Winning contests might bring you a great scholarship (08/31/2010)
(...) How can I make a recording of my performance to send to contests? Many music and vocal contests require a CD. It's very important that you don't skimp on this since no matter how talented you are if you record in a noisy room with a dog barking in the background, it will affect the quality of your performance. But you don't have to shell out hundreds of dollars to rent a studio either. (...)

What are scholarships for tranfer students and state entitlement awards (08/31/2010)
(...) Ironically, one of the biggest problems with the program is that many students aren't aware that they are eligible for a CalGrant and don't claim their money. Many states offer similar entitlement awards. Some are based on academic merit while others on financial need. (...)

Pay for college using reward programs (08/31/2010)
(...) Can I rely on reward programs to pay for all of my education? Unless you are the shopper of the century, the short answer is: no. While these programs are a nice enhancement to your overall savings strategy you should not rely on them alone to generate the money you need for college. Think of these programs as one of many tools that you'll use to build your savings future. (...)

Buying bonds will help you pay for college for your kids (08/31/2010)
(...) If you earn more than US Dollars 82,100 as a single filer or US Dollars 130,650 as a joint filer you cannot deduct any interest. Unfortunately, savings bonds given to your child as a gift aren't eligible for tax-free treatment. Also, any bonds not purchased by you are similarly ineligible. (...)

Invest your money before sending your kid to college (08/31/2010)
(...) " Even relatively safe choices start to look too risky if you can't wait out a market downturn. Diversify to prevent putting all your eggs in one basket Part of being conservative with your investments is diversifying your portfolio. You don't want to keep all of your money in one stock or even one sector. (...)

What are tuition bills and how to use them for college payments (08/31/2010)
(...) Before you take advantage of any tax break, do a little long-term planning and create several scenarios to see how each choice affects your bottom line. As you will see there are some situations where electing to take a tax break may impact another area of your personal finances. Timing Is Everything The premise for all tax breaks is to refund you money that you have paid out of your pocket for college expenses. (...)

Look for scholarships that fit you best in your area (08/30/2010)
(...) To maximize your chances of winning a scholarship you need to look everywhere - and that means getting out of your chair and looking beyond the Internet. Some of the best scholarships are found far from the beaten path. It takes more time and effort to find these scholarships but if you are willing to do some detective work you will be rewarded with a ton of scholarship opportunities. (...)

Double your scholarship following a few simple steps (08/30/2010)
(...) Not all scholarships are based on financial need You could be the son or daughter of Donald Trump and still win a scholarship. It's true! The reason is because there are two kinds of scholarships available: need-based and meritbased. As the name suggests, need-based scholarships are based on your financial need. (...)

Describe personal challenges in your scholarship application (08/30/2010)
(...) The Sallie Mae Fund also offers the Unmet Need Scholarship Program for students who have unmet financial need, which is the gap between the college cost and the financial aid package. When you write about hardships that you've faced in your application, remember that you need to do more than just describe the challenge. You also need to explain how you have survived or overcome the challenge and what you have learned from the experience. (...)

College applications are also scholarship applications (08/30/2010)
(...) You may be surprised to learn that colleges are always looking for students who match their various scholarship programs. Help them help you by giving them everything they would need to award you a scholarship. Don't let the colleges take away your scholarship money When you win a scholarship, you have to report it to your college. (...)