What if someone came up to you and offered you $5000 to attend college? Or after college, what if someone called you and asked if you wanted a couple thousand dollars to pay off some student loans? The obvious answer is, "Where do I sign up?" But, the truth is that there are hundreds of ways for you to receive free money for college today ? you just need to know where to look.Search For "Free" Money FirstWith the emergence of the internet, finding places, companies, and events that offer free money for college has never been as easy. To start, try typing in "free money for college" into a search engine on the internet. Behold thousands upon thousands of web sites that offer you free money just for attending college. Obviously, no site will just hand over money, but there will provide great opportunities for you to further your education in the future with the help of some "free" cash.Scholarship-Takers Wanted!Are you eligible for a scholarship for college? Many students might think not, but there is a good chance that scholarships exist out there that would give YOU money for college, even if you think that you do not have chance. Do you have a special talent, or are you interested in a specific major going into college? Businesses often offer scholarships to students wishing to major in classes that could potentially benefit them in the future. Are you into art, writing, or some other creative field? Contests exist that could give you the opportunity to win free money for college.Start Your Search Today!While the free money exists out there to help you pay for college, it is up to you to go out there and get it! Search the internet for opportunities to enter contests or submit applications for college scholarships. The free money is out there. Good luck searching for it and receiving your free money for college today.This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more about Free Money For College at http://www.NextStudent.com .http://www.nextstudent.com/

Online education is steadily gaining acceptance in the academic world and more people than ever are completing courses online, working toward a degree. Online education at the higher level is no longer looked down on by the rest of the academic world and more colleges and universities are offering online programs every day. In fact, there are now so many resources available to someone interested in earning a college degree online that they can be hard to keep track of. There are, however, a number of web sites that have been designed to provide something of a resource center for those interested in pursuing online education. The site www.get-online-degree.com is one of these and serves as a fantastic resource.When searching for any online education program, of course, the prospective student will want to make sure that the school is properly accredited. Earning a degree from a school with a poor reputation or from a non-accredited university may not win you any points from prospective employers later in life. Web sites like www.get-online-degree.com help students by providing information about online degree opportunities and developments via posted articles, monthly E-zines, and other such methods designed to keep you informed.Many schools already offer online degrees in several fields and it seems that more are always on the way. Some degrees that will probably never be attainable online (it would be impossible to complete all the required work for a medical degree online, for example) offer the opportunity to have at least some of its courses completed online.Online degrees are going to become more common as time goes on. Online education will become easier to facilitate, is already less costly than running traditional classes, and will show a student's drive and initiative better than any other modern method of education, correspondence courses included. The world of online collegiate education is brave and new, evolving at a steady pace, as any relatively new concept will. Sites like www.get-online-degree.com help keep you informed of the changes that could affect you and your ability to earn your degree online.Students today may be the first generation of those able to obtain their degrees online, but they will be looked back on as trailblazers. Thirty, fifty, even one hundred years from now when online education has evolved to the point where it is commonplace, perhaps required, those students will be afforded the chance to look back at the students of today and marvel at the differences in the educational system. They'll do this in the same way that today's students look at education in the fifties and sixties and can't believe how far we've come. And, of course, those attending school in the fifties and sixties looked back at the changes from the twenties and thirties?. And so on.If you'd like to learn all you can about the options available in an online degree, visit the web site www.get-online-degree.com today and see all of the amazing information that is available.Shama San writes articles on online degrees and online courses. Go to http://www.get-online-degree.com for more information and articles related to online degrees.

