Presignify

We’re going to college, and we need cash. We have tuition and food, housing, books… like I said, we need cash. We hear about these billions of dollars of unclaimed scholarship money just floating around, yet you can’t seem to get your hands on any of it, nor on any other form of financial aid. We’re out here working like dogs, trying to make time to study an keep from losing our insanity, until we finally just give up. This sounds like a pretty big problem. What to do?

First of all, you should know that there aren’t billions of dollars out there just waiting to fall in your lap. In fact most counselors and financial aid assitants wonder why this rather enormous figure is stated so often, but its not the case. So don’t feel bad or think you “suck” because you haven’t won some of this dough. However, there IS some money to be made out there that many people either overlook or figure it isnt worth pursuing. Trust me, its worth taking a look at and worth pursuing.

Usual Suspects

Your first destination should be the government. The FAFSA needs to be the first thing you do. You may be eligible for grants or other special awards. Then go to your school to see if they have any special scholarships that are only available to students of that college or university. After that, sign up to fastweb.com and scholarship.com and become familiar with those two sites, they are two of the most used on the web.

There’s something for everyone!

People commonly think that only minorities and people with really low incomes and awesome grades can get scholarships. This is just not so. There are plenty of scholarships out there that are aimed at people in certain national or local clubs, that serve different interests such as drawing, writing, or a sport, and even some that are strictly for those with work experience. Tons of scholarships for college students are aimed at specific majors and corresponding social networks, for example the Audio Engineering society and American Medical Association.
Be creative when searching. There are plenty of companies giving money away in hopes of attaining a student base of prospective future employees. If you’re working on computers, for example, see what top technological companies such as Qualcomm and IBM have to offer, if you’re working in finance and economics, checkout some big time (and small time) Wall St. corporations, for instance.

Also, don’t forget to checkout your own community. YMCA, churches, local youth groups and sports teams, they all give out money to deserving individuals, so do some homework on your hometown before moving on to bigger venues.

The essay contest

These are wonderful. Checkout what you like, what you know a lot about and are passionate about, and write an essay to submit to a contest or scholarship offer. Get friends in on it…help each other out and promise to share earnings.

Why isn’t this EASY?

Now, I don’t want to brag, but I won quite a few scholarships in my day. However, I remember always getting questions about “how do you do it,” “you’re so lucky,” and so on. Well, it really isn’t that complicated– its going to take some work and dedication. Start early, make a list of scholarships, plan for scholarship-work time, and get busy. Don’t feel bad when you don’t win, most students are happy to win a few because that’s usually what it takes. Just keep focused on what you’re trying to do, hope for the best, and do NOT stress out about it.

Alternatives

There are a few alternatives. Never resort to credit cards. Ever. What you want to look for are student loans because they have lower interest rates and usually have friendlier grace periods and payback periods. Don’t worry about being in student loan debt upon graduation…$10000-$15,000 is not bad at all (if being repaid in ten years).
Stafford loans are the most common. They offer around $2600 for first-year, $3500 for second year and $5500 for third year students. Perkins loans usually don’t have to be repaid until nine months after graduation and you have 10 years to pay. Checkout private loans, maybe from loan-specialists companies and your own school. Checkout the American Education Society which also provides private loans for people.

Don’t Stress It

There is money to be made, just be focused, dont’t get discouraged, and work hard at it. Well, what are you waiting for?

Vincent St. James is a writer and researcher for thecollegeguys.com, where you can find more of his work related to finance, health,and movies.

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Our Self is the true center of our being and the place from which our individual truth emanates. It’s where we can come to know our passions, our place in the world, our purpose and our destiny. Without our Self we truly have nothing, except the reference structures around us which are now crumbling. Yes, crumbling! The evidence is there; we see it every day in the media. To clarify, crumbling here does not mean total disintegration, although some would argue that is indeed the case. To me it means a rather serious Reshuffling.

