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Top 10 ways to pay for college

Allyce Ferrua, Co-Opinion Editor
Published: November 17, 2009

I realized that since starting to write for this wonderful paper, my columns have been less than positive. Who am I kidding? I’ve complained about every little thing that has bothered me. It’s not that I am cynical,

I just haven’t been passionate about something positive, until now. The other day, while trying to figure out what I was angry about that day, I stumbled upon Fastweb.com. For those still in the dark about this fantastic website, let me shine a light for you.

After registering for free, Fastweb will match your answers to a quick questionnaire with thousands of scholarships that are free to apply to. I know, amazing right? The scholarships that I was matched up with varied in amounts from $250-to- $20,000. Most of them were designated for my specific major.

The best part? A lot of the scholarship applications didn’t require long-winded, boring essays. I know recently there has been a lot oftalk about budget cuts and I am sure that most students are in the same boat as I am when it comes to transferring-to-a-CSU/ UC stress.

The state has cut $564 million with $50 million more to go. As incoming students at these schools in the next couple years, we will be the ones paying for it.

So, Allyce has come up with another list, only this time, a happy one. Allyce’s top 10 scholarship opportunities:

10. Scholarships.com: this site contains 2.7 million scholarships worth more than $19 billion. The site also offers loans available to students. One great thing about this site is it offers scholarships for trade schools.

9. FAFSA and CAL Grant: fafsa.ed.gov is a great site that guides through the steps of applying for FAFSA or free application for federal student aid. SRJC’s financial aid office has more information; the deadline to apply is June 30. CAL grants are available after you apply for FAFSA and are able to verify your GPA.

8. College board has a great website; it’s the same thing as Scholarships.com. However, this site has guides to applying to colleges and information on how much the college of your choice will cost.

7. Finacialaidtips.org: This site contains information on scholarships that are available in specific majors. I encourage my fellow classmates to apply to these types of scholarships for the amounts are usually greater and there is less competition than general scholarships.

6. The Pell Grant: This grant is available to low income students looking to transfer in the fall. The range of the award is $400 to $4,371 per semester. Students must fill out the FAFSA before applying for the Pell Grant. Check out ED.gov more for information on the grant.

5. Scholarshipexperts.com: Need help looking for a major? Look no further than the scholarship experts. Not only is this a free site where experts will help you find a career that fits your life but will also help you find scholarships that will make your dreams come true.

4. Brickfish.com: This is a fantastic site, not only to get school money but to meet great people trying to do the same thing. Brickfish is a social networking site where students can compete in “campaigns” to win school supplies, shopping sprees and of course, cash.

3. AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) Education Foundation scholarships: a foundation that has given out millions of dollars to students, AFCEA is giving out scholarships to students aspiring to be engineers, technicians, programmers, military personnel and government officials. The foundation has taken an active role in helping our veterans by guiding them to many other scholarships available to them.

2. The Hope Credit: This is not a scholarship but a tax break. Starting in January students over 18 must file taxes, however, most students do not know about the Hope Credit. If the student is paying for their education then they are eligible for a credit of up to $1,800 and nothing is required but filing taxes.

1. I talked about Fastweb.com in the beginning of the article. This site has the most available scholarships with the most widely ranged amounts. This site also has a job and internship search engine and a guide for parents who are paying for their child’s education.

These are just a few outlets to help students find money for college. SRJC’s financial aid office also can help. Happy scholarship hunting!

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