTunes: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/itunes If you have Google Reader: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/googlereader If you subscribe by email: http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/email Remember, the points code is in the show itself, so you have to tune in and listen to it. I promise it ll be worth your time. Mail Bag Mary on Twitter asked about the pros and cons of student loans Free Stuff Friday Garden gloves from Chesapeake Bay Foundation Small coffee at Borders 5/28-5/31 Yogi tea sample Sopapillas or a bowl of queso at On The Border Lego Club Jr 2 year membership Bottle opener from Blue Moon Brewing From July 13th – July 17th, Baskin-Robbins is giving all Do Something members free Soft Serve. MCA screwdriver set Business card metal carrier Free Song of the Week Rich Palmer, It s All Good 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + The Financial Aid Podcast is sponsored in part by: Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time - visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

FAP901: Tons of job tips and scholarship search secrets Listen now: Weekly Financial Aid Roundup Scholarship caps in Arkansas? Scholarship Update Lots of scholarships this week, but a new use for Twitter. Jobcast We covered lots of job stuff this week, such as graphing out what industries are hiring, where the jobs are in your area, and where you should be focusing your search. We also covered 3 basic job finding concepts. Free Stuff Friday Free Quaker rice cakes. Free Kashi frozen entree. Free hair dye for men. MacHeist DevonThink Twitter promotion. Free good recipe for tacos. Twitter search script for Google. PadMapper maps out Craigslist ads. Free Song of the Week Mine Again, Black Lab 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time - visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Send me your comments, questions, and feedback using this handy contact form!

Enjoy this session at MASFAA, and please feel free to share it. Direct link to MP4 video file. Download the Scholarship Search Secrets eBook for free here. 5 most recent Financial Aid Podcast posts Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner Did you enjoy this? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Online degrees programs and directories at Edvisors.com + Free college scholarships contests! + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com + Graduate student loans at GradLoans.com + Private student loans available at any time - visit PrivateStudentLoans.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Send me your comments, questions, and feedback using this handy contact form!

FAP848: How to shop around for student loans Listen now: Student Financial Aid News + NY Times: Banks struggling to recover from multibillion-dollar losses on real estate are curtailing loans to American businesses, depriving even healthy companies of money for expansion and hiring. + Two vital forms of credit used by companies — commercial and industrial loans from banks, and short-term commercial paper not backed by collateral — collectively dropped almost 3 percent over the last year, to $3.27 trillion from $3.36 trillion, according to Federal Reserve data. That is the largest annual decline since the credit tightening that began with the last recession, in 2001. + There s a bunch of banks that are distressed, but here s an interesting sidenote - IndyMac, the bank that went bust a few weeks ago, wasn t on the FDIC watch list at all, and even sites like BankRate.com fail to predict unstable banks. + In this kind of environment, keep deposits under the FDIC insurance limit, and if you re trying to get a loan of any kind, make sure your credit is in top shape first, and expect to potentially be declined even with good credit, not because you did anything wrong, but because the bank you spoke to may be financially on the brink of failure + If you re applying for student loans, federal student loans such as the Stafford loan and PLUS loan are your best bets for approval, as Stafford loans have no credit requirement and PLUS loans have relaxed requirements; both are backed by the federal government, which means banks may be able to sell them more easily. + NY Times: Comparison shopping for a private student loan? Doing so may damage your credit score. In few other areas of consumer life are you at risk of being penalized for seeking out the best deal. Indeed, mortgage and auto loan seekers who comparison shop within a relatively short period of time do not see their credit scores suffer. But Fair Isaac, the company that helps credit bureaus calculate credit scores, does not extend the same break to private student loan applicants or their parents, who often co-sign for loans. + While Fair Isaac has mined years of data to determine that people making a bunch of mortgage and auto loan applications over a short period are almost always innocently shopping for a loan, it hasn t declared student loan shoppers similarly safe. + In the meantime, lenders could help a lot by doing the following: First, state on their Web sites which credit bureau or bureaus they are using. Then, state whether that credit bureau is classifying their requests in a way that could damage an applicant s credit score. + For the record, the Student Loan Network primarily uses Experian, and to the best of our knowledge, because we work with major banking partners like Discover Financial Services (ticker: DFS), Lehman Brothers (ticker: LEH), etc., your credit score shouldn t take any additional hits beyond the standard first hit when you begin shopping around. Scholarship Update + Running a survey on our site, Student Scholarship Search. Please take a few moments. + Scholarship Points $1,000 drawing for July happens in just 3 days! Financial Aid 101 + Shopping around for student loans + For federal student loans like the Stafford and PLUS loan, thanks to the credit crunch and the CCRAA, there s no fundamental difference among federal student loans any more. There used to be borrower benefits, but no one really has those any more. The only metrics left are things like customer service. + For private student loans, shop around primarily based on rates and benefits. Look for, obviously, the lowest rates available, but base this not on the best published rate, but the spread. + For example, our spreads are in the range of LIBOR + 3.5% to LIBOR + 7.75% (some variations) - that makes us not as good a deal if you have perfect credit but a pretty good deal if your credit isn t perfectly spotless + Different lenders use different base rates - some use Prime instead of LIBOR, which lets them publish rates like Prime + 0%, which looks fantastically than LIBOR + 3.5%, until you dig in and find that PRIME + 0% is 5%, and LIBOR + 3.5% is 5.5%. + Compare fees, too. What s the origination or guarantee fee? + Compare benefits - is there deferment? Forbearance? + There s been a lot of talk about peer to peer lending, which tends to be a non-beneficial model. Peer to peer lacks the interest tax credit, since they re not qualified education loans, so you lose that tax benefit. Some have very short repayment terms, 3 years, meaning you have to repay while you re in school. Others have astonishingly high fees, especially if you have poor credit; Prosper has an average interest rate of 26.1% and for poor credit, 31.88% - which is worse than virtually every credit card out there. Some of these loans also don t offer deferment or forbearance at all (as of July 28, 2008). Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Financial Aid discussion forums + Get FAFSA news at the FAFSA blog + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. ShareThis

