If you have high school students, especially juniors or seniors, then you know how busy the next few months are going to be to get them ready for college: SAT/ACT exams, applications, essays, financial aid plans and the hunt for scholarships. Paying for college can be a big hurdle for many families, especially during these tough economic times.
One option to reduce the expense of college is to spend the first two years at a community college. You'll typically save up to half the cost of a four-year degree by doing this. Remember, employers only care about where you graduated from -- not where you started your education. Then again, you need to be extra careful that those junior college credits are going to apply towards the university credit you ultimately want. I think half of the education (and the fun) is living away from home while attending a university. Now we're talking bigger bucks.
There are TONS of scholarships out there and if you just spend some time hunting, you WILL find something your child qualifies for. There are a number of bizarro scholarships available, including ones for being tall, being left-handed and even drinking milk. I’m not making this stuff up! Visit www.fastweb.com for complete details. When I was looking for scholarships for my two oldest boys I visited the Fast Web site weekly and grouped the scholarships by due date to help us organize our time better; many scholarships require essays, so we would conquer the applications one day/essay at a time. In a few cases we were able to reuse the same essay for several scholarship applications. This requires some work, but the free scholarships are worth it! And what a great boost to your child's self-esteem to know there are companies and organizations out there that believe in them.
The really obscure scholarships are usually funded by someone who had to overcome some kind of disability in life and can be found at http://www.collegegold.com/scholarships/unusualscholarships There is even a fun annual contest sponsored by Duct Tape where the company gives scholarships to the high school students who can create the best prom outfits out of duct tape!
Talk to your student’s high school counselor to find out who is donating grant money, research money and scholarship money that you might not otherwise know about. Some high schools have a special Senior Awards night where scholarship donors give speeches and hand out money; get a list of last year's program from your high school counselor so you can see who is doling out money in your area. It's easier to get local scholarships than national ones.
Now all that talk of free money makes me dream of other freebies! Here's a list of this week's steals and deals:
Free KIND Bars at Starbucks (2/5)
Try KIND bars for free at Starbucks on February 5th! Starbucks will sample KIND bars at all of their 7,000 stores across the country! Drop in to try one of the two delicious flavors selling at your local Starbucks: Fruit & Nut Delight and Cranberry Almond+Antioxidants.
http://kindsnacks.com/e/2010/newsletter-january.html
Free Stuff Giveaways from Allure (February)
The first 500 Allure readers to sign up at noon EST will win.
February 1: Sunsilk Hydra TLC 24/7 Creme
February 2: Tarte EmphasEyes Waterproof Clay Shadow/Liner Pot in Bronze
February 3: Talika Lipocils Expert
February 4: L'Or?al Paris Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base
February 5: Caress Whipped Souffl? Ultra Silkening Body Wash
February 8: Lierac Paris Micro-Abrasion Stimulating Smoothing Cream
http://www.allure.com/freestuff
Free LEGO Groundhog (2/2)
One day each month you can learn how to build a cool LEGO mini model, and take it home - for free! US LEGO Stores - LEGO Groundhog: February 2, begins at 5:00pm until supplies last.
Visit offer page and use the top blue menu bar for LEGO Store locations in the United States.
http://stores.lego.com/en-us/StoreEvents.aspx
Free Love Letter Kit (400 a day)
Every morning at 10am CST ThinkMarriage.org will be giving away 400 Love Letter Kits. Bookmark their page and mark your calendar. This offer ends on Valentine's Day Feb 14,2010
http://thinkmarriage.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=30&utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=562113&utm_campaign=Web&language=en
Free Fragrance Samples from Hugo Boss
Three different fragrance samples are offered from HUGO BOSS:
Hugo Man, Hugo Element and Female Fragrance HUGO Deep Red.
IMPORTANT: First, before you start filling out the form, you must select sample you want on the right side, then fill out the form and click (Send) one time! Nothing will happen, but if you wait a few seconds you should see a confirmation message: "Thank you for requesting your free fragrance sample" you also should get a tracking number for your request.
If you don't follow the instructions above, the submit form button will remain disabled.
http://www.hugo.com/freesamples
Free Passport Holder (BCBGMAXAZRIA)
First, sign up for BCBGMAXAZRIA Exclusive News and eMail updates. Next, check your email, print it and bring it to the store near you.
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ttp://bcbgmaxazriagroup.com/fall2009/index.php?p=cGFnZT1mYnByb21v&cm_mmc=FACEBOOK-_-TILE-_-PASSPORT-_-EMAIL_SIGNUP
Free $10 Coupon Booklet from Pillsbury
Ceate your profile to sign up to receive the Pillsbury® email newsletter, access exclusive member benefits on Pillsbury.com, and receive a free Pillsbury® coupon booklet with $10 in valuable savings. Offer limited to the United States and expires 3/1/2010. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
http://freecouponbooklet.pillsbury.com/PillsburyCouponBook/Default.aspx
Free 20 oz. Orange Julius Fruit Drink or Fruit Smoothie
Join the OJ Quench Club and they will send you a coupon for a free drink or a premium fruit smoothie.
http://orangejulius.com/sec_quenchclub.html
Free Preparedness Pack Sample
Please provide your information in the form and "Prepare then Share" will send your sample of preparedness pack right away.
http://www.preparethenshare.com/Home/FreeSample
Free Bag of PIECES Candies (first 25k)
REESE'S@facebook: "Through 2/10, or while supplies last, visit http://www.piecescandies.com/wrapper to learn how you can get a coupon for one FREE bag of PIECES Candies. Offer good for the first 25,000 people who visit http://www.piecescandies.com/wrapper"
Coupon good for one Free Bag of New PIECES Candy in a Crunchy Shell.
To receive your coupon, complete downloaded order form and send along with one complete candy bar wrapper from: HERSHEY??™?®S SPECIAL DARK?® Dark Chocolate Bar, ALMOND JOY?® Candy Bar, YORK?® Peppermint Pattie or REESE??™S?® Peanut Butter Cups.
http://www.piecescandies.com/wrapper
Free Chips and Queso (Chili's)
Join Chili's E-mail Club for the latest happenings and exclusive offers, including a welcome gift of FREE CHIPS AND QUESO within 48 hours of signing up!
http://assets.fbmta.com/clt/chlscrp/lp/join/join.aspLabels: college, free, funding, money, scholarship
