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Scholarship Searching

1/24/2018

 
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​The College Money Hunt

The rising cost of tuition is truly mind-blowing and hard to fathom as a parent. As an incoming freshman at UC Berkeley, I paid $325 semester in tuition. Monthly rent ran about $350/month, and I could get by on a monthly budget of $400 to cover my other costs. By the time I was preparing to graduate from Cal, tuition had nearly quadrupled. Today, the total cost of attending UC Berkeley for a year is just under 35k. Private tuitions soar. The total cost of attending Boston University and New York University has risen to $67k/year and will increase in the years forthcoming.

What to do?
As a student there are ways that you can help your parents afford this tremendous investment.
  1. Get a job. Having a job in college is fun! Working is also a great way to get career related experience and expand your social circle. It will make you more disciplined with your time. Making your own money will build your self esteem.
If you are a high school student, consider getting a light job during the year and increase your time over the summer. If you are a college student, then figure out whether working is a good option for you, feel it out once you get to campus and after you have settled into your new life. Schools are not created equal and a student at one school may feel thoroughly overworked while a student at another school may find the workload quite manageable. If you feel that working during the school year could offer some texture to your days, check with the employment office at your college or university. Often there are great on-campus jobs such as working in a lab with professors, or with students in the dorms, library, gym or administrative offices. If school is too demanding, then consider getting a summer job.
  1. Hunt for scholarships. Unfortunately, there are not endless coffers of money to be found. But a little bit of research and asking around might lead you to some money to cover book costs, transportation, or if you are lucky, you’ll find a scholarship that covers a quarter of your cost of attendance.

Honors Programs

Looking for scholarships takes patience. One of the most likely places to find a scholarship is in conjunction with an honors program. Once you’ve been admitted, find out if you can apply to the honors program. See if there are fellowships or scholarships linked to the honors program. Dig into the Financial Aid page to see if there are opportunities to apply for money there.

Institutional and Community Sources

The Federal Student Aid Office suggests that you consider multiple fronts in your research for scholarships, including your parents’ employers. Here’s their list:
  • the financial aid office at a college or career school
  • a high school counselor
  • the U.S. Department of Labor’s FREE scholarship search tool
  • federal agencies
  • your state grant agency
  • your library’s reference section
  • foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, civic groups
  • organizations (including professional associations) related to your field of interest
  • ethnicity-based organizations
  • your employer or your parents’ employers
College application related websites can also be helpful in your search. Consider Unigo’s monthly alerts on large and small scholarships and the College Board’s Scholarship Search tool.

Crowdfunding
Crowd-funding is another option. Not all crowdfunding platforms will allow you to raise money for college, but some do. Take a look at this list of crowdfunding sites for college bound students. Keep in mind that you don’t have to ask for money for college. Instead come up with a project of your own, raise money for that project and then use the money for college.

Research Grants/Teaching Fellowships

Once you are a student, you can also look into getting a teaching fellowship to help professors with their teaching or research. Undergraduate research grants can also help offset the costs of travel associated with your own research projects.
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A Note of Caution
If you already have a full or significant partial scholarship to attend college, look into the consequences of obtaining more money. Will the college reduce your scholarship?  For more information on this visit the website of the Federal Student Aid Office.

Senioritis? Embrace it.

1/16/2018

 
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Yup, it’s here. Senioritis.
I'm feeling it too. So what can we do?

Well first let’s look at what drives senioritis: the combination of exhaustion and boredom. Exhaustion is a physical feeling. Boredom is a mindset. Both of these feelings can be fixed.
Physical exhaustion seems easy to solve, but most of us don’t prioritize it. So much bodily and mental healing takes place through sleep. You’ve worked hard and your body deserves some down time to recover. Make rest a priority. How? Take one or two disco naps of 30 minutes (no more) everyday. Then cut out what isn’t absolutely critical and get good sleep.
Mental exhaustion and boredom are a bit harder to solve because our brains are strong and easily manipulate our moods. Have a talk with your brain. What do you keep thinking to yourself that is conjuring these feelings of boredom or exhaustion? Write it down so you can see what you are thinking or saying to yourself, perhaps without being conscious of it. Once you see that you are in a mental pattern, then choose to change it.

How can you change a mental pattern?

  • Through humor. Humor lightens us up and allows us to let go of heavy thoughts and feelings. Watch funny videos, movies, comedy. Be funny, silly, goofy, spontaneous.
  • Get creative. Here are some ways you might get creative with your senioritis:
    • Document senioritis at your high school. What does senioritis feel like? How does it appear? sound? Get your friends to collaborate.
    • Have a senioritis picnic at lunch with your favorite senioritis foods
    • Come up with a senioritis rap or song
    • Dress up for your senioritis
    • Write a poem or letter to your senioritis
    • Start a senioritis club to help support your fellow senioritis-ists
    • Make your own list of antidotes to senioritis
But, Felicia, really? Aren’t there serious things I can do to combat senioritis? Okay, you aren’t feeling creative.
  • Change your playlist
  • Find a new spot to study
  • Get a study buddy
  • Plan! Tap the future by getting into the excitement of graduation. Planning for that momentous occasion is a great way to get through the wait for further notifications from your colleges. Think about how you would like to celebrate yourself with your family and friends.
  • Go! Just go out the door and do something you haven’t done.  
    • Relax for a few hours at Immersion Spa where you can soak for $25.
    • Get natural! Take a long hike in Purisima Redwoods, walk at Half Moon Beach or bike the Baylands.
    • Get a treat somewhere you haven’t been before. Take it up a notch and travel beyond your hometown if you have to. Take public transportation to San Francisco and explore the market and endless treats at the Ferry Building. Or simply walk and admire the beautiful sights of the bay and the bridge.

Next Up: College Visits and Seeking Scholarships

    Felicia Fahey PhD

    Felicia is a comprehensive educational consultant. She works with college bound students of all ages close to home, across the country and around the globe.

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