Obtain College Grants For Single Mothers | Best Tips and Advice to Help Secure Your Funds

With thanks to the current US Administration, College Grants For Single Mothers are widely available. Are you a single mom who would like to have the opportunity to provide your children with a better way of life? Just imagine for the moment, if you would? Perhaps, now is the time to think about returning to college as there are several different kinds of college grants for single mothers available, including the Pell Grant type.

It is imperative to complete the grant application process in the correct way. If you don't, the chances of your application being approved by the awarding agency is greatly reduced.

Below, I offer a number of tips that you may find useful in ensuring that your application for college grants for single mothers is approved.

Tip 1 - When it comes to grants, the first thing you need to know is that, those who apply for them, don't need to meet any eligibility requirements. So, it is important that you clearly identify to the reviewer, why you need this more than the other students who have applied for it. This truly comes from heart.

Tip 2 - Always make sure that you complete the form in full and never leave any questions unanswered. However, if you feel that a certain question does not relate to you, then clearly show your reasons why. Also, make sure that when sending through the application that, you provide all supporting material that is needed such as letters of recommendation, essays or transcripts.

Tip 3 - Make sure that you follow the directions provided and laid out within the application. You should only provide documents or information that has been asked for. There's no need to overwhelm reviewer. Answer what is asked, but thoroughly.

Tip 4 - Although, you may consider your handwriting to be neat it is far to complete the application on your PC and then print it off. Plus it is a good idea to before you start filling it out online to print out a blank copy that you can read through slowly and carefully, and then fill in by hand before typing it up.

Psychologically, this way you can avoid making silly mistakes on the completed form that could result in the grant application being rejected.

Tip 5 - Enrol for a $10,000 Government give away!

Don't miss it, you can do it safely - HERE!

If you decide to apply for college grants or single mothers, remember, further help is available online and it shouldn't be overlooked.

According to US Department of Education, 89% (over 11.2 million students) of the FAFSA submissions were submitted electronically (or online). It indicates substantial increase of 12.7% that people are using internet for research and applications.

Update!

After months of research on my part, I have come across this excellent site - College Grants For Single Mothers. This one is worth checking out!

Site is legitimate, informative, simple to navigate and tailored to your educational interests, so you don’t have to waste your valuable time going from end to end filling up unnecessary forms.

Above all remember, every step you take gets you closer to achieving your education goals.



How to Plan Your Studying and Achieve the Best Grades

Monday 30 May 2011

Scholarships for Graduate Students

After a few years in the working world, many graduates find that they just can't advance any farther in their careers without having additional qualifications and credentials. Higher education is so accessible these days that a Bachelor's degree doesn't always bring the prestige and opportunities that it once did. This is particularly true in high technology areas, the sciences and business management.

You are probably going to have to earn a Master's degree or a Doctorate in order to move up the corporate ladder, become a tenured teacher, or get a high-paying job in any number of other fields.

Graduate school costs a lot of money, and if you are still trying to pay off previous school loans how can you possibly get a Master's degree without acquiring a lot of additional debt? One way is to find and apply for scholarships for graduate students.

You might not even have been aware that there are special scholarships available for graduate students. Most people think that scholarships only exist only for undergraduate students, but that's not the case at all.

Many scholarships exist for graduate students and work in the same way that they do for undergrads, except that the awards are specifically intended to fund a Master's degree, law degree, doctorate program, and similar advanced study endeavors. Often these are paid by large companies and corporations but rarely are strings attached relating to future work requirements.

Depending on the size of the award you win, you can either subsidize a portion of your tuition bill or be able to pay for everything and attend school on that coveted full scholarship. 

Finding a scholarship as a graduate students can however pose some problems. The availability of scholarships depends on the subject to be studied and not all awards are advertised through the usual channels. It can take hours of research to come up with just a couple of leads that you could potentially qualify for. This discourages many people and a lot of awards go unclaimed as a result.

That is actually good news for you because, if you are determined, it means there sometimes isn't much competition for a lesser-known scholarship. You will therefore have a better chance of winning an award and making grad school more affordable. But if other people can't find out about these lucrative scholarships, how can you? Well, the easiest way is to register with a company that matches your qualifications to existing awards.

There are a number companies that perform this service for a fee, and you can find most of them online. Though the specific services and fees differ depending on which company you sign up with, you'll generally have two separate options.

First, you can sign up with a company that will personally work with you to find potential scholarships that you can apply for. You will have to fill out an online questionnaire detailing your academic and career accomplishments, as well as your intended field of study and perhaps some personal information such as age, gender, and ethnicity.

These personal questions are important because some scholarships for graduate students are restricted to certain ethnic groups or possibly only women may be eligible for the award.

Once the company has your information, a specialist will then begin the process of matching you to award opportunities. You can then decide which awards you want to apply for.

The second option, at a much lower cost, is to sign up with a company that simply gives you access to a searchable database containing thousands of scholarships for graduate students. You can tweak your searches in various ways to yield different results This gives you greater flexibility in browsing through potential awards.