FAP821: Financial Aid and Small Business Guest Interview Listen now: I had the opportunity recently to appear on Small Biz Survival, an excellent podcast hosted and produced by Becky McCray. We talked for a few minutes about small business and the FAFSA, the credit score in relation to private student loans, and small town scholarship opportunities. Here s the original show notes by Becky at her blog. Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Financial Aid discussion forums + Get FAFSA news at the FAFSA blog + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. ShareThis

FAP794: Massive free stuff Friday, scholarship secret Listen now: Student Financial Aid News + NASFAA: Financial aid most commonly refers to scholarships: direct grants that students need not pay back policymakers are starting to admit that the system designed to make college more affordable is making it less so, according to The Indianapolis Star. Here s why. When someone else is paying the bills, people want to buy more of the good or service in question at prevailing prices than when the customer pays the bills, Vedder explains. This means a higher demand for higher education, and other things being equal, higher tuition costs. The problem isn t just that financial aid distorts the market; it doesn t work as intended. Financial aid is probably here to stay. The challenge is to eliminate the inflationary effects caused by the third-party payer system. + Lots of commentary about how the private student loan market, which comprises about 20% of lending, is still broken + It will for some time - credit markets are still a mess + Our private student loans are still open for business + Call for stories about paying for school via non-traditional means Scholarship Search Secret + Tips on using Google Reader plus news and blog searches combined to be a massive, real-time monitor of scholarships + Here s how: do searches for individual scholarship terms, then find the RSS link on the left hand side of the page. Copy and paste that link into Google Reader, organize it as a folder, and from then on, you won t have to keep re-searching for those terms + Be sure to pick up our free college scholarship search secrets eBook today! + Also make sure you re registered for our $10,000 scholarship Free Stuff Friday + This week is college graduation at a lot of schools + You know what that means - be hitting up Craigslist in your city NOW for steals on stuff that fellow students simply don t want to take home + If you live near a music school, video school, or any college that has programs which involve large, heavy equipment, there are some SERIOUS bargains to be had + Baskin Robbins Bump Day - May 21 - free dish or cone + Organic free yogurt sample for moms + Seattle s Best Coffee sample + Free energy drink sample + Quaker Oats + Start Sampling - interesting! + Successful living magazine + Pile of cleaning supplies + Klok time tracker + AP newswire for iPhone + Mozy online backup - 2 GB for free, $5/month for unlimited + Collaborative mind maps with MindMeister + Nine Inch Nails releases its entire new album free under Creative Commons Free Song of the Week + Not from NIN + Black Lab, Ghost In Your Mind PSA + Myanmar and UNICEF - 1800-4-UNICEF Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Online education directory at Edvisors.com + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Edvisors Jobs + Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast ShareThis

