Via Yahoo: 3 Common Questions From Nontraditional Students Answered

This article is worth a look.

Here are the three questions it answers:

#1. Is the FAFSA a waste of my time?

#2. Can I get financial aid as a part-time student?

and #3. Does the school help with day care?

I liked reading about Day Care options at several schools.  I wish all schools and college would offer subsidized Child Care! It would make such a huge difference to nontraditional students. And I had forgotten about financial aid for part-time students. I was full time when I went back, like many nontraditional students.

I have to agree that filling out your FAFSA form is a great idea, and worth the time you take to fill it out and get your ID. They don't just have Federal aid, they have State aid, school aid, and scholarship information too.

ALWAYS important to remember is to go only to the OFFICIAL FAFSA site, which is here.

And here are some other related articles here you might like:

The Bionic FAFSA - 2012-13

Child Care and the Nontraditional Student

Thinking about Graduate School?


Have a great week, nontrads and freinds!

Betsyanne
 
Some Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog / Join Nontrads on Facebook / Nontrads on Yahoo / Nontrads on Twitter

When my Newsletter signups reach 700, I will make a new issue. Thanks!

You can do it! Hug a nontraditional student today.

Image via Wikipedia

Although officially the deadline for the 2010-11 school year has passed for the FAFSA, (the official Student Aid form) you can still go back to school this year on your own and apply later for financial aid, perhaps for next year. You can perhaps pay another way. Classes may still be open and you may have the money to go. Perhaps you have savings you want to use for the first year's tuition, if you plan to go more than one year.

You can fill out your FAFSA for next year (2011). The deadline is June30, 2011.  You can also register for a GED class and get into school for Spring semester or even Fall.

Here is a pages to help you do just that:
http://www.nontradstudents.com/scholarships.html
FAFSA deadlines
5 Ways to Pay for your Education without Going in Debt (from About.com)

There is a FAFSA video there, plus links to the correct FAFSA site. To enroll in classes to go for your GED, try this information page: Get your GED (from About.com)

The FAFSA form will let you know if there is any financial aid for you to use to go to school with. Today the door is a lot wider open to all nontraditional students, who can train for a better job for taking care of their families or just making a better life for themselves.

Are you a nontraditional student, or would you like to become one? Write out reasons that you would like to go back to school. Many schools have an information office that will help you. Just call the number in the phone book and arrange an appointment. The person you talk with (an advisor) will help you find financial aid and explain the ins and outs of going back to school.

Do you know of a nontraditional student - maybe even in your family? Give that nontraditional student a hug today.

Nontraditionally Yours,
-Betsyanne

Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog Join Nontrads on Facebook Nontrads on Yahoo Nontrads on Twitter 
How an Advisor can help you find scholarships

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• Military Veterans: Filling out Your FAFSA (distance-education.org)
• How Barack Obama Plans to Simplify the FAFSA (distance-education.org)

Scholarship sites for non-traditional students

Non-traditional students need scholarships and grants... maybe even more than traditional students do.

The reason? They not only have to worry about money for school, many have houses, apartments, jobs, families, car loans, and other responsibilities.

Of course, a non-traditional student can get a loan - but these must be paid back. The FAFSA official site is the best place to start for loans.

But for scholarships and grants, the Nontraditional Student Scholarship Page can be helpful. I have reviewed these sites to make sure that they are still available.

Also, I concentrated on only FREE sites because when I was making this page, I was a non-traditional student trying to make my loan payment squeak out to the end of each month.

Do you have a favorite FREE scholarship or grant site you would like added to this page? Just let me know.

Finding Scholarships and Grants for School

THE FAFSA FORM
Most non-traditional students have heard of the FAFSA form, if they have applied for a government loan for higher education. There are now two more kinds of government grants available.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND LOANS
Many non-traditional students have already thought also of applying for scholarships or loans. Many of these people may have already applied for a special non-traditional scholarship from their college or university. But not every college or university offers these. That's why people need to register at other scholarship sites. It is NOT necessary to pay for these sites, although pay sites do exist.