If you want to get the most out of your career, then grad school is probably the way for you to go. You can take steps now to help defray the high cost of tuition by registering with a company that will alert you to available scholarships for graduate students. You can win a significant amount of money towards your education that you will never have to repay, so check out some of these sites today.


Saturday 28 May 2011

Scholarships, Fellowships and Government Grants, Oh My!

Nearly every student is eligible to receive free funding for his or her education expenses. Both the U.S. Federal and State Governments, as well as private organizations, offer free money to assist students with paying for a college education.

This is money that never has to be repaid! These free funds come in the form of Scholarships, Fellowships, Internships and also Government Grants. In this article, we will clear up some confusion about what these are and how you can use them to pay for your education.

Your first step should be to obtain a FAFSA document (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can acquire one of these applications from the college you plan to attend or, online by following the steps at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

You will want to fully complete and send in this document by the deadline. For future reference, you will need to do this every year to continue to remain eligible for government funded financial aid. This single application is the key to numerous federally funded programs. Once your application is processed, you will receive a statement in the mail that lets you know how much funding you are eligible for.

If you find out that the amount of funding you qualify for still doesn't meet your needs, you can pursue additional private and government grants, scholarships and other programs. You can search online for for student grants and scholarships that you may also qualify for. This is often a tedious task, but careful research can uncover some excellent opportunities.

What is the difference between a Scholarship, Fellowship and a Grant?

Scholarships & Fellowships - Scholarships and fellowships are very similar, the term fellowship is generally applied to post graduate studies, while scholarship generally defines undergraduate awards. Scholarships can be funded with either public or private moneys. Oftentimes, you must qualify for a scholarship by having good grades and SAT scores. There are also scholarships that award students for their excellence in sports. You will find that there are also many unusual scholarships and fellowships available that cater to students with various other qualifications.

Government Grants - Government grants for college are government funds set aside to assist people in raising funds for school. There are numerous government grants that students can take advantage of, in conjunction with scholarships to enable you to pay for college. Your best asset here is the FAFSA document, that we discussed earlier.

As you can see, government grants, scholarships and more are available to help you pay for college. All you need to do is due diligence, a bit of paperwork and perhaps some research and you will uncover more funding options than you knew existed.


Wednesday 25 May 2011

Practical Guidelines to Writing Successful College Essays and Term Papers

Research is the backbone of any writing and the sources that you use for your research are equally important. Primary sources include for example, newspaper cuttings, interviews and any source that quotes directly from for example historic witness accounts. These are often considered more valuable than secondary sources. Secondary sources, are as their name suggests, second-hand accounts of events. For example, a history book written by an author using primary sources to interpret an historical event.

Your use of varied sources of research will enable you to see the weaknesses and strengths of your argument. Your paper, in effect should be a response to a debate proposal - for example, “this house believes: that dieting does not work”. You should in your research always be aware of what arguments the opposition are likely to put forward, so that you are responding to these arguments in your writing. For example, the response to the proposal could be, “Weight Watchers is a successful organisation because its members lose weight.” The weakness in the argument might be, “but, how many members successfully keep the pounds off?” just as an audience listening to a debate will have doubts about your argument, so too will the reader, therefore you should always lay out a response to these doubts and expose them as incorrect. You can do this by using quotations from expert sources for example. Using a variety of sources will ensure you present a balanced argument and that you obtain reliable information upon which to base your arguments.

Before you even begin to write your paper you should plan what points you want to make. Planning your paper is vital. It is a true saying that– “if you fail to plan – you plan to fail”. Once you have an idea of the direction you wish to steer the ship, you can then look forward to enjoying the journey! Your plan should specify distinct points that you want to make in a logical sequence. These points should form the basic structure as paragraphs for your paper. Introducing each concept to the reader, developing it and destroying any possible doubts about your arguments will keep the reader interested and help them to see your point of view clearly.

Every piece of writing needs to lead the reader gently into the subject area by way of an introduction and college papers are no different. You would not expect a friend to tell you the punch line of a joke without build up otherwise the joke would fall flat. Equally, if you fail to lead the reader in by setting the scene for the rest of your discussion using an introduction, your college paper may well suffer the same fate and the reader may not want to continue reading. The introduction should aim to summarise and engage the reader.

An introduction is vital when writing a college paper for several reasons. Firstly, a competent introduction to a piece dispenses with the assumption that the reader is aware of the subject matter. It also gives them a flavour of what to expect in the development and helps the reader to attune his thoughts to your style of writing. Most important of all, a good introduction should summarise the piece and give some idea of what the conclusion will be. Think of the introduction as a synopsis of the entire work, however long that work maybe. A successful introduction will explain to the reader what the paper is about and prepare them for the development of that idea or argument.

Think of the development section –the middle- of a college paper, as a way of convincing the reader of your argument. Decide what points you want to make. This is where your research comes in. Your research will strengthen and inform your own views and opinions. Your job now is to apply the research to back up your arguments effectively.

