http://www.payforcollegeblog.com Tips on reducing the cost of college. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:33:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Have you filled out your FAFSA yet? If not, now is the time to do it! Not only can it potentially help your child get grants (the "free" money you don't have to pay back), it is also your family's only gateway to federal student loans, which are far and ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/02/26/subsidized-stafford-loan-rates-dropping/ In a time when boomerang children seem almost a must-have trend, and parents are more and more often footing rent and cell phone bills for their post-college children, it has become more important than ever to help our children prepare for life in "the real world." After all, it will not ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/02/08/networking-now-pays-later-preparing-your-child-for-the-post-grad-world/ In our current economy, every little bit of income can help; and for many families that means more responsibility for college payments is landing squarely on the shoulders of students themselves--and too many are rush towards the path of least resistance - student loans. Just because your student is in college ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/02/01/student-income-7-easy-ways-for-your-child-to-make-extra-cash/ As college budgets flounder in the recovering economy, we've seen colleges make cuts in some very unexpected places - including freezing staff and faculty salaries and decreasing their benefits. Now it seems schools are moving into the student activity danger zone. Down, Set, Take a Hike In an effort to reallocate ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/01/29/dont-count-on-athletic-scholarships-nu-cuts-its-football-team/ I focus mostly on undergraduate studies here at the Pay for College Blog, but most parents would agree that what happens after college--be that graduate school, a job search, or (hopefully not) boomeranging back home to mom and dad--is equally important. Today I wanted to share some thoughts with those of ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/01/22/start-early-preparing-your-child-for-graduate-school/ It seems that, for many families, student loans have almost become a necessity when it comes to paying for college, but many parents and students are unaware of the huge responsibility involved in borrowing these loans. Did You Know? Colleges make it extremely easy for students to take out a student loan ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/01/19/good-news-student-loans-bankruptcy/ My last post focused on the five W's of the FAFSA--mostly on why it's worth your while to spend time filling it out. This time I want to give you some helpful tips about how to get started on it early, so you can fill it out as soon as ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/01/15/how-to-get-a-jump-on-the-fafsa-this-year/ The New Year is upon us, and that means that it's time for families with a high school senior or college student to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you aren't sure what the big deal is, read on--the FAFSA is one of your most important ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2010/01/11/the-5-ws-of-the-fafsa/ More tough news for parents of current or soon-to-be college students: even with the economic downturn, college tuition and fees are still going up and up. The results of the latest College Board survey are in, and it could mean added financial stress for many families. Cost Up, Aid Down I'll break ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2009/12/01/what-you-can-do-with-college-costs-up-financial-aid-down/ We've been following the student loan bill--which would change federal student lending forever--for months now, and I wanted to give you a quick update as to where it stands today. Senate Stall Though the bill was being discussed in the House of Representatives months ago, and finally approved their version in September, ... http://www.payforcollegeblog.com/2009/11/20/student-loan-changes-stalled-in-senate/