Happy Holidays!

Just a quick note wishing everyone a very happy holiday season and winter break. I hope finals went well! 

I look forward to writing more posts after Christmas.

Random comic.

Sorry! I've been south of the border.

Hi everyone. (If there's anyone still reading after my one-month hiatus.) 

For the past few weeks, I've been in Mexico for "Festival Internacional del Globo." (International Hot Air Balloon Festival. And, while it was a lot of fun, it also means I was unable to write for my blog. I apologize if you've been checking for new material.

I promise, there will be new posts coming soon. But, in the meantime here are some pictures from the event. It was super cool--the event organizers were fantastic, the spectators were in awe, and it was an all-around awesome time.  

Obama is President. What does that mean for college costs?

This morning, we woke up to a new President-elect. Barack Obama.

Our new President has a lot of work ahead of him, and one major issue (the one I'm sure you're very concerned with) is paying for college. Recently, President-elect Obama sat down with Sway from MTV and talked about college costs and student loans. Below is the discussion. If you want to read the entire article, click here.

In the meantime, have a great day!

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If he's elected Tuesday, Senator Obama said he'd work to create new programs — and overhaul existing ones — to help students pay for their college education, which he said was vital not only for young people, but for the overall future of the economy.

"Look, this is something I can relate to," he said, answering a question from Joy0294 of San Antonio, Texas. "I went to college having to take out student loans. I went to law school having to take out loans. Michelle took out student loans. When we got married, I think together, our total loan payments every month [were] more than our mortgage when we bought a house, and that lasted for about 10 years."

Obama said that the average student applies for between $25,000 and $30,000 in student loans, and "that's a huge burden, especially at a time when wages and incomes aren't going up." Obama said he'd like to increase the Federal Pell Grant Program for starters, but also "eliminate banks as middle men from the Direct Loan Program; they're taking out billions of dollars in profits. I want to take that money, apply that to increasing the number of loans that are out there and reducing the rate. And then, what I want to do is provide a $4,000 tuition credit to every student every year, in exchange for national service."

The credit would be available to students who volunteered with the Peace Corps, worked in their communities in some fashion or joined the military. "We're going to make sure they can afford their college tuition," Obama said. "In certain areas, like teaching, where we really need teachers, especially in math and science and nursing, where we really need nurses, we will potentially provide them even more than that, to get the high-quality teachers and nurses we need."

Those who already started incurring student loan debts won't be left out in the cold, either. Senator Obama said he'd work to find ways to consolidate some student loans. But, he admitted, "there's only so much we're going to be able to do going backwards."

Answering a question from Seb88 of Buffalo, New York, he said that we need to "focus on going forward. There are a lot of students out there who have already paid off their loans, and they may not be happy with it. They wouldn't mind getting some of their money back too.

"By the way, this isn't just four-year colleges and universities," he continued. "My attitude is, if young people are going for two years at the community-college level, for some technical training of some sort, or if they are returning to school after having worked for a while, all that is part of creating a knowledge-based workforce that's going to be the key to our competitiveness long-term. We're looking at potentially being able to consolidate some of these loans, and, if they are part of a broader pool, we may be able to lower interest rates on the debt they already owe. But the key is, going forward, making sure young people will be able to afford to go to college."

Vote tomorrow!

If you're 18 or older, vote tomorrow. It's that simple.

Compare the two major candidates and find out where you can vote:

www.barackobama.com

www.johnmccain.com

Missing in Action!

Hi All! 

First, I just want to say I'm sorry! I've been out of commission when it comes to posting blogs because I've been so busy in real life. But, I've been working on some really great stuff for you--all related to paying for college, so I hope you'll forgive me.

Second, I just want to get your questions. What is the hardest part about finding scholarships? Applying to scholarships? Winning scholarships? 

What types of posts would be helpful to you? How do you manage college tuition? Do you want to hear more about how I saved money on college?

Basically, I want to hear from you because this blog is for you. If I'm not answering your questions or helping you, I'm wasting your time.  So, comment to this post, or send me an email at info@collegeboundresource.com and let me know what you think! 

Have a great day!