The conclusion to your paper should remind the reader why you hold particular opinions and the reasons for them and give them a second chance to agree or disagree with you based on the arguments and facts that you present.

In summary:

- Research the topic

- Be critical during your research - Read with a question in mind, always be critical of the secondary source material that you read. If it is not direct “from the horses mouth”, then question the writer’s motives for holding their opinion, are they biased? For example, is a dieting magazine a proponent of diets, because that is their raison d’etre?

-  Brainstorm - Brainstorming with friends helps to clarify your opinions, if you can argue a subject aloud, you are more likely to be able to argue it on paper.

- Plan your work in logical points

- Write the main points of your conclusion before you develop the paper, that way if you have a map of where you are trying to get to, you will be able to drive there more quickly.

- Use the points from your plan as paragraphs in your paper for each individual idea.

- Develop these points by explaining their rationale to the reader, justify them using your research and eliminate any opposing arguments by backing up yours with the facts not just opinions.

- If you are writing within time constraints of an examination and fail to complete the paper, you will get marks for planning your paper, because the examiner will be able to see that you understand the subject.

- Use an appropriate style for your audience – that means adjusting your language and tone, sentence length and vocabulary to suit the audience.

- Always introduce the topic- Summarise what you are going to tell them: -

- Do not make assumptions - Do not assume that the reader is familiar with the subject matter

- Be aware of your audience:-be aware of whom you are trying to convince and tailor your argument to that audience. This should be reflected in your language and tone and ultimately your style of writing.

- Do your research – you cannot expect to competently argue your point, if you do not have strong facts and opinion with which to back it up.

- Develop your argument- use the research sources and quotations you have gathered to develop and substantiate your arguments.

- Be aware of your own prejudices and make a conscious effort to be objective.

- Conclude the piece by summarising your original thesis, or idea.

- Check the writing for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes as this can let your writing down and irritate the reader.

- Read the paper thoroughly, aloud if possible and make amendments, do not be afraid to shorten the paper if this means that your paper becomes more succinct.

- Remember - the best writing speaks to the reader and wins the reader over almost without them realising it!


Saturday 21 May 2011

Paying for College - Scholarships and Federal Aid

Well the weekend has come and gone, and I still have no students seeking advice. Please email me your questions, I’m begging you! It’s partly my fault because I’m still slacking on advertising this blog. There’s a lesson for all the students out there. Don’t slack. I slacked a lot of my way through college. It works for the time being, but later on it will come back to haunt you. Try to instill solid work methods now while you still have a chance, or else when you’re twenty-something and working a full-time job, you will only think about ways to get you work done without actually working.

On to today’s topic: Paying for College. Getting the funds for college and living expenses is one of the biggest challenges you will face, perhaps even tougher than getting into college. If you slacked your way through high school and ended up with poor grades, your chances of a scholarship are not as high. But hopefully you listened to your teachers and parents and did well in school.

In Florida we have what is called a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. Based on your grades, SAT/ACT scores, and community service, every graduating senior attending college can receive a 75% tuition scholarship or a 100% + books scholarship. Florida is awesome when it comes to providing every student the means to attend college. I am not sure how other states work, but I would imagine each state has similar scholarship programs.

Scholarships are what every student needs. Tuition can be very expensive depending on where you go to school and how many classes you take. Out of state schools will cost a student more money. Private schools will also be more expensive. Scholarships give students the ability to attend colleges on someone else’s dime. Pretty sweet deal huh?

Not all scholarships are based on financial situation like most people think. Generally, students who are in need of financial aid will be given a high priority when it comes to winning a scholarship; however, this is not always the case. Don’t be shy when asking about scholarships. Consult your school counselors, parents, teachers, and friends. You’d be surprised that the company your parents work for probably offer scholarships. Even if it is only for $1000, that is still free money you can’t pass up.

Scholarships are not limited to incoming freshman either. Current sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible for scholarships. Often upper level students are awarded scholarships to further their study in their specific major, such as Education majors. Visit your school’s financial aid office for more information.

One of the best, if not the best, resources for scholarship information is FastWeb. Every student needs to visit them. Yes, even you seniors. There are thousands of scholarships that go un-awarded every year. So get off this web page (when you’re done reading of course) and go get one.

http://www.fastweb.com

Another method of getting money for college is from Uncle Sam himself. No, not your mom’s half brother that you only see on Memorial Day barbeques. I’m talking about the United States Government. The federal government gives out free money to college students. It’s called FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. FAFSA grants are determined by how much money your parents make. You have to fill out a form in your school’s financial aid department or online via their website, www.fafsa.ed.gov. Every student needs to do this. Even if your parents make $500,000 a year, there is still a chance you are eligible for a free grant. A grant is money you do not have to pay back. Ever.

Let’s say your parents give you $2000 a year for college. You use this for tuition, books, rent, and food (and with all these expenses plus more, $2000 does not go that far). Let’s say you have filled out your FAFSA forms and are given $1000. This is awesome! But wait, it’s been two years and now your little sister is going to college and your parents can’t afford to give you $2,000 each. So they split it up and you each get $1000. What a bummer!! Or is it? FAFSA adjusts your grant according to not only what your parents make, but how many siblings you have in college. The more brothers and sisters you have going to college, the more money you get.