The signs or symbols that define this rising Era are the Self at the center of the personality and the Soul as its Spiritual counterpart. Ego now belongs to the dying era that we are leaving behind. Self and Soul are inextricably intertwined. They are one and the same at a fundamental level - like Particle and Wave in Physics, which both describe the electron. Self and Soul are the same because they come from our Divine Nature which, by the way, does not reside anywhere but inside of Us. You, We, I, are the source of our Being and the home for this Divinity. You, We, I, are God, incarnate in a body.

Now, if I say to you - Trust Your Self! Believe in Your Self! Be Your Self! - can you in any way go wrong? Can you say - He’s lying, I shouldn’t trust myself? Can you say - I can’t trust him because he’s telling me to trust me? We could go on with more examples, but you can already see that this argument becomes absurd. Trusting your Self and connecting with your Soul are essential to being who you are. And from that perspective, they cannot be questioned. Because, if you can’t trust your Self and you can’t believe in your Soul, then nothing you believe in has value!

Here is the inherent beauty of Myth. Whether it’s a story or a parable, their simple truth is undeniable, unmistakable, because they point to You; they are a mirror to You. You are free to use them or not, to agree or not. They are not dictates, they are reference points. Parables are also Myths by the way, teaching tools in much the same way. They were the counterpart to Myths during Christ’s era. Today, movies, books, television and music tell the stories that men and women on hilltops used to recite so long ago. Yes, Parables or Myths are still being told to us today.

Alright, so back to “Trust Yourself” now, what does that mean? It means: Feel what your feel; Speak your truth; Acknowledge your mistakes; Do your very best; Pray for guidance; and LISTEN! Yes, Listen to that guidance that bubbles up from within you, from your Heart, or Feeling Center. There it is in action - your Feelings; your Inner Guidance; the I Am That I Am, all at work inside of you - to Give You the Truth about You!

How can you go wrong? You can’t.

How can you say no? You cannot.

How can you go forward? Right Now!

With hope, determination and clear-headedness, you can activate that Power that is Yours. So you can be true to You, which is He, and bring forward those Gifts which are Yours to share with the World.

Now every once in a while, something happens in Life that can shake us up. For some, it could be a course of study. For others, it could be a movie, a life crisis, a particular song, a major loss, a trauma or similar challenge. A good crisis or major loss can be a great waker-upper. As an example, my own changes leading to the present began about 12 years ago, after my wife took ill with Multiple Sclerosis. I was scared and started listening more inwardly.

Until then I was a fairly traditional psychotherapist, plying my craft as I was trained to do. Mixing in some intuition with other guidance was part of my style and I got by. Then one day, after this crisis hit, I started writing. Actually, I felt compelled to write - stories, poetry, music, with a spiritual bent, a mythical flavor, a growth orientation. And these writings were all about the same thing - Knowing Your Self; Being True to Your Self; Waking up to Soul; Children’s Spirituality; Song Lyrics and Reflections.

From these writings came my first book of Parables, then another, and another, until I had six manuscripts on this subject; and yes, song lyrics for about 125 songs to this point. Mythology, Spirituality and Personal Growth were now moving through me.

So what is trying to be born through you, friend? What are your gifts and passions telling you? Creativity is a challenge, but we’re all built to handle it. Our inherent design, as spiritual-physical beings, drives us to create. Watch children. They create without inhibition. It is their nature. Well it’s ours too. And we’ll resume this discussion in Part 4 and bring this course to a conclusion.

Maurice Turmel PHD is an Author, Speaker and Performing Songwriter. His site features Self-Help books, Inspiring Music, Stories, Reflections and Poetry that can help YOU discover how truly great YOU are. The WebSite is dedicated to that end. It also features his collection of articles, reflections and stories as teaching tools, and his latest Ebook, “The Voice,” a Spiritual Sci-Fi novel. It will introduce YOU to all the basic concepts that characterize The Healthy Life, both Spiritually and Psychologically.
http://www.mauriceturmel.com

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