Students wisely turn from private loans

By Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, Sunday, October 25, 2009  

I can’t stand debt, and one of my missions in life is keeping people from borrowing beyond their means.

So I take it as good news that private student loans are declining fast. According to a new report from the College Board, the amount of nonfederal education loans in 2008-2009 dropped by almost 50 percent from the previous school year and fell to 13 percent of the market from 25 percent a year earlier. (MORE)

College Access and Success Resources

Links2GO Aims to Provide College Access and Success Resources 

Indianapolis—Lumina Foundation for Education today unveiled a new KnowHow2GO (KH2GO) resource, Links2GO, which provides an array of tools and guides for students planning and preparing for college and adults who want to offer assistance for college-bound students.

Links2GO enables students in grades seven through 12 to choose their state and grade level and find specific college access and success resources that align with KH2GO’s four steps: Be a pain, push yourself, find the right fit, and put your hands on some cash. The Links2GO tool also is a resource for mentors and caring adults for information about college planning and financing, and links to local and state organizations with resources on counseling, academics and financial aid. (MORE)

College Costs Keep Rising, Report Says

By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: October 20, 2009

Hit hard by state budget cuts, four-year public colleges raised tuition and fees by an average of 6.5 percent last year. Prices at private colleges rose 4.4 percent, according to a report issued Tuesday by the College Board.

Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, called the increases “hugely disappointing.” (MORE)

The College Freshman Experience

Jennifer faces the commuter student reality of school vs. work at CSU:

Well I wish I could find myself spending more time on campus, getting involved and meeting new people but I just cant find the time to do so. I am forced by my work to rush home. Most of the time I work 5 days and week but this past week I had to work 6 days. I work 30+ hours at my job so I dont really have much time to spend on campus. I knew the risk of not having a true college experience when I chose to commute to Cleveland State. Sometimes I wish I could be a normal college student and not work my way through college but just hang out with friends and experience college life, but that is not part of my origional plan. I must stay working at JCPenney in order to achieve my goals and help with my future in business.

 This week we recieved our mid-term grades and I am pretty proud to say that even with working my grades are decent. In my two classes that really matter and count towards my G.P.A. I have and A and a B. I hope I can bring that B up to an A before the semester is over so I can have a 4.0 my first semster of college.

Excellent job, Jennifer!!  Are there any good business programs designed for CSU’s commuter students?

Survey: College is Top Savings Goal for Teens

Stroll through the mall on a weekend and you get the impression teens save money to buy clothes or iPods and video game systems, but a new survey shows their priority is quite different — saving for college.

The survey by online brokerage TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. shows putting money away for higher education is the top savings goal for today’s teens. The results showed 62 percent of teens aged 14 through 19 save their money for college, a much higher rate than the 40 percent of adults who said they saved when they were teens. (More)

6 Scams That Target College Students

Operating on the theory that it takes a thief to steal from a thief, a group of Internet scammers has been targeting students who illegally download music, books, and video.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has reported on an apparently bogus collections agency that sent out letters to Bucknell students demanding $500 to settle the students’ alleged illegal downloads.

That’s a new twist on an old strategy of targeting college students. Prosecutors say there are at least six common scams students should watch out for (More)

The Uneducated American

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: October 8, 2009

If you had to explain America’s economic success with one word, that word would be “education.” In the 19th century, America led the way in universal basic education. Then, as other nations followed suit, the “high school revolution” of the early 20th century took us to a whole new level. And in the years after World War II, America established a commanding position in higher education.

But that was then. The rise of American education was, overwhelmingly, the rise of public education — and for the past 30 years our political scene has been dominated by the view that any and all government spending is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Education, as one of the largest components of public spending, has inevitably suffered. (MORE)

Vets Get Emergency G.I. Bill Benefits

By Emma BrownWashington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 3, 2009; 11:16 AM

Some 6,619 student veterans had received emergency checks at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ 57 regional offices by 3 p.m. Friday, the first day the aid became available for students across the country who have yet to receive tuition, books and housing payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Another 6,752 veterans had applied for the aid — a maximum $3,000 advance against benefits — online.

As of last week, fewer than 10 percent of the 251,000 veterans who had applied for GI Bill benefits had actually received checks, forcing thousands to use savings or take out personal loans to make ends meet. (MORE)

The College Freshman Experience

Jennifer reports on her early successes at Cleveland State:

This past week I found out all the of grades I recieved on the first tests in all of my classes. I am actually doing well in the classes, I recieved a B on my math test, a B on my roots of rock and soul test and a 100 percent on my physics test. Im getting by better then I thought I would for my first semester, but I do expect it will get harder. I plan on trying to get out and experience more of the life of a college student. I still feel like im in high school still being and living at home. I expect that when I move out with a few friends it will feel more like a college experience then it has been.

Bravo, Jennifer!  Do you think Jennifer can maintain those grades when she moves in with friends?

The College Sophomore Experience

Thien, a pharmacy major, is finally back at OSU for his sophomore year:

Well I live on campus again and most of my floor mates are freshmen. It’s funny because I feel kinda old. I’m rooming with my roommate from last year, he’s also a sophomore. There are some exclusive dorms for upperclassmen but I didn’t wanna be in those dorms. Some of my friends are still living on campus, but the majority live off campus.”

 I think living off campus would be cheaper especially if I can get into a house with other people.  Living off campus might help me to be more independent and teach me how to take care of myself better.

Pharmacy is one of the hardest major at OSU. I’m taking organic chem, physics, biology and French this quarter. Personally I think it is kinda overwhelming, but I’m doing fine so far. Some of my friends are majors in communications or business, i think those majors are less intense but they’re still doing a lot of work.

Is it harder, or easier, to concentrate on school work if you live off-campus? 

Pharmacy is a very popular major right now due to the demand for pharmacists and their attractive salaries.  It’s not right for everyone, though.  Make a comment about your experience with switching majors.