The most dreaded, but probably most popular, method of paying for college are student loans. Almost all students have them, so don’t feel bad if you are forced to get one. If you’ve taken a finance or economic class you’ve probably heard the terms “good debt” and “bad debt”. Victoria’s Secret credit card debt is “bad debt”, while student loans are “good debt”. Student loans offer the lowest interest rates of any type of loans. Often they give you a grace period after graduation where not a single cent is due. Student loans can be paid off over a long period of time with fixed interest rates.

Subsidized student loans are loans you get through your school’s financial aid department that the government pays the interest for. Not a bad option either if you are in need of tuition money. Visit your bank or financial aid office for more information on student loans. All banks offer them, so go ask today.

Finally, the last method of paying for college I’m going to discuss is through good old hard labor. Getting a job can help pay the bills. Waitressing, bartending, retail, and tutoring are all prime examples of college jobs. If you aren’t into working at a restaurant or mall, visit your student career resource center. Jobs on campus are given out to students who are financially needy. The best thing about working on campus is they will fit your work schedule around your classes and tests. You will never have to miss class or work. One of the disadvantages of working on campus is the pay is generally low. You will make a lot more money working at Chili’s than you will your school’s bookstore.




Thursday 19 May 2011

Online Bachelor Degree: Lower Unemployment and Higher Pay

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment rates fall and earnings rise for people who have more education. Not exactly rocket science — but if you're a high school graduate working a 40-hour week, getting a bachelor's degree may seem nearly impossible. Work, family and financial obligations don't leave much time to attend a college or university full time. But a phenomenon called distance learning now makes it possible to pursue an online bachelor degree from the comfort of your own home.

In a nutshell, dozens of accredited colleges and universities now offer online bachelor degree programs that require students to spend little or no time on campus. The nation's largest accredited private university, the University of Phoenix, offers online bachelor degree programs in business, technology, health care, education, and social and behavioral science. According to the
latest figures (2002) from the Department of Education website, the University of Phoenix had more than 107,000 students enrolled in a variety of classroom and online programs.

Getting a degree from an accredited online university can significantly impact your earning profile and reduce your chances of becoming unemployed. When the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Quarterly (Fall 2004) compared the median weekly earnings and unemployment rate for full-time workers aged 25 or over, degree holders clearly fared better. While a high school grad earned $554 weekly and faced a national unemployment rate of 5.5%, the holder of a bachelor degree made $900 a week with an unemployment rate of only 3.3 percent.

If figures like these make you eager to explore an online bachelor degree, you'll find links in the resource box at the bottom of this article than can help advance your career. But before you start clicking, here's a three-question checklist that will help you decide if an online bachelor degree is right for you:

1. Do you meet the academic requirements?
Online universities have admission requirements that you'll need to meet before you begin your studies. Certificate and online bachelor degree programs require a high school diploma or GED certificate.

2. What are your goals?
Write down your goals and then research your options with these goals in mind. List the criteria you're looking for in an online college or university and then determine which school is the best match for your goals. All online universities provide free, detailed information about their degree programs. There's also free online access to enrolment counsellors, so take advantage of these no-cost services.

3. Can you afford an online degree?
While the cost of an online bachelor degree is often just half that of attending a brick-and-mortar university, it still pays to make sure you can afford tuition, books and other fees. You may find that you don't have to cover the entire cost of your online education alone. At many online universities, students receive all or part of their tuition from their employer. There are still other financial options available, too, including federal grant and loan programs with low interest rates.

Remember, data show that unemployment rates fall and earnings rise for people who have more education. So, get learning to start earning and investigate whether an online bachelor degree is right for you!


Wednesday 18 May 2011

Introductory course on E-learning

The scope of this introductory article in e-learning methods and practices is to provide the readers with the necessary knowledge to develop e-learning courses. Developers of e-learning courses should be able to:

1) Understand in which cases e-learning constitutes an appropriate educational method
2) Define the educational needs of their learning groups
3) Write distance education materials
4) Choose the adequate ways of communication between students and tutors as well as between students themselves
5) Become effective e-tutors
6) Provide student support, when necessary
7) Assess the students in an effective way
8) Evaluate the effectiveness of their courses

Methodology

The duration of a course, as well as its exact contents, depend on the educational needs of the specific group of learners. Therefore, the first step in the designing of the course will be to identify the specific needs of the learners. A detailed questionnaire should be distributed to the target group and their answers will be measured qualitatively and quantitatively. The questionnaire will measure the IT level of the learners, their previous experience in e-learning or other distance education methods, their learning and communication patterns, etc. Those answers will form the basis of the course’s planning.

