Reduce College Debt with Scholarships
by Dale Clifton
Published on this site: August 26th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
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 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.
Dale Clifton - The Scholarship Doctor - is an educational
consultant and expert at helping families win college scholarships.
To learn more about planning to win scholarships, visit http://ScholarshipDoctor.com
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