After presenting these ideas at the NAREN (National At-Risk Education Network) in Wisconsin last week, I was asked to write an article that would be able to reach more people to spread the exciting word about Dr. William Glasser's work in the area of Quality Schools.There are many characteristics that are required in order for a school to be listed as a Quality School. There are currently 13 such schools in the country, with many more on their journey to become Quality Schools.In a Quality School, relationships are based upon trust and respect, and all discipline problems, not incidents, have been eliminated. Total Learning Competency is stressed and an evaluation that is below competence or what is now a "B" has been eliminated. All schooling as defined by Dr. William Glasser has been replaced by useful education. All students do some Quality Work each year that is significantly beyond competence. All such work receives an "A" grade or higher, such as an "A+".Students and staff are taught to use Choice Theory in their lives and in their work in school. Parents are encouraged to participate in study groups to become familiar with the ideas of Dr. William Glasser. Students do better on state proficiency tests and college entrance examinations. The importance of these tests is emphasized in the school. Staff, students, parents and administrators view the school as a joyful place.All of the above criterion must be in place to be listed as a Quality School. When a school is a Quality School, the dictates of "No Child Left Behind" take care of themselves. Now, of course there will be a few children who have totally rejected school that are unreachable but for the majority, they will learn and do quality work.The way to achieve this is to implement the three conditions of quality. First, the school and each classroom must create an environment that will meet the needs of the students, and consequently of teachers. All humans are born with five basic human needs. We have the need for survival, connection/love, power, freedom and fun/learning. This is true of students and teachers.In order to help students meet their need for survival, the school and classroom must be safe. They must feel that they won't be hurt physically or emotionally. When students feel safe, there is no need to threaten teachers or other students.In order for students to satisfy their need for connection/love, they must have a relationship with the teacher and the other students. They must believe that the teacher has their best interest at heart. The more you give love and connection away, the more they come back to you.In order to satisfy a student's need for power, teachers must listen to and respect their students' ideas and issues. This does not mean that teachers must agree with their students but they must at least let the students know that they are important. When students feel listened to and respected, they don't disrespect their teachers and they tend to listen more.For students to have freedom, they must have choices. They must not be bogged down in rules and regulations. When students have choices, they won't have the need to create destructive choices of their own.In school, learning should be fun. Learning is always fun when the learning is useful and the students want to learn what is being taught. Imagine students having fun learning! Isn't that the dream of teachers everywhere? When your students are having fun, you do too.I know this sounds like an impossible task but there are many schools doing just that with training in Dr. William Glasser's Choice Theory. Creating a need-satisfying environment is what actually eliminates discipline problems. If someone has a legitimate, appropriate way to get his/her needs met, then there is no reason to create discipline problems.Switching courses over to a competency-based approach is critical to the Quality School concept. Students are not permitted to get credit for less than B work and they have opportunities to improve their work until it meets the minimum standard for a B. Concepts are taught in such a way that reduces the need for memorizing facts that can be found in any encyclopedia or text.This and more speaks to the second condition of quality that students will only be asked to do useful work. It is the teacher's job to convince students that what they are being asked to do is useful in the real world. If you are successful in that endeavor, you will have willing students. Wouldn't that make your job more enjoyable for you?The final condition of quality is self-evaluation. Students are asked to grade their own work. There are two essential items that must be met in order to get accurate self-evaluations from students. First, they must have no fear that the teacher or anyone else will hurt them with an honest self-evaluation. Second, there must be a clear rubric in place that will give students a model against which to compare their own work.Self-evaluation does not replace the need of the teacher or teacher's aide (another student already judged to be competent in that particular area) from corroborating the student's self-evaluation. Students are not punished for less than competent work. Rather they are shown where their work is lacking and given the opportunity to fix it. This, again, is a skill that is seen everyday in the real world. Rarely do people actually loss their jobs for substandard work. They are told what is wrong and asked to fix it.Of course this is just a thumb nail sketch of what is necessary to become a Quality School but if you or anyone you know is interested in learning more, visit http://www.coachingforexcellence.biz and check our calendar for upcoming teleclasses, chats and workshops.Kim Olver has an undergraduate degree in psychology, a graduate degree in counseling, is a National Certified Counselor and is a licensed professional counselor. Since 1987, Kim has extensively studied the work of Dr. William Glasser's Choice Theory, Reality Therapy and Lead Management. She was certified in Reality Therapy in 1992 and continued her studies to become a certified instructor for the William Glasser Institute. She is an expert at empowering people to navigate the sometimes difficult course of life---teaching them how to get the most out of the circumstances life provides them. These are incredibly powerful ideas with equal application to one's work and personal lives. Kim can work with you to empower your staff and clients and propel your organization to the next level.