Α bibliographical research in each country’s social, political, educational and technological background is also essential in order to understand the prospective learners and plan a program that fits their needs as well as their customs. Unfortunately, as Robinson (1995, p.225) pinpoints, a significant amount of research and studies based on the subject of student support and communication in e-courses has been developed on the basis of an analogous cultural context: the formal, institutionally-based higher education of the developed world. The imposition of this context has created a false “norm” and has undervalued the importance of diversity in the development of open and distance educational courses.

The aim of this research will be to identify the context-specific factors, which shape the learners’ needs, mainly:

*The geographical distribution of learners
*The technological infrastructure
*The economical capabilities
*The socio-cultural diversity

The study and analysis of the bibliography and the questionnaires will enable the educational team to develop a course, with respect to the diversity of the specific learning community. The findings will be used particularly in the designing of the communication methods and patterns and the system of student support.

The course will be designed in order to provide high levels of interactivity between learners. The students will have a lot of opportunities to communicate with each other in both synchronous and asynchronous ways, exchange viewpoints and, the most important, undertake team-work projects. One of the most significant advantages of the online distributed courses is the ability to bring people from diverse cultures closer by creating multicultural learning communities. Thus, the collaboration between students will add value to the students’ learning experience, since it will offer them the chance to view the world from a wider perspective.      

The projects and assessment exercises that the students will undertake will be practical, in forms of realistic scenarios. For example, in the thematic field “Understanding your learners” (see below), the students may be asked to draw up a list, of which elements are important in knowing their learners and cast interviews on a real group of learners. Since the prospective students of this course are already working in the field of education, they won’t encounter any difficulty in accessing a sample.   

Thematic fields of the course

The suggestive thematic fields of the course are:

1) The historical context of distance education and e-learning
2) The designing of e-learning material: text and multimedia material
3) The communication between groups of learners
  a.    The pedagogical necessity of interactivity between learners
  b.    Forms of communication: synchronous, asynchronous communication and the technological means to achieve it
4) The role of the e-tutors
5) The support of students in e-learning environments
6) The students’ assessment and self-assessment
7) The evaluation of the e-courses

Monday 16 May 2011

Interested in Learning at Home? Consider an Online Nursing Degree College

The Internet has created a number of ways to make our lives more convenient. One important, and growing way, is through online education. This method of learning is extremely popular, and many respected, quality schools offer online learning options. If you are interested in learning at home, consider an online nursing degree college to prepare you for a career in health care.

The Forecast

The health care field is one area where jobs are expected to continue to grow. The medical field offers employment opportunities for many different personality types. Within nursing, there are many choices as well. People interested in the nursing field can incorporate a desire to help others with an interest in technology, medical advances, and management. A nurse may desire to work in a maternity wing in a hospital, in a hospice program helping people die in peace, or anywhere in between where quality health care is needed.

Salaries for nurses vary by degree, but start in the $30,000 range and go up. If you are interested in learning at home, consider an online nursing degree college that offers any type of nursing degree, from a basic entry-level degree such as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to a PhD in health care. For those wanting a nursing degree option with a lot of flexibility, a Registered Nurse (RN) option is one that will allow graduates to work in a range of settings with a higher level of responsibilities. Master's programs in nursing are abundant online, and provide an excellent opportunity to further one's career.

Learning at Home

If you are interested in learning at home, consider an online nursing degree to enter an exciting and growing career in health care. Online programs are convenient, of high quality, and provide an opportunity for learning to those who do not live near a school offering a desired nursing program. Educational opportunities online are demanding and rigorous, and you will leave with a high quality education. With some research, you can find the perfect online program to meet your needs.


Saturday 14 May 2011

How to Overcome the High Prices of College Textbooks

Every year students require various college textbooks for their classes, spending a small fortune to purchase them. High standards should be improved in the business deal of purchasing new and used books so that all students would benefit of improved methods of learning. In recent years, college bookstores have begun to lose their monopoly over the market, generating pronounced imbalances regarding the average costs of most study materials.  

Thousands of students who will soon head off to college campuses nationwide are beginning to realize that it takes quite a bit of capital these days to buy textbooks. In the past two decades, college textbooks prices have increased considerably, at twice the rate of inflation. According to government estimates, students and their families have spent more than $6 billion on new and used textbooks over the period of the academic year 2003-2004. During 2002 and 2004, the average college student spent up to $900 a year for textbooks, around 3 percent more than in the last seven years. Recent studies have also revealed the fact that the average student nowadays spends about $100 on a single curriculum-oriented new book and about $65 on a similar used book.

Fortunately, there are various high-standard educational institutions that are currently striving to overcome such topical issues regarding the low affordability of curricular study materials. The University of Phoenix for instance, has corrected such problems by modifying the general curriculum and preparing a lighter course load for attending students. By replacing most traditional textbooks with e-books, the University of Phoenix has become the first “textbook-less” college in the country.

Highly skilled students joining selected programs nowadays benefit for Microsoft's e-book reader software. However, in order to obtain unlimited access to interactive materials and up-to-date texts online, students still have to pay a per-course fee. In present, the University of Phoenix has almost 95,500 students at more than 100 locations across the country, currently striving to integrate all students in the e-book-oriented study program.

