If your teens have special talents...in music, drama, computer, science or sports...they have a greater chance of getting a scholarship to college. In all but the latter, scholarships are given by the college to reward past accomplishment and future potential, and to encourage a student with those skills to choose their college. With athletic scholarships (over $1.2 billion awarded in college sports scholarships each year!) they are awarded by the college, but through the athletic departments, mainly to recruit the best athletes possible for the college athletic program. In all cases, scholarships are the best of all financial aid options...they are free money and do not have to be repaid. Students with special talents should market themselves directly to the heads of the departments to indicate interest in their colleges. That will help start the recruiting process. Loans should only be considered after scholarship searches are exhausted.
April Thompson 09/10/07
I’ve been saving what I can (I’m a single parent) since my daughter was 8. It seems a drop in the bucket as I read about what colleges cost these days. When will the colleges reach a saturation point with tuition? Why do the Ivys shut their gates on regular people who can’t pay over $40,000 a year? The whole thing is depressing and annoying.
John Robins 09/08/07
We never made enough to start saving for college until a couple of years ago, and this article really lit a fire under me. I am glad to realize all is not lost – and we are really hoping for loans, grants, scholarships, etc. I think articles like this can help those of us who mean well but don’t have the means.
Penny Hastings, CA 11/14/08
April Thompson 09/10/07
John Robins 09/08/07