Why not build a Christian family enterprise with the energy, funding, and infrastructure that would otherwise build the state or private educational institutions?It is common knowledge today that serious moral problems exist in families, churches, schools, colleges, corporations, and political arena. These problems have academic, moral, and philosophical roots reaching back centuries, and have been promoted by the systematic separation of knowledge from faith in God. The significant amount of teaching required to equip people with the ability to discern the times and apply Scripture by faith to all areas of life, requires diligence in all areas of learning, and at all levels of education.Secular universities are openly hostile to the Christian worldview, and the best of the Christian colleges cannot replicate the family away from home. Nehemiah Institute worldview assessment of 1177 students in 18 Christian colleges over 7 years demonstrated that Christian students are graduating from Christian institutions with a secular humanism worldview, even where their professors have a Biblical Theist worldview. Even the above average Christian colleges are little better than their secular counterpart because the curricula are developed under the same institutional accreditation guidelines, the same text books are used, many of the faculty were trained at secular institutions, and the family learning context is ignored.Even the best of Christian distance education does not purposefully involve the family in the learning process, nor couple with individual family convictions, nor uses the family knowledge base, nor earns family income. It is time to unplug institutional higher education and bring higher education home.The establishment of family universities and networks based on the fellowship of the church is one solution. This can help individuals and families implement the Christian philosophy of education through developing their own family university and complementary business as a part of the dominion mandate (Psalm 8).
University education needs to be reinvented with a Biblical understanding to strengthen the family and church. Christian people can easily learn how a family university can uniquely provide the humble, relational, and Spirit led ideal Biblical higher education for their young adults to participate in building a strong Christian family, church and culture.The benefit of a network for learning was forseen by Ivan Illich, philosopher of the 1970s who spoke in favor of home education. He stated that "If the networks I have described could emerge, the educational path of each student would be his own to follow, and only in retrospect would it take on the features of a recognizable program. The wise student would periodically seek professional advice: assistance to set a new goal, insight into difficulties encountered choice between possible methods. Even now, most persons would admit that the important services their teachers have rendered them are such advice or counsel, given at a chance meeting or in a tutorial. Pedagogues, in an unschooled world, would also come into their own, and be able to do what frustrated teachers pretend to pursue today." Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society, 1970.There is only one such family university network in operation at this time, but the time has come for this concept and therefore this is likely just the beginning of home schooling expanding into home college.Dr. James Bartlett, PhD, PE ret., is President of Bartlett University which hosts the Family University Network with its Christian business incubator. Dr. Bartlett and his wife Lynn homeschool four boys in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota. Dr. Bartlett can be contacted by calling 701-263-4574 or visiting http://bartlettuniversity.com.

Students appreciate teachers that can show them how the material they teach can be applied to the real world.Dr. Richard Riley, an accounting professor at West Virginia University's College of Business and Economics, goes beyond relating his material to the real world for his students.He puts them in it.Graduate students that enroll in Riley's Accounting and Business Consultation course run a complex simulated business, compete with their classmates, sell a portion of the company to venture capital investors and prepare and deliver a performance report to those same VC investors."There is a certain element of pride involved in that program," Riley said. "The fact students are in competition with their classmates and have to deal with real world people give them extra incentive to embrace the activity.""My background is well suited towards students maximizing their potential once they graduate," Riley said. He entered the academic world in 1998 after nine years of professional experience as a CPA and CFO. "I try to make a very strong connection between what I am doing in the classroom and what they will be doing when they graduate in the real world." He also incorporates simulated real world-like activities in his fraud and forensic classes.Riley became motivated to teach after realizing that students often graduate with plenty of knowledge, but little experience in putting that knowledge to work in the classroom."I always focus on students getting hands-on experiences in my classes," Riley said. "The more I can get students' assignments to emulate what they'll be doing in the real world, the better off they will be for themselves and their employer."Because of his blackboard-to-boardroom approach to teaching, Riley was awarded Outstanding Faculty Member by Beta Alpha Psi in 2000 and in the fall of 2005, he will be awarded Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the College of B&E."Students are going through many life experiences as undergrads or grad students," Riley said. "With so many things going on besides my class, I need to make sure they are prepared when they go to the real world. Students will understand everything I have taught them once they get out there, but providing for that connection is my most important job."Jonathan is a starving, struggling writer who aspires to work in public relations when he graduates from West Virginia University. He has worked in marketing with Advanced Internet, is a PR/Communications intern with WVU's College of Business and Economics, and moonlights as a Sports Communications rep for the West Virginia WHAM! He is also a stringer for the Associated Press and loves pizza.