In order to achieve a better position on the market, the great majority of booksellers have recently started to sell textbooks at a considerable discount off the cover price. Furthermore, special areas have been created in order to improve the selling of textbooks on the Internet. Another great source for college books are the online used bookstores, which help students find the textbooks of their interest at considerably lower prices.

Students must be very careful when closing a deal on the Web. Considering the fact that textbook prices greatly vary on the Internet, students are advised to closely analyze all possible alternatives before choosing a certain bookseller over another. It is important to note that the purchase price should not be the only considered aspect when buying textbooks online; students should also factor in shipping costs and delivery time before deciding upon buying their desired textbooks on the Internet.

In order to fight the high cost of college textbooks you should double-check for the correct 10-digit International Standard Book Number, or ISBN. This number is situated above the bar code on the textbook's back cover or title page. When you are purchasing online you should check for the ISBN along with the book title, author and edition.

If you simply can’t afford new textbooks, you should consider purchasing used textbooks, as they are considerably less expensive than their new counterparts. You can purchase a used textbook at about 75 percent of the retail price of a new textbook. Prices vary anywhere from $10 to $80, with an approximate average of $40. Due to the fact that used books are a scarce and limited resource, often being sold out by the beginning of the school year, students may need to shop early in order to obtain their required used books. In spite of this fact, used textbooks are still a reliable, cost-effective alternative to new textbooks, allowing students to spend less money for their education.


Wednesday 11 May 2011

How To Find A Real College Ranking In Todays Environment

There is an official college ranking list produced every year that lists the top colleges in the country but these do not cover the important issues to a student, namely if the college really is for them. Luckily there are a number of college ranking guides that are produced by students themselves. The most accurate form of college ranking places the greatest importance on student happiness. Students grade their college based on a number of different factors, not simply academic qualifications. This type of college ranking process reflects the opinions of current students and recent graduates and is not influenced by the institutions. If you search the internet you will find sites where students have given a college ranking based on criteria such as:

* Academics
* Athletics
* Campus Dining
* Campus Housing
* Campus Strictness
* Computers
* Diversity
* Drug Scene
* Facilities
* Girls
* Greek Life
* Guys
* Local Atmosphere
* Nightlife
* Off-Campus Dining
* Off-Campus Housing
* Parking
* Safety and Security
* Transportation
* Weather

These different aspects of college life all have varying levels of importance for a prospective student and the college ranking for one area may not be of interest but having them broken down into the individual categories allows a student to investigate the college ranking that is of interest to them and not just an overall ranking.

For example, a student without a car will not be interested in the college ranking for available parking facilities but would be keen to find out about the transportation available in the college area. An art student may not be concerned that their first-choice college does not have high speed internet access in the dorm rooms but a computer major would class this as essential.

Female students are more likely to be concerned about a college ranking for security on campus and be especially interested in the levels of campus police but may not be bothered if the school has a low college ranking for the football coaching.

Apart from visiting some of the college ranking websites and reading surveys conducted amongst students it is also useful to attend the colleges that you are considering before making a decision. This will enable you to confirm, or refute the claims made by the college ranking yourself and also offer you the chance to see if the college actually feels right for you before you accept a place.


Tuesday 10 May 2011

Finding College Scholarships

Whether you are a senior in high school or a parent whose teen is about to graduate, there is no doubt that you are in the middle of the process of trying to choose a college that is best. Is the process overwhelming you and your family? Are you finding it hard to find a school that fits all of the things you and your family are hoping for? There are countless issues to consider when searching for colleges, not the least of which is money. I'm confident that you are well aware that college is going to be expensive no matter how you look at it, but have you taken the time to consider what college scholarships might mean for you?

For many people, choosing the college they would like best is hindered simply by the expense of going there. Life is expensive and sometimes parents and teens cannot come up with enough to make it happen. College scholarships can be the answer for many families and they do not even know it.

If you or your teen is in the midst of searching for colleges that might fit well, make search that inquiring about college scholarships that are offered is a top priority in your search. Most schools offer at least a few college scholarships each new year. Sometimes these scholarships are based on a student's high school grades. But - fear not - not all college scholarships are based on grades! You will be surprised at how many different kinds of college scholarships are given for a variety of reasons.

So, your first step to finding financial relief from the huge expense of college is to research, research, research. Take your time and be thorough. Call counselors at each prospective school and see what college scholarships may not be advertised in their information. Visit a local library or do an internet search and you will be shocked at the amount of information that is available about college scholarships. College scholarships can be given through the college or your choice of through a variety of other institutions and organizations, so do not be too discouraged if your top choice does not have a lot to offer. Look for ways to earn college scholarships from every source you can think of. There are often local businesses that will partner with students in a work-and-study kind of deal. Some employeers will even offer college scholarships to the children of their employees, so be sure to check that out.

In your search for the perfect college some schools may end up too expensive to consider. But, if you take the time to really research college scholarships, you may be surprised at what kind of school you can afford to attend. Your top choice might be just a couple of college scholarships away!


