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College Admission and Financial Aid...

CUT COLLEGE COSTS Have you ever got to talking with your
seat mate on an airliner and discovered that you paid significantly more for your ticket? The same is true of college costs. Don’t accept college catalogue fees as frozen.  A new service called eCollegebid.org may be worth looking at. While the first tier Colleges usually receive far more applications than then can accept, there are many smaller, excellent liberal arts colleges than are eager to receive more applications. So eager, that they are willing to negotiate price. eCollegebid.org invites applicants to indicate the amount of out of pocket expenses they can pay for a year of college and supply additional information such as desired major field of study and geographical preference. This is your “bid”. It is circulated among eCollegebid.org user colleges, and those interested in having you enroll, make you an offer. You are under no obligation to accept offers, and the fee is right: nothing. No track record to date. According to eCollegebid.org, participating colleges are likely to be Midwestern liberal arts schools that accept students who have SAT scores between 800-1000 and GPAs  of 2.5 to 2.9.

College Board online is a site about more than the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), though that is one of its basic concerns. This site has features such as online SAT registration, college search and SAT preparation information. The site is built around "starting points" for various groups of people, including Students and Parents. It is a good basic entry site for college planning and admissions. 

Peterson's is a comprehensive on-line educational information service. Prior to the age of computers (Yes, Virginia, there really was such a period) Peterson's Guides to Education were the standard source of educational information. The current site covers colleges and universities, private secondary schools, study abroad programs and executive education programs among other topics. 

The Princeton Review suggests that "Whether you're prepping for college entrance exams, applying to grad school, or looking for a career, we can help." The company offers all the usual types of college entrance information and aids, including for-fee test preparation courses. Click on About Us on the home page for a description of their services and philosophy. 

College Edge notes that it "serves everyone involved in the transition to higher education." Major sub-sections in the Going to College section are Choosing the Right School, Apply to Colleges, Finance your Education and Going to College. There are also sections on business, grad and law school. 

FinAid established in 1994 claims that "This award-winning site has grown into the most comprehensive annotated collection of information about student financial aid on the web." A free service, it includes calculators for several financial aid problems. 

Project EASI (Easy Access for Students and Institutions) is sponsored by the US Department of Education. Its goal is to develop "... a collaborative effort to use cutting-edge technology and business processes to dramatically transform the administration of student financial aid and improve customer access to information and funding for education beyond high school." Check the site to learn how they are progressing. 

SallieMae states, "We are a business partner to the nation's education community. Our goal is to make paying for college easier and less expensive for all concerned." The site has what amounts to a menu-driven table of contents that provides quick access to all kinds of information about financial aid for higher education. Clicking on Table of Contents and playing with the menu is a good way to become acquainted with SallieMae. 

CollegeNET "lets applicants complete, file, and pay for their admissions applications entirely through the internet." CollegeNET has contracts with over 250 colleges and universities. A good way to learn the site is to read About, then click on College Search, choose the 2 or 4 year college option, fill in some information and try a few searches. 

ACEnet should take you to the American Council on Education Search site. We entered "disabilities" in the search box and got a list of annotated links regarding educational assistance for people with various kinds of disabilities. 

College Is Possible is a Web site of the American Council on Education that provides information on college selection and financial aid. It links to other sites as well as presenting ACE developed material. A good place to begin college planning.

FASA on the Web or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form that must be completed by everyone applying for educational aid. You can now file online. This site instructs you about the filling process. 

ETSNET is the site of The Educational Testing Service(ETS). ETS is responsible for most of the standardized admission and evaluation tests used by institutions of higher education. Almost anyone seeking admission will be exposed to one or more ETS tests. This is an expansive and rich site that goes beyond admission tests to financial aid information, practice test questions, and information about colleges and universities, for example. A good site to begin college planning. Lots of links and suggested starting points for students and parents (read grandparents!) 

American General Fund Group provides information and a college cost calculator. Click on the "college planning" tab. Once there, sub-menu "Scholarships and financial aid" links to several useful financial aid sites. 

And, as you plan, don't over look part time jobs. Some of the best students have them.

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