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2009-10 Scholarships
College Costs: Extracurricular
You may have already calculated tuition bills and costs for room and board. Yet the hidden costs of college — from pizza to airfare, from library fines to laundry money — can easily add up to another $2,000 per year.
To get a handle on those extras, you'll want to put together a monthly budget
that estimates your costs. Be sure to include:
- Books: Book costs vary widely, depending on your courses. Call your bookstore to get early warning of book prices for your various classes.
- Transportation and travel: If you commute, figure in car insurance, gas and parking fees. Some colleges offer free parking, while others may charge more than $100 for a permit. Don't forget to include the cost of holiday travel. Often you can cut these costs by carpooling or shopping around for special saver or student rates on airfare.
- General food: Dorm dwellers may have a pre-paid college cafeteria plan, while students living off-campus may pay their food bills on a weekly basis. Either way, it's good to figure out how much you'll spend at the grocery store and in restaurants.
- Appliances and utilities: Apartment dwellers usually have utility bills: gas, electric, heat and water. On-campus students face different charges: mini-refrigerator rental fees, for example, can range from $35 to $120.
- To limit phone bills, consider getting a pre-paid phone card with a set amount of calling time to limit long-winded and expensive phone calls. For staying in touch on the cheap, see if your school offers free Internet access and e-mail.
- Personal supplies: Remember when things like soap, toilet paper, makeup and laundry detergent were just there? It's easy to forget these when you're planning your budget, but they add up. Washing your clothes at a coin Laundromat, for example, will run you $1 to $2 per load per week.
- Fraternity or sorority dues: Charges vary widely, depending on the school and chapter. Budget $30 per month minimum, although $50 fees and more are likely. However, Greek life can have an upside; if you live in a house, the dues sometimes cover extras like laundry, social activities and access to a computer lab.
- Printing, copy and computer costs: Stock up on printer paper and floppy discs at a discount store before the school year starts (on-campus supply stores often charge many times the going rate). You'll not only save money, you'll avoid last-minute exam week supply crises.
- Magazines and newspapers: Consider using your local or campus library before paying for a subscription. Otherwise, get a limited subscription that covers either weekdays or weekends only.
- Entertainment: Prioritize your recreational activities. What extracurricular activities are really important to you? Keeping them in mind will help you turn down other offers.
How much you spend depends on your skill at finding bargains and setting spending limits for yourself. Resist the urge to tap your folks for money too often. College is a good testing ground for your budgeting skills. Make the most of your experience!
Adapted from Fastweb.com
Top Ten Tips for Winning Scholarship Applications
Before you submit your scholarship application, check out these tips:
Tip #1: Apply only if you are
eligible.
Read all the scholarship requirements and directions carefully and make sure
you're eligible before you send in your application.
Tip #2: Complete the application in
full.
If a question doesn't apply, note that on the application. Don't just leave a
blank. Be sure to supply all additional supporting material, such as
transcripts, letters of recommendation and essays.
Tip #3: Follow directions.
Provide everything that's required. But don't supply things that aren't
requested—you could be disqualified.
Tip #4: Neatness counts.
Always type your application, or if you must print, do so neatly and legibly.
Make a couple of photocopies of all the forms before you fill them out. Use the
copies as working drafts as you develop your application packet.
Tip #5: Write an essay that makes a strong
impression.
The key to writing a strong essay is to be personal and specific. Include
concrete details to make your experience come alive: the "who," "what,"
"where," and "when" of your topic. The simplest experience can be monumental if
you present honestly how you were affected.
Tip #6: Watch all deadlines.
To help keep yourself on track, impose your own deadline that is at least two
weeks prior to the official deadline. Use the buffer time to make sure
everything is ready on time. Don't rely on extensions—very few scholarship
providers allow them at all.
Tip #7: Make sure your application gets where it
needs to go.
Put your name (and Social Security number, if applicable) on all pages of the
application. Pieces of your application may get lost unless they are clearly
identified.
Tip #8: Keep a back-up file in case anything goes
wrong.
Before sending the application, make a copy of the entire packet. If your
application goes astray, you'll be able to reproduce it quickly.
Tip #9: Give it a final
"once-over."
Proofread the entire application carefully. Be on the lookout for misspelled
words or grammatical errors. Ask a friend, teacher or parent to proofread it as
well.
Tip #10: Ask for help if you need
it.
If you have problems with the application, don't hesitate to call the funding
organization.
