Recently, President Obama proposed a new stimulus plan that includes a massive $150 billion increase in federal money for education. But what does that really mean for us?

According to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, this is an extraordinary opportunity.  Here is a top 5 list of what she expects (and what we can expect) from this stimulus.

• It’s going to help us a tremendous unmet capital needs and so it’s really going to be a huge opportunity to invest in infrastructure and several ready projects that we want to get to work on very early on, late spring and through the summer.
• It will continue to raise the bar academically, raise standards, raise expectations, and there’s opportunities in the stimulus package to do that.
• It will save literally hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs.
• We will have more of our high school graduates going on to college. So for the first time ever, we hope Pell grants will go above the $5,000 mark and give many, many more students a chance to go onto some form of higher education.
• And finally, the significant investment in the early childhood level as well. So this is an extraordinary comprehensive thoughtful package that the president’s put together and it’s a chance to take public education, higher education to another level.

Do you agree or disagree? We would love to hear your thoughts.

AidScholar is not only concerned about students paying for college, we are also here as a resource for those who have graduated.

For those struggling to pay off student loans, check out this site http://www.ibrinfo.org/ to learn about Income Based Repayment plans and click to view the video below.

Income Based Repayment Information

To enhance our branding, PR, image, and most importantly, to give back to the community, AidScholar has partnered with the American Lung Association.

We are proudly supporting and sponsoring the 2010 Cars for the Cure in Lake Mary, Florida on Saturday, February 6th 2010. Check out the website and the sponsor page for our logo listing at: Cars for the Cure

Here are a few suggested ad-tos for your New Year Resolutions list.

1.  I will study smarter, not harder.

Students are often caught up with the frenzy of technology.  Make an effort to turn off that iPhone, iPod, TV, laptop, blackberry, blackjack, etc. and study more efficiently by avoiding distractions.

2.  I will pay attention in class.

The more you pay attention in class, the less studying you will have to do later. It is so easy to dose off and get distracted, but at the end of the day, your professor is teaching you all you need to know.  The more you absorb, the less memorizing you have to do come exam time.

3. I will go talk to my professor.

Making an effort to talk to your professor will help motivate you to do well. Not only you can get help when you need it, you can get extra tips, tricks, and the boost of motivation needed right before exam time.

4. I will get help as soon as I need it.

Oftentimes, students get help when they are already too behind with class material.  As soon as you have a question or need clarification, ask your teacher, tutor, or friend immediately.  You will find yourself relieved and right back on track.

5. I will find balance.

No matter how much time you need to put into studying, you will always need balance in your life. Make an effort to take out 10-15 minutes every few hours to take a breather or stretch break. You will find yourself being able to focus and study longer.

There are many benefits that students get while they are enrolled in school that every student should be aware of. Here are some recommendations from AidScholar to make school work for you in the long run:

1) Student credit cards- of course we do not recommend you load up on credit cards especially if you have loans to pay, but some credit card companies will offer credit cards with 0 % or no APR/interest so if you can be responsible and pay off the balance every month, a student credit card can be a great way to build your credit before going out in to the working world.

2) Discounts- companies give student discounts for many items from electronics, clothing, to travel. Take advantage of this while you can and save a few dollars.

3) Job searches- take advantage of the free job searches that have a special portal just for students. You will be able to get a leap before other students in your job search and get valuable experience before you start work full time. Also many companies will have entry level jobs or internships for students only, this can be invaluable to your career so take advantage of it while you can.

4) Research- many professors will allow you to do research on certain projects or perhaps partner up with a local business or organization. This can help you network in your local community, build your resume, and perhaps even land you an internship or a full time job later on.

5) Student organizations- college campuses have so many focus groups and student organizations that will allow you to network with students, build relationships with the community and even give you access to different speakers, seminars and trainings. If you have a particular focus or interest, join some of the bigger organizations on your campus and see what they have to offer.

Countless of students are having a hard time paying for college or simply want extra spending money.  Have no fear, you’re not alone. First off, you must visit our website for daily posts of scholarships waiting for you to apply for and claim. It’s free money!

Secondly, here’s a list of top 5 jobs that will allow you to be flexible enough to balance work and school.

1.  Retail stores.  These jobs are easy to get since they often hire part-time employees. A nice discount doesn’t hurt either!

2.  Restaurants. At most restaurants, you will find yourself around plenty of other students and you’ll have a lot of fun doing it.  Chain, quick serve, and fast food restaurants are known to hire students. Easy, fun, and flexible.

3. Coffee Shops. You probably spend plenty of time studying in them or are already spending plenty of money in them so why not work at one?  Coffee shops are a great place to get your caffeine fix and make some easy money.