GRANTS
Grants are really great if you can get them. Like most scholarships, you don't have to pay them back. My favorite grant website link on the nontrad page is the Dr. Torres site because it includes internships and little-known grants and programs for students AND teachers.

MAKING THE NONTRAD SCHOLARSHIP PAGE
When I was a non-traditional student some years ago, I wanted to look and see what scholarships and grants were available so I could list them for a non-traditional student group at Western Kentucky University. It was very important to me to list only FREE sites, since I could not afford to register at pay sites then or now.

I since have collected those sites and put them on a website. Here is the link:
http://www.nontradstudents.com/scholarships.html

MY FAVORITE SCHOLARSHIP SITE
There are many different sites to choose from. One of my favorites is FastWeb, because they email you about due dates and match you to a profile.

I WANT TO ADD MORE SITES
I want to collect even more sites, so if you have a favorite that is not listed, please let me know, and I'll go there to see if I should add it to the webpage. I hope you find some good leads! Nontraditional students today need all the financial help they can get. Good luck!

10 New Year's Questions Just for Non-Traditional Students

Photo by siilur@morguefile.com

If you are like me, you will make a list of things you want to accomplish in 2008. In order to make that list, you have to ask yourself some important questions.

TEN (10) IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Here are 10 questions you can ask yourself in order to find out if you have your priorities in order for the new year - - 2008.

1. Are you taking courses that will point you towards a job or career that you will like, or even love? If you are not sure about what you want to do, you can take a Tickle test online.

2. Are you taking time out once in awhile for your family and for yourself while you are in school?
3. Have you pre-registered for classes? This can often be done online now. Make sure to pre-register at the earliest date possible, so you can get your required classes.

4. Have you contacted the loan department at your school? Sometimes they must get your OK'd student loan notice via email before you can register online.

5. Are you organized? Have you bought all the books, notebooks, and supplies you will need for next semester? It's always better to buy these early. You will also want to print out all the syllabi for each class.

6. Have you taken a Learning Styles test? If not, you can take one here.

7. Did you arrange to pay for school next semester? You can check out your options at the official FAFSA site, and you can also check out the Scholarship Page at the Non-Traditional Students site.

8. Have you joined a local Non-traditional students group? You can search for groups on the Non-Trads site, or you can start a group yourself, and list it when you are done.

9. Is all your paperwork in order at your school? If you are not sure, you need to contact your school advisor to check this out. That way, you don't miss a class or prerequisite you might need.

10. Does your alarm clock have new batteries? Also, do you own a backup alarm? This may help you if you have face-to-face classes next semester.

11. You can add your own questions and hints for non-traditional students by adding comments below this post. Thanks - and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

How to begin...

This photo is by richard_b@morguefile.com. You can see all of his Morguefile (and free) photos here: Richard B's Morguefile photos


Non-traditional students can spend a long time THINKING about going back to school before they actually do it. I know I did, but I had an idea about what I was going to take in my mind already.

Through the years I spent raising my daughter, I used to wonder what my life would have been like if I had chosen to be a teacher instead of a typesetter/graphic artist.

Now I can see that both careers have their good and bad points. On the good side of teaching, there is the pay. And sometimes you reach a student or maybe even a few - - and can be a good influence on the future.

You can also do this by volunteering as a scout leader, however, or becoming a big brother or sister.

On the good side of my other career, typesetting and graphic arts, you do have some flexibility, depending on the job.

You get to work a shift, and not have to go home and work another shift of grading and planning. You get to sleep at night (usually) in the printing business, which is also a plus.

You can have great or not-so-great bosses, co-workers, working conditions, and decision-makers in a school OR in a factory. It all just depends on the place. And now I know.

I would not have known this about teaching, though, if I hadn't decided to become a non-traditional student, and go back to school. I would always have had a huge question mark about it.

So... for me, the beginning of MY decision to become a non-traditional student was sort of decided long ago, when I took my first education class at the age of 19. I wasn't able to finish my training then, but I always wanted to. When I decided to go back, it was an easy choice.