FAP784: Local Scholarships, PLUS Loan Borrower Protection Act Listen now: Student Financial Aid News + Inside Higher Ed: Momentum has been building for the federal government to take increasingly aggressive steps to wade into the student loan markets, even amid continuing disagreement about whether and/or how serious a crisis there really is. At the urging of lenders, lawmakers have moved from merely seeking to ensure that there are alternative providers of student loans, so that students do not lose access to college, to calling for outright financial assistance for banks and other loan providers. + Under the proposal, which was described in an e-mail message sent by a Senate aide that was shared with Inside Higher Ed, the Education Department would commit to buying from time to time any or all of such loans originated or purchased by any lender that so desires, at the face value of the student loan. The plan would then allow the lender to repurchase any of the loans sold to the Secretary within a year upon the same terms and conditions under which the department bought the loans from the lender. The arrangements, known as standby loan purchase agreements, would be possible through July 2009. + The proposed arrangement could also enable lenders to pick and choose which loans they decide to sell and buy back, potentially resulting in a situation in which lenders hold on to their safest and most profitable loans (those they are likeliest to be able to sell to traditional investors in the credit markets) and to dump their riskiest loans, and those most likely to go into default, on the federal government. Scholarship Search + Another site restrictor search + States have domains for their schools + Example: scholarship site:k12.ma.us + Example: scholarship site:boston.k12.ma.us + You will find a decent number of local scholarships and local information Opinion + Commentary on the PLUS Loan Borrower Protection Act Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast ShareThis

FAP778: 206 Full Tuition Scholarships, HELOC Listen now: Student Financial Aid News + It s tax day - reminders on Dunkin Donuts and your stimulus check + Inside Higher Ed: A few weeks after Harvard University announced a plan to reduce the debt or family contributions needed to attend its medical school, Yale University followed suit. Yale’s plan will eliminated the required family contribution for those with family incomes of up to $100,000. + Local Boston newspaper BostonNOW goes out of business Scholarship Update + Marshall University + 206 John Marshall Scholarships are awarded each year. The John Marshall Scholarship includes a tuition waiver to cover tuition and fees and a $1,250 stipend. (WV residents receiving the WV PROMISE Scholarship will receive only an $1,850 stipend in addition to their PROMISE Scholarship.) Selection criteria for John Marshall Scholarships are: high school seniors with an ACT composite score of 30 or SAT score of 1320 or higher and a 3.5 GPA. Awards are not competitive. John Marshall Scholarships are automatic if admittance and test scores/high school grades are received by the deadline. + About $24,000 + Details at our free college scholarship search site Mail Bag + Lynne wrote back: Thank you so much for putting my question on your website. The only thing is the money in the *equity credit line* does not become a resource unless it is used, or put in a bank account which I do not plan to do or take advantage of. ( I dont want to get into more debt than I already have). The *equity loan* will go out of my assets right away to pay down my high interest credit cards. Which is just swapping one debt for a lower interest debt. Therefore will it should count for the FAFSA. Lynne + Norvell wrote in: I have a question where can I go to get scholarship money for a vocational school specifically broadcasting Computer Grafics? + Google it up! + Get our free Scholarship Search Secrets eBook + Try combinations of keywords + You can even do the FileType restrictor + Most scholarship applications that are printable are DOC or PDF files + Google: broadcast scholarship application filetype:pdf Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast ShareThis

