Financial Aid Award Letters

By mid April most colleges will have sent out their financial aid award packages. Now is the time to compare awards. Looking at the bottom line may help you decide where to go, especially in these harsh economic times. Here are a couple of tools to help you compare:

College Board Finacial Aid Comparison Calculator

FinAid Comparison Calculator

Virtual College Fair

Visit CollegeWeek LIVE March 25 and 26 8am until 11pm for a virtual college fair.

Loves music, Loves to Dance

So you like music? Or how about dance? Here are a few interesting programs with out of the ordinary music or dance programs:
Hazard Community and TEchnical College's School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music. HCTC bills it as "the only two-year program of its kind in the nation." They have built a curriculum around performance, song writing, recording and the music business.

Perhaps you get more jazzed up about jazz? Check out East Carolina's music programs or McDaniel's that both include the option of concentrating in jazz.

How about music technology? UNC-Asheville may have the right program for you!
If you are serious about studying music in college, you may want to look into The Student's Guide to College Music Programs.

Dance Programs to check out:
Indiana University -Bloomington with their dance program offerings including ethnic dance. Temple University has a wide variety of both dance and music offerings.
You may want opportunities to study at several institutions at one time. Take a look at the FIVE College Dance Program.

There are choices to fit every need in music and dance. Get exploring!

Student Loan Worries

The budget proposal from the White House eliminates the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). This program has been administered by local non-profit student loan company, South Carolina Student Loan. The potential of losing SC Student Loan hurts not only local access to student loans, but also the provider of a host of benefits to South Carolina residents including:

• sponsor of the South Carolina Career and College Planning System , essential to students in exploring careers and colleges, completing inventories to help match student to potential careers, and finding financial aid and scholarships



• Administering the SC Teacher Loan program



• Providing scholarships to students in South Carolina



• Providing loan entrance and exit counseling at no expense to families



• Providing speakers to schools around the state about various career, college, and financial topics



• Local loans and servicing of those loans for students and families in South Carolina

If you would like to continue local access to student loans, please contact your representative and send a note of concern. SC Student Loan has put together a template that you may use.

TUITION FREE COLLEGES?

It may be hard to believe, but there are colleges out there that award full tuition to every admitted student! Check out this article in Business Week on tuition free colleges!

Free SAT/ACT practice test opportunity

Kaplan has a great opportunity to help you get ready for the SAT or ACT. Check out this website to sign up for a free practice SAT or free practice ACT.

Kaplan SAT ora ACT practice test

Fair Test

Did you know that not every school requires an SAT or ACT? Check out this list of 815 colleges and universities who now list the SAT or ACT as optional. Be sure and read the key at the bottom of the list as some of these schools have caveats to the option.

Highest Paid Bachelor Degrees

Still trying to decide what to study in college? Wonder what a degree might be worth? Check out this article on CNBC to find out what bachelor's degrees are the most valuable this year.