A REALLY BIG QUESTION
Some people have asked me, how does a non-traditional student begin? What should he or she do first?

I think that a non-traditional student should explore all his or her options before deciding to go back to school. If this means taking time off (if possible) or staying at the same job for a little bit longer, so be it.

There are so many school options today. Some jobs will pay for classes outside of work. Some SAY they will, but when you ask about it, they might inform you that they no longer offer that benefit. That happened to me. (So make sure to ask in person before deciding about that.)

Non-traditional students don't have to settle for night classes only, anymore. They can go to classes along with "traditional" students (during the day) and they can also take online classes.

PAYING FOR SCHOOL
Non-traditional students might find that they qualify for student loans and grants. They can go to the FAFSA site and fill out the online form. It takes awhile to do, but it's worth it.

SOME ADVICE: make sure you hit the "save" button every page you do. That way, if your computer freezes up, you don't have to redo everything. Also, have your tax and income information handy.

Hmmmm.... how do I know that? Because I had my computer freeze and had to completely redo mine. I also had to stop and find my tax information and that held things up.

FEDERAL OR STATE PROGRAMS
You may also want to check your local employment office to see if they offer any grants or training programs, especially if you were laid off from your job due to downsizing. It's worth a call or visit.

If you are considering going to trade school or to technical school, find out if the credits will transfer to other schools or universities. Some do, but some don't. It would be a shame to have to take a year or more of classes OVER just because the school you chose had credits that didn't transfer. I have a friend who had that happen to him.

Above all, don't let fear make your decision for you. Just because you might be an older student, or maybe have not been in school for awhile, that doesn't mean you can't learn something new. GOOD LUCK!

No Non-Trad Left Behind

Still waiting, today. Maybe I'll go and check out the Fafsa site. It couldn't hurt. This year cancels our vacation to Nashville, but my husband and I DID get to see a movie or two. YAY. About the non-traditional student: sometimes things come up that totally demolish our plans, but being FLEXIBLE is something that only some people can be.

Non-traditional students tend to be the flexible type -- they cope with many difficulties to get through school and sometimes have to decide to change plans in midstream.

Does this phase the non-traditional student? NO! Well, maybe for a while, but eventually, with enough gumption and hard work, all non-traditional students CAN succeed. (I sound like an advertisement for No Child Left Behind!) This Post is called NO NON-TRAD LEFT BEHIND.

I liked the photo here. There are many here at morguefile.com. Check them out. Some people just want a comment. I prefer to give credit on the photo itself through a quick Photoshop overlay. I use Photoshop 4 on my Mac.

More later.

Registration Time!

It's that time again. Registration time. Luckily, students nowadays seldom must wait in lines and get signatures on cards to register like I used to when I first went to school. Most everything is now online, which makes it a lot easier.

Registering at the Last Minute
If you are like me, the first semester back at school means a lack of choice when it comes to classes. You are going to have to take what is left. Later on you can register earlier and get better time choices. Hopefully there will be classes to take if you register at the last minute. Make sure to talk to somebody at the college office before you register.

College Loans and your FAFSA
Make sure you have talked to the Student Loan office and filled out your FAFSA. You can fill it out now, but it takes several weeks sometimes for it to come back to the school. You will want your tax records from last year in order to put that information on the form.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you go to the CORRECT FAFSA SITE which is located at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Make sure you check prerequisites for classes - what classes must you take before you can take the next one you need?

Your Professors:
If you are registering late (which means now) you may or may not have a choice of professor. But if you are curious, you can check out your professor at two check sites, ProfEval and PickAProf. The first one is better, but the second one does have how many A grades vs. F grades the professor gives, which can be handy to know.

The General Studies Degree
Sometimes you can get credit for college courses you have taken in the past, and don't have many left -- if you go for a semi-new General Studies Degree. I know that Western Kentucky Unversity offers this program. It's worth checking out.

For those who are registering now, more power to you. It takes a lot of guts to decide to go back to school. Now you are actually signing up. That is so great. You deserve to pat yourself on the back for really doing it instead of just thinking about it.