Adapted from Fastweb.com
Scholarship Scam Alert
Guess what? You're a "finalist" for a scholarship. And you never even applied! Too good to be true? Probably so! The sad truth is that there are scammers out there—posing as scholarship providers or scholarship matching services— who take your money and leave you with nothing. The good news is, you can protect yourself from scholarship scams by following these tips.
Know Your Scams: Scams come in many flavors, but there are a few typical moves you should be aware of:
- The phony scholarship: You receive a notice about a scholarship that promises you cash. All you need to do is pay the registration fee. So why not apply? Because there is no award. Or there is one small award used to lure you in.
- The phony scholarship matching service: Pay a fee, and they'll do all the work. They'll find information that you can't get anywhere else! Not only that, they will guarantee that you'll win. The outcome? You never hear from them again or (even more frustrating) you receive a list of inappropriate or defunct awards. And forget your money-back guarantee: The company is long gone.
- The phony educational loan: a low-interest loan in exchange for an up-front fee. You pay the fee, but never receive the loan.
- The phony free financial-aid seminar: a thinly disguised sales pitch for a bogus scholarship search or insurance offer.
Scam Warning Signs:
- The fee. Your best rule of thumb: Financial aid should never cost you. Never invest anything beyond the cost of a postage stamp in your search for financial aid.
- The "money-back guarantee"—especially if the company tries to "guarantee" that you will win an award.
- Credit card verification. If they ask for a checking account or credit card number—for "verification" or to "confirm eligibility"—stop listening. Scammers use this ploy to get your financial information and then drain your account or run up charges on your credit card.
|
What's Legit: |
What's Not: |
|
A legitimate scholarship provider sends information about awards only after you request it. |
A scammer offers you an award for which you did not apply. |
|
A legitimate scholarship organization makes its contact information available, including a telephone number and address. |
A scammer refuses to release the company's telephone number, and provides only a P.O. Box where you can mail your check. |
|
A legitimate scholarship matching company never guarantees that the student will win an award, and they never promise to "do all the work" for the student. |
A scammer promises to do all the work for the students—filling out the application, contacting the scholarship provider, securing the award. A scammer guarantees you will win an award. |
|
A legitimate scholarship matching company knows that financial aid information is FREE and readily available in financial aid offices, libraries and on the Internet. |
A scammer will tell you that you can't get the information they supply anywhere else. |
|
A legitimate scholarship application requires only information that is relevant to the award. |
A scammer requires personal financial information—such as credit card numbers or checking account numbers—to "verify" or "hold the scholarship." |
|
A legitimate educational loan company deducts fees from your disbursement checks; they don't collect the money up front. |
A scammer charges an up-front fee for a loan. |
And remember: Don't be fooled by an "official sounding" name. Just because a company uses words like "National," "Federal," "Foundation" or "Administration" in its title doesn't mean it is a legit operation.
What to Do If You Suspect a Scam
- Document all your dealings with any company that you suspect of fraud. Include details about the offer, your response and the dates of your communications.
- Take notes during any telephone conversations with these organizations. Record the date and time of the conversation, the name of the person with whom you spoke and a detailed account of your conversation.
- Report them! Any of the following organizations can help:
National Fraud Information Center (NFIC)
Call their toll-free hotline at 1-800-876-7060, submit a complaint online at www.fraud.org or write:
National Fraud Information Center
c/o National Consumers League
1701 K Street, NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20006
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
To report suspected fraud, call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), submit a complaint online at www.ftc.gov or write
Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20580
State Attorney General's Office : File your complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection in your state.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Report business fraud, ask for information about a company or request the BBB's publications about scholarship scams: BBB Warning: Scholarship Search Services (July/August 1994) and Tips for Consumers from your Better Business Bureau (Scholarships, March 1996). Call 1-703-276-0100, contact online at www.bbb.org or write:
Council of Better Business Bureaus
4200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22203-1838
You can find more information online at www.bbb.org/library/scholarships.asp.
Note: Complaints cannot be mailed in.
US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)
For complaints involving mail fraud, call the Postal Crime Hotline at 1-800-654-8896, submit a complaint online at www.usps.gov/postalinspectors/fraud/welcome.htm or write:
Inspection Service Operations Support Group
Attention: Mail Fraud
222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250
Chicago, IL 60606
To learn more about financial aid and scholarship scams, check out:
- The Good, the Bad and the Shady: Financial Aid Consultants
- True or False?: Phony Claims from Scholarship Matching Services
- Slamming the Scammer: One Student Fights Back
This has been adapted from Fastweb.com