Thursday 5 May 2011

Business Skills Training Can Help You Succeed in Your Career

New Horizons Learning Centers offers a complete, simplified learning solution that focuses on knowledge transfer, retention and skills development. Our training programs are based on the market's needs. With our clients' input, we tailor our training programs to the needs of the industry, giving our students a distinct advantage. You will be trained and prepared to pass the industry certifications required by employers, setting you apart from the competition.

Business Skills Training

The Financial Risk Manager (FRM) - Certificate has been adopted by companies as a benchmark to ensure their risk management employees are well versed in the latest financial risk concepts. This course will cover the primary topics and sub-topics under the five risk-related disciplines in the FRM examination including theories, concepts & real-world work experience.

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) - designation is one of the fastest growing professional credentials in the world and is a globally recognized standard for measuring the competence and integrity of investment professionals. This program is comprised of three levels, each culminating in an examination.

Project Management Professional (PMP) - In a competitive business climate, an organization's ability to efficiently align resources and business activities with strategic objectives can mean the difference between succeeding and just surviving. To achieve strategic alignment, organizations are increasingly managing their activities and processes as projects — in essence, projectizing their business — to monitor performance more closely and make better business decisions about their project portfolio.

- 74 of major IT project initiatives fail to be completed on time and on budget
- Every year $75 billion dollars is spent on failed projects

Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)

Multi-billion-dollar corporations, governments, and smaller organizations alike face challenges such as a rapid rate of change, the need for fast deployment of new technology and an unusually high level of skills shortage. Strategic initiatives to address these challenges are increasingly being driven through projects. Making your strategic goals a reality requires proper training, so your organization can gain visibility, insight, and control its portfolio of projects, as well as improve productivity, reduce cycle times, decrease costs, and increase quality.

E-Six Sigma (Six Sigma) - E-Six Sigma Foundation Course introduces the fundamentals of Six Sigma to individual process owners and operators who can then act as team members on Six Sigma projects. Not only do these members gain the skills necessary to identify, monitor and control profit-eating practices in their own processes, but they are also prepared to feed that information to Black Belts and Green Belts working on larger system projects.

Monday 2 May 2011

Becoming a Home School Teacher

Have you ever wished to become a teacher? Have you ever wanted to educate children with the right skills and concepts in order to survive life's challenges?

If you are a parent and you believe in the benefits of homeschooling, then, you could be a homeschool teacher! With homeschooling, you have the option to teach your own child in ways that follow a particular homeschool curriculum. Hence, the learning process is not limited with the rules and regulations set by the typical school system.

In homeschooling, the parents-turned-home-school-teacher can freely incorporate the right values and knowledge that they want their child to know.

You do not need some specific technical requirements in order to become a home school teacher. What you need to have is the yearning to teach your children.

Teaching your children how to learn things and how to achieve something in life will be a rewarding experience, as you watch them grow and achieve successful.

Home schooling is a rapidly spreading alternative form of education. It requires a strong desire, but nothing too stringent. Even parents without a high school diploma can handle it.

 Planning for Home school

Planning is essential for home schooling to make the flow of things smoother. Plan first the location. An extra room around the house can be perfect; however, if none is available, the dining room or the living room will do fine. Try using durable plastic bins as storage for the books, supplies, equipment and other stuff as well.

Also, include in the schedule the amount of time allotted for each subject.

Looking Up Resources and Instructional Materials

You do not need to put too much strain on the family budget to afford materials for home school instruction. If no curriculum is being followed, try to schedule enough topics and projects to last the whole school year. One can get tips online on which lessons to include plus the scope and the proper sequencing of lessons.

Finding the Right Curriculum

If the parents are trying to adapt one for their child, it is important to determine the means the child learns best, by first-hand experience, listening, reading or the like.

Home schooling is a great educational experience for both parents and children. It is for the parents to be resourceful and creative to maximize the resources and the learning of their children.

Sunday 1 May 2011

Battle of the Traffic Schools: Traditional versus Online

The cost of driving increases every year, and drivers are often willing to do whatever it takes to keep their costs down. That means going to traffic school if they commit a traffic violation. Traffic school saves drivers from having points added to their driving records, a necessary step to ensuring that already hefty insurance rates don’t skyrocket.
   
Fortunately, today’s drivers aren’t forced to go to a traditional classroom traffic school, although they may certainly choose this option. More and more people, however, are turning to online traffic schools, like TicketRelief.com to complete their traffic course quickly, easily and affordably. (Most online traffic schools charge anywhere from $17 to $50.) 

Of course, as with anything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to both online and traditional traffic schools. It’s important to consider each option carefully, choosing the one that best suits the student.

Traditional Traffic School

Social Interaction. Some critics of online traffic schools will say that there’s simply nothing like a classroom setting for traffic school. To some extent, this is true. Students who opt for traditional traffic school will have the chance to interact with their fellow students and the class instructor. For some people, especially those who thrive in social settings, this is often the ideal way to learn.

