Archive for the ‘General Discussion’ Category
Friday, January 18th, 2008
Live like a student while you are in school so you don’t have to live like a student when you graduate” That was the best advise my father game me when I first attended college, but much like all good advise you don’t really appreciate it until after the fact. So, let me break it down for you. Living like a college student doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun. Look for deals, they are everywhere especially in your college town. Most movie theaters offer discounts for college students, look for coupons, meal deals, and nightly specials. Many restaurants want to bring in more business on their slowest days, so they may offer 1/2 priced appetizers for example. Also, walk around campus. Not only is it good for your health, you can save on gas. Buy your books used, sites like www.amazon.com or http://www.campusbooks.com/ for example offer many of your schools textbooks at a fraction of the cost. Spring semester is just starting, so hit the books hard and get ready for Spring Break!
Posted in General Discussion | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
If you are a Junior in high school, it’s time to start planning for your future. If you plan on going to college, now is the time to start preparing how to pay for it. First, look towards grants and scholarships. Check out this site for starters www.scholarships.com. Next, make sure you apply for as much federal financial aid as possible. Start with http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Once you have figured out what school you want to go to, what it will cost, and what you can contribute - consider a work study program or if you absolutely must a private student loan. Key factors for getting financial aid are
1) apply early
2) have good grades
3) do your homework - there are a lot of resources available to you but make sure you are working with a reputable company.
Posted in General Discussion, The Basics | No Comments »
Sunday, December 16th, 2007
Over the next several weeks, I’m going to give you several suggestions on how to do just that. I’ll start by telling you to become a transfer student. So what exactly does that mean? In many cases, credits earned at a less-expensive college or university can be transferred and applied toward a degree from a pricey, elite school. You could earn a prestigious diploma at a fraction of the price. When you finally earn your degree from your school of choice, it will not have an ‘*’ pointing to the fact that you were a “transfer student”. Basically, you can get some of your core curriculum out of the way at a fraction of the costs. Before you decide to go this route, you will first need to designate your ‘dream university’ and learn about their articulation agreements. Articulation agreements specify which community college course credits will be accepted towards your bachelor’s degree and what grades you must have to be able to transfer in those particular credits.
Posted in General Discussion | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 24th, 2007
We at the Student Loan Service Center have had a number of inquiries about the ‘end of borrower benefits’ after the recent legislation (H.R. 2669 College Cost Reduction Act of 2007).
Contrary to the popular belief, the borrower will still be able to benefit by consolidating student loans.
Here is an example,
If you had $15,000 in federal student loans and have not yet consolidated your payment would be approximately $175. Even without the borrower benefit rate reductions, you can reduce your payment down to $134. You will save $41 or 24% reduction in payment! Your credit will also benefit, from this consolidation. (We will have a posting on this later).
The borrower though will no longer be eligible for the on time payment rewards or the cash back options so prevalent in the student loan consolidation arena.
Posted in General Discussion, Legislation, Loan Consolidation | No Comments »
