Scholarships offer solution to student dilemma

The stories from graduates of college are infamous: the “delicious” generic cereal by the pound, mac-n-cheese, and (when the student feels like he should splurge) off-brand noodles.

During college, students finally face the facts–college is expensive. In fact, 52.9% of college students will apply for student loans, and according to a College Board analysis of Department of Education data, “60% of bachelor’s degree recipients at for-profit colleges graduate with $30,000 or more in debt from student loans.”

Scholarships are one of the few ways to discontinue the “debt factor.”

One is able to find scholarships mostly anywhere. All a future college student needs to do is research online. Many scholarship websites such as, fastweb.com or scholarships.com offer scholarship money that, sometimes, goes unclaimed.

Also, calling the financial aid office to colleges will help those with financial need.

” . . . the college’s financial aid department works in terms of helping with financial aid, said Radford, college counselor. “Normally a scholarship office and financial aid office are kind of tied in together. Admissions can give you information on it and point you in the right direction.”

Although signing up for any scholarship is a good idea, some may be considered “essential.”

“The Hope scholarship is just for people who are staying in Tennessee,” said Andrea Beck, senior guidance counselor. “Everything else depends on what school your applying to and what you want to major in.”

The Hope scholarship requires only a 21 on the ACT or a 3.0 GPA, for people who are staying in state. The application for the scholarship is from FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), a form high school students will fill out their senior year.

“[Applying for FASFA gives the student] loans, grants, and work-study money,” said Radford. “Loans are money that you do have to pay back.  Grants are money that you do not have to pay back. Work-study is like having a job on campus, but instead of the money going towards anything you would want, it goes to educational expenses.

“Another place [to find a scholarship] is to check with their parent’s employer or even their employer,” said Radford. “A lot of companies offer some kind of scholarship or financial assistance to students.”

Now that the student has looked at a scholarship, it’s time to begin to write some essays.

According to Gen and Kelly Tanabe in “How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay,” “Make sure your essay fits the theme, answer the underlying question, share a piece of your life, show passion, be specific, have a thesis statement, build on your accomplishments, avoid the sob story, show positive energy, and find other’s opinions of your essays.”

Students should make sure their essays are logical (don’t just write random stuff,) and spend some time working on them. It may not seem to be the best way to spend the weekend, but it will benefit the student in the end.

Although the majority of scholarships are only for seniors, many scholarships are offered for any high school student. Some scholarships even range from ages six to sixteen, like the “Help Santa find the real perfect Christmas tree” a scholarship from the National Christmas Tree Association, and last year, Best Buy held a scholarship contest for all high school students, not just seniors.

Scholarship money does not have to go straight to tuition. If the student has applied for scholarships and the student has gotten tuition paid for, the student can put some of that money towards books and dorm expenses.

A good way to plan ahead for not only scholarships but applying for college applications is to focus on keeping grades up, getting a good ACT score, and being involved in school activities such as sports, clubs, or throughout the community.

Students are also able to contact their counselor, or go to the college and career night which is being held October 11.

Scholarships may seem daunting, but simply applying for some can get a student some money towards college. Students, avoid the debt and break out the pen and start writing.

Welcome to Economics 101

In February of 2009 the economy began to tank, and today, many are worried about the economic disaster and have started to panic as unemployment rates rise. Many are still asking themselves, “Has the economy truly recovered, or will it ever?”

During a press conference on August 24, Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the state of the nation’s economy.

“We are turning this great ship of state around, that was wandering out to sea and it’s heading back to port,” said Biden.” Now, look now, it’s not happening as fast as any of us would like, and certainly not fast enough for the millions of folks who are still out of work. But there isn’t any doubt we’re moving in the right direction.”

Many republicans disagree with Biden’s statement. During the Glenn Beck show, Tea Party member Beck spoke about the Hindenburg Omen, a technical indicator that based on several economic factors that helps foreshadow stock market crashes. When the Omen is triggered, a market crash happens 77 percent of the time.

“Well we told you that it [the Omen] was triggered two weeks ago,” said Beck. “Unfortunately, it was just triggered, again, last Friday. And almost triggered a third time last Thursday.

So, lets recap, Mr. Vice President. When the Hindenburg Omen is in play, this is what usually happens . . . This isn’t good. Not the right direction.”

Beck is not the only one who thinks it will be a long while before the economy recovers; some financial experts agree.

“If I project from the last low in February ’09, I get down to 5,000 with the next Dow move,”  said Charles Nenner financial expert. “My cycles show some pressure now that we could see for a couple of months, but then, it should go lower for the next three or four years again.”

The Dow (Dow Jones Industrial Average) is the average stock of 30 large companies such as AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Wal-Mart. Currently, the Dow is averaged at $10,500. During the economic crisis the Dow dropped to $6,600. So, if cycles that show that the next low is 5,000, and they are correct, America may be in for another economic disaster that will be even worse than the one of February 2009.

According to the Drudge Report, one in six Americans are still receiving government aid, and Tennessee has a 9.8% unemployment rating.

Is this “great ship of state” sinking?

During a speech on August 39th, President Obama spoke about the nations most urgent task.

“Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work,” said President Obama during an oval office speech August 31st. “To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy.

“We must jump-start industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs. This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as president.”

The economy has affected the majority of the American people. People have gone into debt, filed bankruptcy, and lost jobs.

“It’s [the economy that] made my dad['s company] go bankrupt already, but he’s got some work now,” said sophomore Dillon Stojanovic. “He fixes houses . . . He’s actually got a lot [of work] since since the economy has gotten better; he’s gotten hired by a bunch of real estate people . . .”

Is America heading the right direction?

Only time will tell.