Finding money for college can be a challenge for many students and their families. While saving in advance is the best choice, many times saving money for college is not easy for families. Even for those who do save, many find that the savings are not enough to cover the full cost of a college education.So what should students and parents do to find money for college? There are many programs available to help students get money for college including scholarships, grants and several types of loans.There is one form the student needs to fill out each year which will determine his or her eligibility for need based programs including loans, grants and work-study called the FAFSA, found online at fafsa.ed.gov.After submitting the FAFSA students will be notified by mail which programs they qualify for. Priority deadlines for most colleges are late spring to early summer. However students can continue to apply until the end of the school year.If you have gotten your FAFSA results and didn't get as much money for college as you need, the first thing you should do is visit the financial aid office at your school. It is possible that there may be other sources of aid available. Some colleges participate in state funded financial aid programs and special need based programs that you may qualify for.Secondly you can request that the financial aid office review your application and family contribution analysis. Perhaps there are circumstances such as a job loss, unexpected family expense or another factor that will reduce the amount of money the family is expected to contribute. This could possibly help you get more money for college in the form of loans and grants.Most students qualify for Federal Student Loans (Stafford Loans) and the FAFSA results will reveal the amount students will be able to borrow. If this loan amount is not enough, students can inquire with the financial aid office about other loans.Students may be able to take out additional Stafford Loans in the form of an unsubsidized loan. Unsubsidized loans are not awarded on the basis of need and students will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it's paid in full. Borrowers also have the option to add the interest to the principal amount of the loan until graduation. However additional interest will be based on the higher amount.Other loan options that provide money for college students include Perkins Loans which are designated for students that meet low income criteria. The availability of Perkins loans are usually limited because each school participating in the Federal Perkins Loan program is given a maximum amount of Perkins Loan funds each year.PLUS loans are available for parents to borrow money for college for their children. These loans are awarded regardless of financial need and allow parents to borrow up to the full cost of the child's education. To qualify for a PLUS loan the student must be classified as dependent.Knowing your loan options is important but students should not ignore scholarship programs that give away free money for college. Many students think that scholarships are only available for straight A students, but this is not the case! There are many college scholarship programs based on a variety of criteria including essay contests, volunteer work or area of study.Scholarship money for college can be found by inquiring at your college scholarship office, searching online and using scholarship directories.By exploring all of the options available students and their families can successfully find money for college.Michael Carter is a contributor at College Financial Aid Guide, an online informational resource for educational funding, scholarships and student loans. Find out how to apply for student loans.

