[Stephen Taylor]

Reduce College Debt with Scholarships


Six Scholarship judges were sitting around an ovaltable. Forms were piled into 50 boxes. Each onehad the name of a state. I looked at the boxes andwondered why some of them were overflowing andothers had just a few. This was the first round ofjudging. By the time the contest was over almost16,000 applications would be examined. Some of thecomments were really critical, "Why did thisperson bother to send in an application? It's sosloppy." "This person put the wrong address onthe envelope, even though the correct one is atthe top of the application." One had a cassettetape inside. We played it and it was a countrysong. The applicant was a good musician.

That was twelve years ago, and many people stilldo not know or realize that College ScholarshipPlanning could reduce or totally eliminate collegefinancial debt.

One of the first questions I am always asked is,"When should we start looking?" Then some answertheir own question with, "I'll bet we're too latealready huh?" The ideal time is to start is the8th grade to freshman year. Good planning startsearly, but scholarships are posted monthly, and ifyou start planning early, you have a chance towin, big. Many win the very first time. If you area junior or senior in high school, go for it. Butremember, your chances to win increase with everycompleted application.

You should start College Scholarship Planning evenif there is a chance your child may decide not togo to college. But if the decision is yes, youwill have everything in place. And the planningexperience is more than filling out a fewapplications.

Another common concern is assuming your familyincome is too high to win scholarships. Fact: 80%of all scholarships are need based and incomerelated, but 20% are not. This means millions ofdollars are still available. It makes good solidfinancial sense to make an effort to winscholarship money regardless of income.

Always remember: the college scholarship effort istruly a family affair.

©2005 The Scholarship Doctor, Dale Clifton - AllRights Reserved - Dale is an educational consultantand expert at helping families win collegescholarships. To learn more about planning to win scholarships, visit http://scholarshipdoctor.com