Reduce College Debt with Scholarships

Six Scholarship judges were sitting around an oval table. Forms were piled into 50 boxes. Each one had the name of a state. I looked at the boxes and wondered why some of them were overflowing and others had just a few. This was the first round of judging. By the time the contest was over almost 16,000 applications would be examined. Some of the comments were really critical, "Why did this person bother to send in an application? It's so sloppy." "This person put the wrong address on the envelope, even though the correct one is at the top of the application." One had a cassette tape inside. We played it and it was a country song. The applicant was a good musician.

That was twelve years ago, and many people still do not know or realize that College Scholarship Planning could reduce or totally eliminate college financial debt.

One of the first questions I am always asked is, "When should we start looking?" Then some answer their own question with, "I'll bet we're too late already huh?" The ideal time is to start is the 8th grade to freshman year. Good planning starts early, but scholarships are posted monthly, and if you start planning early, you have a chance to win, big. Many win the very first time. If you are a junior or senior in high school, go for it. But remember, your chances to win increase with every completed application.

You should start College Scholarship Planning even if there is a chance your child may decide not to go to college. But if the decision is yes, you will have everything in place. And the planning experience is more than filling out a few applications.

Another common concern is assuming your family income is too high to win scholarships. Fact: 80% of all scholarships are need based and income related, but 20% are not. This means millions of dollars are still available. It makes good solid financial sense to make an effort to win scholarship money regardless of income.

Always remember: the college scholarship effort is truly a family affair.

©2005 The Scholarship Doctor, Dale Clifton - All Rights Reserved - Dale is an educational consultant and expert at helping families win college scholarships. To learn more about planning to win scholarships, visit http://ScholarshipDoctor.com

---

A Fresh Start for Family Finances in 2005

While 40% to 50% of us make New Year's resolutions... Read More

Healthy Eating On A Budget

It is possible to eat a healthy, balanced diet without... Read More

10 Steps to Take if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims on America... Read More

University: A Course in Personal Finance

Recent findings from the Educational Policy Institute indicated that the... Read More

What?s New in Checking ? From Designs to Photos

Just about everyone has a checking account. Checks present easy... Read More

How to Save Money in a Grocery Store

Now there are ways to save money in the grocery... Read More

Save Your Money, Dont Give to Charity Scammers

**If it's Spam, it's a Scam!- If it sounds too... Read More

How to Balance Your Checkbook ? Get a Calculator and Pencil and You are Ready To Go!

Despite how easy it is to balance a checkbook, very... Read More

The World is Not Enough - Calling for a More Ethical Approach to Personal Finance

At a time when the entire world's attention is focused... Read More

Introduction to Australian Superannuation

Australians, in general, constitute some of the worst savers in... Read More

Check Facts and Figures

Are you a check fanatic? Don't worry, you aren't alone.... Read More

Family Money Management: The Importance of Agreement

Are you having problems with debt? Are you afraid to... Read More

Budget Planning - Its Elementary My Dear Watson

Does it feel like you have to be Sherlock Holmes... Read More

Can You Afford Not To Look After Your Personal Finances?

Investing is a subject a lot of people don't want... Read More

10 Tips To Save Money When Dining Out

Here are some tips that can help you save money... Read More

Dramatically Improve Your Stock Trading Success

Get Access to Realistic profitable strategies & discover the mindset... Read More

Know Thy Finances

The first step to financial success lies in knowing your... Read More

Adverse Debt Levels Blight UK Consumers Personal Finances

Debt levels are at an all time high in the... Read More

Improve Your Professional Image Using Address Labels

One of the simplest ways to improve your professional image... Read More

Make or Break Your Retirement!

The Prudential has dubbed those who refuse to leave home... Read More

10 Money-Saving Tips

1. If you have your haircut every 3 weeks, try... Read More

Your Dry Cleaner?s Double Standard

Women are charged more for dry cleaning services. Don't fume,... Read More

UK Graduates Looking Short-Term At Their Long-Term Financial Responsibilities

With almost two thirds of university entrants from England and... Read More

A Quck Lesson in Saving Money

Did you have a piggy bank when you were a... Read More

Personal Finance - Have Consumers Had a Belly Full of Personal Debt?

For months, we were trigger-swipe happy, putting our groceries, clothes,... Read More

The Wright Place - Finances

Women have a love/hate relationship with money. Most of us... Read More

Basic Bank Accounts Failing the Basic Needs of Consumers

The lists of bank and savings accounts that are available... Read More

What is ChexSystems?

Commonly referred to as the first of the three major... Read More

How Electronic Checks Work ? Will Paper Checks Eventually Go Away?

Traditional checks probably won't disappear anytime soon, but processing checks... Read More

Save Money on your Clothing Budget. Tame the Closet Monster!

Reducing the clothing budget was a serious challenge for me.... Read More

Budgeting Made Easy

Well, dang! From what I've heard and read, it looks... Read More

Stretching Your Grocery Dollars

Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever... Read More

Photo Checks ? A Great Alternative in Checking

It's the little things in life that make it interesting.... Read More