4. Libraries. They are a convenience place to work especially if your school has one. In addition, libraries are quiet and slow-paced enough where you can find time to study in between helping visitors.

5.  Tutoring Centers. Your expertise as a student will allow you to pass it on and help other kids.  Tutoring centers are often very flexible…perfect for your student schedule.

So next time you find yourself in a money jam, consider these easy, fun, and flexible jobs.  And even if you’re not in a money jam, you’ll find that saving up early will really pay off later! Good luck!

Photo Credit: American Falls High School

In this time of economic hardship, it is more important than ever to build your skills and make yourself valuable. Spending just a few extra hours late at night building basic skills will eventually become worthwhile.

Let’s say you find the extra free time to build skills, how do you go about finding resources and ways to build skills?

Here is our suggestion- turn on that computer and start with these three simple methods.

1. Start a blog. As basic and simple this may sound, blogging is essentially another method of communication- particularly, writing.  What better way to improve your writing skills than writing something you are interested about?  The beauty of creating a blog is that you can kill two skills with one mouse: internet skills and writing skills.  Using easy-to-use blogging websites such as Blogger.com,WordPress, Xanga, etc., you can create, write, design, post, link, insert, follow, add, manage…anything you want.  Don’t forget to pick up The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White and The Stylebook by The Associated Press to help you edit and re-write.

2. Social network. Although, face-to-face networking is still essential and valuable, social networking is the new frontier yearning for use.  Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tagged, or Classmates.com enable you to brand yourself.  As future professionals, we need to use the most up and coming methods to make yourself interesting and valuable.  The nice thing is, once you master one site, it is relatively easy to transfer your skill-set to master another site. Be sure to keep your personal sites professional and valuable.

3. Help others. I think besides the obvious like getting a paycheck or promotion, the most gratifying thing about a job is being able to help others.  If you’re not getting paid then why not still help others with your abilities?  It can be something simple like offering to write a letter for a neighbor.  It can be something more complex like creating a website or business plan for a local business.  Helping others will allow you to brush up old skills and learn more.  Furthermore, you never know who you may meet in the your journey…a Dean, an academic school counselor, or even admissions director?

Photo Credit: AlA.org

1. What high school elective courses do you recommend in my path to become a _________?
2. Which AP courses are available and which do you recommend me taking based on my strengths?
3. When do I prepare and take the PSATs, SATs, and/or ACTs?
4. Can you please assist me with a college application timeline?
5. What books do you recommend me reading in preparation for college and high school graduation?
6. What are things I can do at home during the summer to get ready for college?
7. What grades do I need to get in order to get into my colleges of choice?
8. Can you put me in touch with anyone that can mentor in my path to college?
9. What are some scholarships that I have a chance in winning and should look into?
10. How do my grades and progress stands now and what do I need to do to get where I want to be?

When filling out applications and doing entrance essays, you tend to want to downplay or simply ignore you weaknesses, any negative moments, or drawbacks in our past in the hopes that the college entrance executives will see what superstars you are and provide you with the ticket to join the educational establishment. However, I would like to challenge you not to leave those weaknesses behind but instead use them to your advantage. How you ask?

Think about it this way, there are millions of students applying to a lot of the same colleges every year. All of these students will give their SAT I and II scores, ACT scores, GPA’s, school rankings, AP scores, along with a list of extra curricular activities and awards earned during their lifetime. There is nothing wrong with that but at the same time, a person who can take something negative, overcome it and make it in to something positive shows great moral character and a will to succeed.

Here are some examples:

1. A bad grade- no doubt this will be exposed so point it out in an essay or short answer and discuss why you got the bad grade (be honest) and what you did to turn it around, what you learned and how this helped you later on (improved study skills for example)
2. Disciplinary action- this is no fun, but if this has happened to you in school, it will be on your record. So discuss the circumstances briefly and then focus the majority of your essay on how this affected your life and how it motivated you to strive to do better and the good things that came after this.
3. Family / personal issues- if there was something really difficult that happened in your personal life during high school, discuss this in your essay (if you are comfortable) and how it was a setback at first but what you did to overcome this and move forward.
4. General weakness- if you are horrible at math or grammar for example, point it out and show how you attacked this problem and were able to turn this around.

Not every person will be comfortable doing this tactic and it could be potentially risky. But depending on the circumstance if one focuses on the positive that came out of the negative this could set your application a part from others. A person who can admit that they made a mistake or that he/she has a weakness but who uses that to his/her advantage could end up being the winner of the race over a person who only boasts about their positive traits. No one is perfect; we are all human, so embrace it!