The biggest advantage to traditional traffic school may well be the social interaction, especially if the instructor is good. A charismatic instructor can excite students and make the day-long course not only educational but also fun.

Immediacy. If a student has a question, all he has to do is ask and he’ll have an immediate answer. Information that is unclear can be discussed and clarified for students immediately, instead of them having to call an 800 number or having to wait for a return email.

One session and it’s done. Traditional traffic school requires students to appear on the day of the class, participate throughout the day, complete the final exam, and that’s that, if the student passed the final exam. There’s no room for procrastination or thoughts of, “Oh well, I’ll just do it tomorrow.” Further, information will be fresh in the students’ mind when they take the final exam.

Certificate is awarded immediately. Students who opt for walk-in traffic school will receive their certificate of completion immediately following the session, an added bonus for those students who put off taking the course until the last minute.

Of course, there are also disadvantages to attending walk-in traffic school. No one knows that better than Mike P. Welch who completed a traditional walk-in traffic course in August 2005. In addition to having to shuffle his schedule to fit traffic school in, Welch found that much of the course material was grossly outdated.

“The instructor had us watch a video that was from the 1970s, and a big segment was on call boxes, which I felt was irrelevant, considering the majority of the population now has cell phones,” he says.

According to Welch, students were also required to reveal their ticket violations in front of the class. This ultimately led to some students, like Welch, feeling as though the course was more of a punishment than an opportunity to learn.

Finally, anyone who remembers high school likely can recall those one or two annoying students in the back of the class, out to give the teacher a hard time and cause a distraction. At first, it might be funny but then it just gets downright annoying. Unfortunately, those students who attend walk-in traffic school risk having to deal with such annoyances. “Other students were a distraction. Half of the students didn’t want to be there and were distracting to the learning process,” says Welch.

Welch – like thousands of other drivers before him – has already decided he’ll opt for online traffic school if he ever receives another traffic violation.

Online Traffic School

The popularity of online traffic schools and online defensive driving courses has some questioning the future of the traditional walk-in traffic school. Of course, there will likely always remain the traditionalists who will swear by walk-in traffic school. But, more and more people are discovering the vast advantages of fulfilling their court requirements by completing online traffic school.

Saves time. It’s a simple fact that time is a precious commodity and most people simply don’t have enough of it. Online traffic school allows students to complete the traffic course at their own pace. With Ticket Relief, for example, most students complete their course – including all five quizzes and the final exam, in between six and eight hours. Some are able to do it in less time. Students who naturally work quickly can breeze through the course and exam, rather than having to waste a full day in a classroom.

It’s easy. There’s no roll of the dice and crossing of fingers, hoping against hope that the instructor is going to be interesting and enjoyable. With online traffic schools, such as Ticket Relief, students know they’re going to receive clear, detailed instructions and easy-to-understand, comprehensive course materials. Questions can be answered quickly with a phone call or an email to a customer service representative.

It’s convenient. Complete traffic school anytime – wearing pajamas, lounging on the couch or in the middle of the night. It doesn’t matter. Online traffic school is generally available 24/7, allowing students to complete the course at any time.

It’s worry-free. Schools such as Ticket Relief make taking an online traffic course a breeze – students need only a computer and an Internet connection. Registering is simple and safe – with Ticket Relief’s 128bit encryption, students know their personal information is secure. Students can access their accounts at TicketRelief.com, and take the final exam as many times as is needed to pass – for free.

Of course, as with anything, online traffic school does have its disadvantages. In some instances, students don’t immediately get their certificate, but most online traffic schools promise next-day delivery of the certificate for an additional shipping fee. However, some counties process the completion certificate electronically and require students to simply call the court to confirm the certificate was received. A list, of counties that electronically process certificates, can be obtained by calling the court.

Those who opt for online traffic school won’t have the same advantage of being able to get immediate answers for questions they have, however online traffic schools like Ticket Relief generally respond in only a few hours.

However, it was the ease of completing an online traffic course that led Travis to found TicketRelief.com, which today serves California (also offering residents of Los Angeles defensive driving courses.). Ticket Relief also offers a Texas defensive driving course (in partnership with Continued Ed) and a Florida defensive driving course (in partnership with American Institute).

“Traffic school online is a growing trend, and soon, I believe walk-in traffic school will become obsolete. Taking online traffic school is quick, easy and convenient,” he says. “Once you register, you can stop your progress at any point and pick up where you left off.”

Ticket Relief updates course materials each year, ensuring students don’t have to contend with grossly outdated material. Further, they’re dedicated to providing superior service to their clients and plan to expand operations to eventually include the whole of the United States.

Ultimately, however, the best way for students to decide which option is best for them is to consider each option carefully, talking with traditional traffic schools and checking out online traffic schools. Some people will simply not choose online traffic school because they learn best in an interactive environment such as traditional traffic school. Still others will swear by the ease and effectiveness of online traffic school. When it comes down to it, choosing the right traffic school all depends on the student’s individual personality, needs and preferences.