My name is Debbie Ross. The information I have about my journey in finding a college can help both parents and students alike. Going back a few years, I was at the turning point of my life. Graduation from high school was just around the corner and I had no clue which college I was going to attend. My parents had their list of colleges that I could attend, and most of my friends were already being accepted to their college or university. With deadlines for applications approaching, I knew that I had to begin finding a college. Choosing the right college is such an important decision, and so I came up with a game plan to find a college. Here are the steps I took in choosing a college.1. Choosing my future careerThe first step I took was to determine what I liked and what I did not like. I quickly ruled out being a doctor, a lawyer or a dentist. In addition, I knew there were career choices that were out of my league, such as being an architect or engineer. My high school grades proved this! Therefore after a lengthy thought process, I narrowed down my choices to Communications, Journalism, Business Management and Information Technology.My school counselor also helped me by giving me a Career Assessment Test. This revealed many of my strengths and tendencies. From this, I discovered that I was best suited for Business Management related studies. I highly recommend this. Career Assessment Surveys are not very expensive and can be found through an internet search.2. Matching courses with collegesThe next thing I did was to list the colleges and universities that offered Business Management studies and had a good track record. I used The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Within a short span of time I came up with a list of 20 colleges that I could see myself in for the next 4 years. All of these colleges had multiple specializations within my field of study, were fully accredited, and had good graduation rates with good reputations. I further narrowed my list down to 14 by selecting those universities which were located near a larger city, one of the criteria that I was looking for in my college.3. Narrowing it down to my top fiveI had above average SAT scores (nothing to take me to Harvard though) and therefore had a wider selection of options for myself. Therefore, my final decision would largely be determined by the funds from my parents, any scholarships or grants, and the money I could earn through on-campus work study. I visited the web sites of each college and took virtual tours of the facilities they offered. Each had its strengths -huge libraries, modern student housing, student body size, a variety of extra curricular activities and sports, and more.I was able to narrow the list from fourteen to five based on the following criteria: going to college within 4 hours of home, my budget for college, and a smaller student body to offer a more personal approach to my education.4. Parents and ApplicationsNext, I got my parents involved in my decision. They had been helping me all along the way, but I needed their help in making the final, important decisions. I showed them the list of 5 colleges that I had, including details, locations, and costs. Together, we narrowed the list to three possible colleges that I could attend. They wanted a college or university which would be easy for them to visit, but would also have excellent teaching and housing facilities. The following weekend I filled out all 3 applications and mailed out them to these colleges and universities. Now it was time to wait for the response.5. Making the final choiceWithin a few weeks, I had received acceptance letters from all the colleges where I sent my applications. In the end, my parents and I decided the best way to make the final decision was to visit the campuses. We took two days to visit all three campuses. Visiting the actual university was vastly different from the virtual tours. My final choice was actually rather easy. I decided on the University of Texas at Austin.The most important steps along the way for me were to take the Career Assessment Test, researching my college choices online through virtual tours, and sitting down with my parents to discuss which colleges to send applications to. This helped make my final decision easier. I hope these steps can help you in finding a college or university as you make career choices.Rich Niccolls has been a college recruiter and professor for 12 years. Read his 7 key factors for choosing the right college for you. Visit the Find A College website.

On March 12, 2005, high school juniors across the country were the first to take the new SAT I test, the standardized testing used in the college admission process. The test is 3 hours and 45 minutes, instead of just 3 hours, and contains a third writing section. So, the new test has three sections: Math, Critical Reading, and Writing, each scored out of 800 points, for a total of 2400 possible points.To prepare for this test, students must realize that the test has not changed that dramatically and in some ways it is easier with the insidious and ambiguous analogies eliminated from the reading section. The math section is a bit more challenging, but more congruent with 10th and 11th grade math. Students should brush up on math formulas and know how to break down word problems. To be successful in the writing section, know how to write a good thesis that is logical, clear and concise. The thesis does not have to be overly analytic or compelling, but every paragraph has to relate to the thesis. Focus on grammar, which is a big component of the new SAT I test. Know the difference between an adverb and a preposition. Since the essay is handwritten, use print instead of script so that the essay is legible. Be aware that SAT vocabulary words are very important, so know the root words, prefixes and suffixes.Overall, learn the basic skills in writing, math and vocabulary before taking practice tests. Tutoring is sometimes helpful to provide structure and motivate a student to prepare for the test. The SAT tests do not measure intelligence, they merely measure how well students do on the test and rank them in comparison to other SAT test takers. If the SAT I test is extremely challenging, consider taking the ACT test instead. Most schools will accept the ACT test, but it is a good idea to check with the universities that you are applying to and find out which tests are required for admission. Students should take practice tests in the SAT and ACT to determine which test yields the better result.For parents, know that students are very anxious about the test and help them in dealing with the pressure. If your child has a learning issue and will benefit from more time, then lobby the school for extended or untimed test taking. Play the SAT vocabulary test with your child at the dinner table or in the car.Finally, put the test into perspective. While it is certainly a factor for college admissions, it counts about half as much as the rigorousness of a student's high school curriculum and grades. So, for students who are lackluster test-takers, they should prove themselves academically by taking a challenging course load and working on grades. Colleges are much more interested to know how students perform in the classroom over 4 years, than how they did for 4 hours on a Saturday morning.Katherie Cohen, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of IvyWise, a comprehensive educational consulting company.
