The 26 Year Old Freshman

Just thinking... My initial plan after high school was to take a year off from school to figure out what I wanted to do... Well, here I am, 8 years later, and I finally figured it out! :-) It's kinda funny though, to think I am a freshman at the age of 26. It's probably not rare, but when I think about it, I think that I should be working in a certain field based on whatever degree I would have obtained if I had of went to college right out of high school. Oh well, things happened the way they did because it was destined. I strongly believe that everything happens for "a reason, a season, or a lifetime." I remember reading that in one of Iyanla Vanzant's books, think it was Faith in the Valley. Anyway, I can accept that my college experience was delayed for a reason. Now, exactly what that reason is, don't know. But Im sure it will all come together in the grand scheme of things.

Subscribe to "A Future Dietician's Journey to Funding Her College Education"

Government Benefits Questionaire

GovBenefits.gov Go to this website and answer a series of questions. After completing the questionnaire, you will be taken to a results page which will list all of the government benefits/programs that you may be eligible for, along with links to contact information for each program. This is an excellent resource. For those of you who are looking for college funds, you must check this site out!

Subscribe to "A Future Dietician's Journey to Funding Her College Education"

Finally, Back to College

Today I visited my college campus to take care of some paperwork. After all was said and done I found out I was eligible for a full pell grant. Not sure how much that will be, but the lady that helped me was excited for me. Hopefully it's enough to cover the cost of tuition and books this fall. I feel so good about going back to college. This is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time. After having my daughter, then splitting with her father, I had to pick getting a job over attending classes. I then had my son and that delayed my college plans further. Thank goodness that I am finally able to persue my dream. Over the past couple of weeks I have been researching scholarships and grants. I have applied for quite a few scholarships through fastweb.com, not to mention other scholarship search sites. Among the scholarships I applied for were, Tylenol, OPLoftbed, StraightForward Media, and other's that required essays. Hopefully the time it took to apply for these scholarships pay off. When school starts I will be attending in the evenings, plus I have 1 class I will be taking on the weekend. I picked up a total of 12 credit hours. The way I set up my schedule, I will be taking a computer class which will be in session the full fall term, then I will have an English and Math class during the first 8 weeks, then for the second 8 weeks I will have a speech class. Basically I will be attending 3 classes during the first 8 weeks, then only 1 of those classes will carry over into the 2nd 8 weeks, during which I will pick up my 4th class. I will be able to handle it, I'm sure.

Subscribe to "A Future Dietician's Journey to Funding Her College Education"

Scholarship Search -- How To Find Free Money For College

By Vanessa McHooley

College students receive billions of dollars in scholarship money every year. How can you get some of this money to fund your college education?

Start looking early
Start looking for scholarships at least by your sophomore or junior year in high school. Some scholarships are even awarded as early as junior high. Where to look? Your first stop should be your high school counseling office, followed by your college financial aid office. Other places to look include

- Civic and community organizations
- Cultural institutions
- Your parents’ place of employment
- Your state Department of Education
- The internet

Keep looking
Keep searching for new scholarships and renewing existing scholarships even after you begin college. Many scholarships need to be renewed annually, and you may qualify for new loans throughout your college years.

Develop your interests
While some scholarships are based on financial need or academic achievement, others are based on particular interests, extracurricular achievements, ethnicity, or religious affiliation.

Meet deadlines
Pay attention to the scholarship requirements – meet them in as creative a way as possible, and always be on time!

Diversify
Apply for every scholarship that you qualify for. Even small scholarships can add up to big money if you win enough of them.

Beware of scams
As you search for scholarships, especially on the internet, look out for scam artists who

- Charge application fees
- Guarantee you will receive a scholarship
- Ask for unnecessary personal information, such as your bank account number

There are plenty of free scholarship search sites on the web, so don’t pay for this service.

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more about how to maximize your scholarship search at http://www.NextStudent.com .

About the Author: My goal is to help every student succeed - education is one of hte most important things a person can have, so I have made it my personal mission to help every student pay for their education. Aside from that, I am just a pretty average girl from SD.

Source: www.isnare.com

Subscribe to "A Future Dietician's Journey to Funding Her College Education"

A Future Dietician's Journey to Funding Her College Education

Just recently, I decided that I want to be a dietician. After struggling with my weight for the past 3 years or so, I finally decided in March of 2006 to finally get the weight off. I started exercising on a regular basis, but food journaling is what really did it for me. Through keeping a food journal, I found that I am an emotional eater. When I felt down and out, I looked to food for comfort. Even after losing almost 30 pounds, I still seek comfort in food, but not as much. I have learned to be more in control when it comes to my eating. Losing all this weight has inspired me to help other's who struggle with weight loss due to seeking comfort in food. I want to obtain the knowledge I need to educate other's on how to eat more healthy to prevent disease and to live longer. As an African-American, I know that diabetes and high blood pressure affect us at a higher rate than any other race. After my own research, I found that improving our diets, and shedding pounds can greatly decrease our risks. This may sound wierd, but I don't cook, on a regular basis, what my mom cooked as I was growing up. When she cooked pinto beans, greens, or cabbage, she would throw in a ham hock. And of course meals like this need cornbread to go along with it, plus fried chicken. I can't speak for everybody else, but that's pretty much what I ate growing up. When I finally was able to get out on my own, I had no ldea how to cook any of that stuff. I ended up falling in love with my daughter's father, who is from Guyana, and he taught me a few things about cooking, thank goodness! Anyway, Im glad that I don't eat all that fattening stuff anymore, well except for the holidays. But getting back to my point, I really want to become a dietician, and I have got the focus, and the willingness to work to reach my goal. I'm not gonna let lack of finance stop me. I know there are programs out there that can help me reach my goal, so that when it is all said and done, I will be a true asset to my community.

Subscribe to "A Future Dietician's Journey to Funding Her College Education"