hey gang,

This is way off topic and I know some will think this is not the place for advice, but hell, after many years on this board I thought maybe I could ask a question thats not sexually related, even though it's not as interesting...LOL

I am currently searching for fincial aide institutions for college. My daughter starts her Junior Year in the fall and we are having a Hell of a time finding students loans that do not require a co-signer. She has 18 months of continuous credit, all in great standing, but I feel like even after Googling the hell out of the subject, I am just not getting anywhere.

Unfortnately being a single mom for 15 years, feeding and providing a roof became more of an immediate concern than savings for college. Yes I am a bad mom in that respect. But on the other hand she is bright and well educated so far and I am hoping she will be able to continue her education.

Amoung the many members here, do any of you have any advice on places to apply for finacial aide, apart from FAFSA, grants and scholarships. Since my retirement I have managed to make enough to keep us in good shape, but too much for her to get student aide from the goverment. It's a vicious cycle I swear.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks a bunch
~V

P.S. I edited this so it didn't sound like I was asking for money from anyone, just advice on where to look. Just so ya know~! xoxoxox

-- Modified on 4/7/2008 3:56:31 PM

to your local book store you will find books on scholarships. They are NOT all based on grades.  One I remember is for people with one blue and a one green eye - yes I am serious.

You want to check with your local service organizations too like the Moose Lodge, Elks, or any other service organization.  They only may be 500 or so but if you get a number of them they add up quickly and there is NO limit to the number you can get total.  

Again, if you go to the book store, there are a number of books listing all of them and their requirements.  Or google and you will find a ton including fastweb.com and others.  What do you have to lose?  Nothing.  Apply now, as it is the time if she is a junior.

I would suggest you get in contact with her school counselor.  He/she will be able to give good suggestions on sources of financial aid in your area.  Also, sites like fastweb.com,  collegeboard.com have tons of scholarship opportunities.   If your daughter has some colleges in mind that she plans to apply to, it never hurts to contact them and ask about sources of financial aid.
Good luck.

I believe there are also books in the reference section of the library dealing with scholarships for the year.

You can automatically get a $3500 a year Stafford loan. Also check out http://www.aessuccess.org/.They have loans with no cosigner recommended through the collegeboard site.

Here is a srategy told to me by a college professor no less.

Many large universities have seminary schools that share many if not most of their courses with the liberal arts school at the same university.

These seminary schools also have pots of money just sitting around for financial aid to any students that enroll.  It comes from older folks who want to do something for their religion after they are gone.

The problem is, how to graduate in a different area while still getting the seminary school money.

Here's how you do it:

Enroll in the seminary school.  Sure, you will have to take a number of religion courses, but so what?  Religion can be a cool topic sometimes especially if you can a good teacher.  Also, research the requirements for whatever field in liberal arts you do want to graduate in and take those courses as well by cross registering.  Then, in your final year, just switch from the seminary school to the liberal arts school which should be no problemo since you already have the required courses behind you.

In the meantime, you've been able to dip into the pile of money earmarked for the seminary school.  The schools themselves have no qualms about this because they are as happy as you are to get a hold of that money.  It was doing them no good sitting in a restricted account.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

A good friend dropped out of seminary while on a nearly full ride. He spent the next 5 years working for them as an indentured servant to pay them back.

-- Modified on 4/7/2008 6:41:39 PM

I got a full ride to both my undergrad and grad school based on my grades and my scores on the GRE and the SAT's.

I've had friends at school who looked for grants they didn't have to pay back as well through the govt. They also have on campus jobs which pay for a bit of their expenses.

If you're a part of a diverse racial group, you may also qualify for certain loans and grants.

Katie

Spend the money and enroll her in a SAT prep course. If she gets good grades many schools will give her a full paid scholarship.

Thanks for the great replies everyone, the emails and posts have been great. In my haste I forgot to say my daughter is about to be a Junior in College. She attends one of the Southern California UC's and went in as a Sophmore because of her grades and AP classes from high school. So unfortunately most scholarships from grops like the Elks, The Lions Club ect. don not apply to her any longer.

I was able to get her this far but the next 2 years are loans, loans, loans..UGH~!

You guys are awesome, Thanks so much for the input~!

xoxox
V

I am simply amazed at the cost of an education in America these days.

I heard a friend tell over a drink that his kid's education is gonna cost $45K/yr at a back east Ivy league school. He has the $$ so she aint gonna get no free money from anyone.

I remember worrying about the costs of both my undergrad & graduate school eduction & how I was gonna handle it all..Pretty comical based on what it costs to send kids to school these days.

The folks didnt have much money so I made due on a combination of scholarships/grants & part time work in the NYC garment district. Tough times but I look back on them fondly.

my kid goes to RISD  for those not from the east  Rhode Island School of Design...big $$
Great school but its killin me....

Be sure that the money you get is not financial aid per se (and certainly not loans), but instead funds in trust accounts that can only be used for scholarships.  It is fairly unlikely that the person who set it up thought through it enough to put handcuffs on the people who use the money, but still, have a lawyer review any paperwork that is involved and be aware of any unintended consequences.

-- Modified on 4/8/2008 5:14:08 AM

Do a search on the US News and Business Week sites.  Each had a series of articles on this very subject in the recent past.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_10/b3773604.htm?chan=search

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jun2005/nf2005068_3083_db085.htm?chan=search

http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/video/bschools/FEEDROOM179006.html?chan=search

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/articles/040819/hs~19sb_scholarships.htm

There are still plenty of grants available, if you search hard enough.

If her grades have been good, and particularly if she has been able to get acquainted with some professors, just ask.  We negotiated directly with two schools and got some of the tuition off-=set just by a little persistent asking.  No guarantees, of course, but an "Is there anything you can do?" approach can open doors that you didn't even know were there.

but has she thought about the National Guard?  I don't know about California, but in Nevada the Army National Guard has tuition waivers for the state colleges and also reimburses for books.  She wouldn't have to pay tuition at all.  Her requirements with the guard are one-weekend a month and 2 weeks a year.  Yes, there is a chance of her being shipped out somewhere, but that also depends upon the job she chooses in the Guard. Nevada also has additional state stipends that it pays monthly for educational assistance up to 36 months (again, I don't know if this is true of California).  She would then also be eligible for the Reserve GI bill which pays up to close to $12,000 in a 36 month period.

For those of you who are anti-military, please don't blast me for suggesting this route.  Many who could never afford college even with grants choose this route.  It is just another suggestion to go along with the many that have been offered here.

These days, isn't that a one-way ticket to Iraq?

The Guard has several options, one of which is delayed deployment.  She'd have to sign up for additional time, but she can be guaranteed not to be deployed for 2 years.  That would, at least, give her time to finish school.

Also, her chance of deployment would depend upon her job description.

Joining any military organization comes with it the risk of deployment, of course.  "Ain't nothin' free." That's part of the trade off.  That risk is why I said it might not be for her.  She might decide that risk is not worth not having to pay for her education.

And by the way, "one way ticket" implies CERTAIN death.  There are lots of our military who've gone and come back.  I certainly hope that isn't what you meant to imply.