http://www.ivywise.com

If rising tuition costs or personal concerns have made you consider dropping out of college or "taking a break" I'd like to encourage you to reconsider.Don't Let Cost Stand in Your WayIf cost is your primary reason for reducing your college hours or dropping out completely first pay a visit to your school's financial aid office. Have you applied for financial aid using the FAFSA? Priority deadlines for most colleges is late spring to early summer. However, most of the time students can still get some kind of financial aid as long as you apply before the school term begins.Another reason for visiting the financial aid office is there may be other sources of aid available to you that you are not aware of. Some colleges participate in state funded financial aid programs and special need based programs that you may qualify for. Your financial aid counselor can give you more information about alternative programs such as these. In addition, the financial aid office may be aware of local foundation and organization sponsored scholarships.In some colleges the financial aid office also handles scholarships. Other schools run a separate scholarship office. Either way, make sure you apply for all of the scholarships offered at your school.Many local social organizations such as the Lions Club, Business & Professional Women and Chamber of Commerce sponsor scholarships. Get out your local phone book and start calling organizations in your area. You may be surprised at what type of local scholarships may be available.Consider College an Investment in YourselfAccording to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, people with a bachelor's degree earn over 70 percent more on average than those with only a high school diploma. Over a lifetime, this will make a considerable difference in overall earnings, standard of living and retirement savings.The power of a bachelor's degree becomes even more apparent when seeking employment. Applicants with a degree are much more likely to be hired for a position than those without a degree. Specialized study in college prepares workers for a job field or industry. A general or liberal arts degree will help workers gain employment in a wide range of fields. Often your college major is not as important as just the fact that you have the degree.Finally, college is a time to explore your interests, talents and grow as a person. The experience you gain working with other students and professors will help you mature and be ready for not just the job market, but for deeper life experiences.Michael Carter is a contributor at College Financial Aid Guide, an online informational resource for educational funding, scholarships and student loans.

Choosing an online education program should be exciting and fun. While there a many good, recognized diploma or degree programs available through online education, choosing the one which is right for you can seem like a daunting task.There are many factors which you should take into consideration, when choosing your online college. For example, you'll need to consider which technologies are used in the program. Does the institution use print, audio, or video delivery media? How will you interact between the instructor and the rest of the class? Will it be via asynchronous means, such as email, listservs, or newsgroups, via synchronous delivery methods, like streaming online audio and video, or shared whiteboards? The technological delivery of the course content will be key to your decision, as it will determine the amount and frequency of your interaction with the instructor and other students.You should also be diligent about researching the college's accreditation and its reputation. In order to be certain that you are getting the best education possible, you must be certain that the institution has some sort of official recognition. Accreditation is the process through which a college's educational programs are evaluated to ensure that certain standards are upheld. This process is usually done by a form of peer review, and the standards tend to vary from awarding body to awarding body. Being aware of the university's accreditation is usually a good indicator of what sort of value that you are getting for your tuition.Likewise, it is very important to check out your instructor's credentials and experience in the field, as well. Your experience of the course will depend upon his or her knowledge and delivery style, so make sure that you know with whom you will be working.Finally, you may want to consider speaking with one of the college's former students, as this will give you an insider's look into the program and the university. Alumnae are often honest about their experiences- whether good or bad- and they can give you a better idea of what to expect from the course.Pursuing a degree online can be a rewarding and memorable experience, especially if you do your homework before logging-in to the course.Matt Norman is the founder of Easy Distance Learning a website providing information on learning online