How to Get into College Using the Internet

As early as elementary and middle school, its not uncommon for teens and their families to begin fretting over how they'll afford the rising costs of earning a college degree. Then, as high school graduation draws nearer and nearer, the question of how to fund tuition, books and room and board haunts nervous seniors and their parents from day to night.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Of course, there are some solutions to this problem. From student loans to government financial aid, there are various ways to pay for college. But the anxieties arise when teens begin thinking about being in debt for years to come. That's why the much preferred method of payment is through scholarships. Unlike student loans, which must be repaid over time, scholarships are a gift for your hard work and effort, and never have to be repaid; oftentimes, scholarships are even renewable, meaning they can be used again and again. But where can you and your family find out about scholarships? The answer is simple: internet scholarship search engines.
2. There are hundreds of these search engines, and each has its own unique features. But my three favorite are FastWeb! (a subsidy of monster.com, a career and job internship internet search engine), Wired Scholar (created by Sallie Mae) and The Princeton Review (the same company that offers SAT prep classes and publishes AP and SAT prep books).
3. FastWeb is by far one of the most comprehensive scholarship search engines ever created. Users simply fill out an application which asks for their academic, extracurricular, religious, racial and job information. The application also asks for the parents' occupations and for a listing of their memberships in national clubs and societies. Once the student has completed the application and registered for a username and password, he can view the various scholarships for which he is eligible.
4. From what I can tell from talking to my friends, most users will get a list of 50-100 scholarships; some get even more. In addition to the list of scholarships, FastWeb posts articles with tips for winning a scholarship, writing the dreaded college essay, time- management skills and other related topics. Students are also able to search for jobs and internships on the site.
5. Wired Scholar is another useful scholarship search engine. Like with FastWeb, the student fills out an application that asks about his history as a student. At the end of the process, the student is presented with a list tailored to her specific strengths and interests. This site is especially helpful because it provides a detailed description about every scholarship, including tips for winning it, how to format the paperwork, contact information and a link to the scholarship provider's Web site.
6. contact information and a link to the scholarship provider's Web site.
   Princeton Review is a great scholarship search engine, too. Once again on this site, student fills out an application similar to the ones at FastWeb and Wired Scholar and then receives a list of scholarships for which he can apply. The student can also research colleges and universities, learn how to improve his standardized test scores and research both paid and unpaid internships.

Tips & Warnings

• What's best about these three scholarship search engines? Unlike many, THEY'RE ALL FREE!!!
• The college application process is long and arduous, but paying for college is not impossible -- especially with the help of internet scholarship search engines.