FAP770: Two new scholarship search secrets Listen now: Student Financial Aid News + AP Newswire: Seventeen of the nation s 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland, according to a report released Tuesday. + Nationally, about 70 percent of U.S. students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually. + This may be a consequence of No Child Left Behind - the system has incentives for schools to increase standardized test scores, and the easiest way to do that is to encourage low performing students to simply drop out, boosting the high school s scores + Food for thought: the United States graduates about 1.3 million people from college each year - the high school drop out rate is approaching the college graduate rate at an alarming pace + I m leaving today for Atlanta to teach the fine folks at the SREB GoAlliance about new media tools to hopefully increase college access and affordability, and reach at-risk audiences + One of the most disheartening emails I ve ever received on the show was from a girl on MySpace who will remain unnamed who said she wasn t good enough to go to college + What does all this have to do with financial aid? In the big picture, statistically college graduates make more money over a lifetime than high school graduates. The more we can make college affordable and accessible, the better and stronger our country will be overall - and that means lower taxes for all of us, a better economy, improved society and culture + The Student Loan Network remains committed to helping you pay for college and will be coming out with some new resources this month Scholarship Search + Today s guest tips come from Nolan, a listener and reader of our free college scholarship search secrets eBook - Nolan s racked up over $5,000 in scholarships so far + Searching local high school s websites for local scholarships (higher chance of winning) and using a system like Google Alerts to check for updates. + Having a digital filing system for scholarships based on date due (Named 3-15 XYZ Scholarship so it ll be sorted by date due). Inside of the folder I have any relevant documents that go with the scholarship including the application (pdf or word), any relevant web pages printed out in PDF (using CutePDF) for easy printing and accessing, and any passwords or login information needed. With the deluge of information, this really helps me know where everything is and that it s filed away on my flash drive and accessible wherever I need it (online or offline). Mail Bag + Patti wrote in: Thanks for the helpful information on the Financial Aid Podcast. This is new to me. We have just established a Scholarship Coordinator position at the University of New England and I am that person! + I will be working with students in their search for external scholarships. + I am writing to ask for any advice you might be able to send my way to assist in my goal of pairing students with available scholarships. I have downloaded your publication - Scholarship Search Secrets - great resource! + Should students complete profiles on several web sites - or does the information go to the same data base? + I am listening to the Podcast as I write this. Our University is holding an Experience UNE Day today - and I ve met with one family already. I sat with a student yesterday, while she completed a profile on www.scholarship.com + I intend to send the link to your Financial Aid Podcast to students in the hopes that they will use this resource and share it via their Facebook accounts. + I appreciate any advice you might be able to offer. + No harm in applying multiple places + Check privacy policies! + Help students create a system Promo + Financial Aid Podcast Live: Surviving the Credit Crunch Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + College search and college admissions resources at HowToGetIn.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Visit: http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/contact/ Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast ShareThis

FAP767: Going green on Free Stuff Friday, Earth Day 2008 Student Financial Aid News + Inside Higher Ed: Banks are marketing aggressively through a variety of channels. They re calling students on the phone, they re mailing to students, and they re using a combination of on-campus and off-campus tables where they give away products, ranging from offers for sandwiches, offers of food and pizza, all the way up to iPod shuffles, said Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. PIRG. The organization manages the Truth About Credit campaign. + The survey, of more than 1,500 students at 40 campuses in 14 states, found broad support among students for limiting credit card marketing on campuses. Eighty percent said they supported at least some limits. There was strong support for restricting access only to promotions for cards with fair terms and conditions, and opposition to colleges sharing or selling lists containing student contact information. Many credit card companies encounter no difficulty in securing information of current students at colleges for marketing purposes, the report notes. It is also true that some state public records laws compel public universities and colleges to sell their lists of student information as public records, to anyone. + I d have to say that paying tuition with a credit card is a terrible idea, far worse than private student loans + Our student credit card education site + Chronicle: Guarantee agencies such as USA Funds, despite their concerns, are cooperating with the department to prepare for a possible emergency, James Manning said. Only three weeks after department officials said they were troubled by the state of preparations for a lender-of-last-resort declaration, we re much more comfortable with where we are now, he said. + Mr. Manning also made it clear that the administration is not ready to be offering assistance directly to lenders. Even if large numbers of lenders withdraw from the bank-based system, the 20 largest lenders handle 85 percent of student loans, he said. The size of the lenders, along with the continued migration of some colleges to the direct-lending program, should prevent any large-scale disruptions, he said. + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + Parent PLUS loans at ParentPLUSLoan.com Scholarship Update + The Woodlands High School GREEN Scholarship + $1,000 scholarships - 3 of them + For students at Woodlands High School in Texas + Be sure to Google for your city, town, county, and state with the words Earth Day scholarship to see what local environmental scholarships are available + Details at our free college scholarship search site Free Stuff Friday + Let s see what we can come up with for green and free + Last week we mentioned PhoneRaiser to recycle phones and earn cash + FreeCycle.org is a site for trading stuff + Check out your local Craigslist free stuff column + Also check out the barter/trade column as well + Free Photoshop Express + When buying software, opt for digital download, and delivery is usually free + Mint has 30 free eBooks on personal finance + If you like horror, Scott Sigler s eBook Infected is free until March 31 + Scholarship Search Secrets is free and paperless, too + Money savers - compact fluorescent lightbulbs - I ve just started having to change bulbs I put in my house in 2001 - rechargeable batteries with a 1 hour charger + A really important point: green living can be money saving, too - sometimes. + Earth Day is April 22 - be on the lookout for free giveaways - last year, Lowes, Ikea, and Home Depot all had free CFL lightbulbs Free Song of the Week + Dirty Work, by Munk Promo + Financial Aid Podcast Live: Surviving the Credit Crunch Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Direct MP3 file download: Click here to download the MP3 Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast ShareThis

FAP765: Student Loan TV Coverage of Scholarship eBook As promised earlier in the week, here s the recent coverage of the Scholarship Search Secrets eBook in video - it s about 52 MB and should be viewable on iPods and in iTunes. If you d prefer to watch on the web, there s a YouTube version and a high quality version. + Direct link to MP4 video file + YouTube version + High quality web version Promo + Financial Aid Podcast Live: Surviving the Credit Crunch Did you enjoy today s show? If so, please consider subscribing for free to get it delivered to you. Subscribing for free means you don t have to remember to download it every day. + + + Reminders + + Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com. + Free scholarship search secrets eBook at StudentScholarshipSearch.com/ebook + Open an FDIC-insured savings account today! + Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com + Student credit card information at StudentPlatinum.com + FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com + Grad student? Get graduate financial aid information at the GradLoans.com blog! + Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com + The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network. I want to hear from you! Email me at financialaidpodcast gmail com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 206-350-1208. Technorati Tags: financial aid financialaidpodcast ShareThis

FAP764: Marketing Yourself for Scholarship Dollars Student Financial Aid News + Inside Higher Ed: Brazos Higher Education Service Corp., the fourth largest holder of guaranteed student loans, announced that it would no longer issue new student loans, Bloomberg reported. Brazos officials said that they hoped to re-enter the loan field if the credit crunch eases. + Chronicle: Financial experts everywhere agree that the economy appears headed toward a recession. The question is how long it will last and how deep it will be. Economic downturns trigger a debilitating circumstance of increased enrollments and decreased funding, says Eduardo J. Padrón, an economist and president of Miami Dade College. Low-income students at community colleges bear the brunt of this paradox. + When state finances tighten up, support for higher education often dwindles. In the past, many colleges have helped overcome those shortfalls by raising tuition. But the public s increasing frustration over rising tuition costs — and families inability to pay more during sharp downturns in the housing and stock markets — will make that increasingly difficult. + Scholarship Search Secrets made an appearance last night on WCVB Boston 5 Scholarship Update + RotoHog.com is the next generation of fantasy sports. Share your funniest sports moment by submitting a photo, video or blog that captures the hilarious time that the Little Leaguer ran the bases the wrong way or the weekend warrior ripped a hole in his shorts shooting hoops. Whether it s a hard hit from a softball or an all out collision on the banked track we want to know about what had you laughing all the way home. No purchase necessary. Open to anyone who is a resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, has access to the Internet, and is 13 or older at the time of entry. + $500 scholarship + May 5 deadline + Details at our free college scholarship search site Scholarship Search + Yesterday, I was pleased to see a piece that WCVB had recorded on Scholarship Search Secrets, the Student Loan Network s free eBook, on the 6 o clock news + Just a few things, sort of behind the scenes/background information + The statistic for $20 billion in scholarships comes from an aggregate sum of data - our own, on StudentScholarshipSearch.com, plus other scholarship databases + The median award in our database is $17,750. + This includes the sum total of awards like the Pell Grant, SMART Grant, F