Adults Paying For College

At any given moment, in the United States 90 million adults are enrolled in some sort of college, training or educational program. Forty percent of all college students are over the age of twenty-five. Almost 750,000 adults attempt to complete the General Educational Development (GED) test every year to earn their high school diplomas. Education is not just for young anymore.With the economy in recession and heading towards depression workers feel a greater pressure to keep their job skills up to date or even learn a new trade. With rising unemployment, employers can pick and chose the workers with the best and most current skills. And these workers are able to demand a higher salary then their less educated peers. A college degree is often required for a promotion or certain management positions. The United States Bureau of Census states that a college degree can increase your lifetime earnings to an additional $1.2 million.Many colleges now cater to adult students by offering more flexible schedules. You can now complete your degree, such as the Masters of Business Administration, by taking classes at night or even the weekends at major universities. Others options include a combination of weekend, evening and online courses to accommodate the schedules of busy parents and people all ready in the workforce.Online universities have become extremely popular option for earning your degree. Online degrees are now the first choice for a growing number of adult students. Online programs often try to simulate the classroom experience with chat rooms and discussion groups between students and professors. This option allows students to study when it is convenient for them such as after the kids go to bed, after the husband goes to work or during a break at work. Online schools vary their start and stop times to allow you to customize your schedule around your busy life.Adult students, also referred to "non-traditional students," can qualify for financial aid like any other student. To qualify for federal financial aid they must be enrolled at least half-time. Two full credit classes will usually fill this requirement, however the amount of aid will be less than a full time student. Their schools must be accredited to participate in Title IV programs in order for them to be eligible for federal financial aid. It is always best to make sure any program you are enrolling in is regionally accredited, especially online.Once a non-traditional student is enrolled in a fully accredited program and is taking enough credits to qualify, he or she then applies for federal financial aid which includes filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. The FAFSA is available at your college and online. While the FAFSA is primarily for federal financial aid it is also used to determine your eligibility for some need based scholarships.To qualify for government grants, a student must demonstrates financial need. The great thing about grant is, unlike loans, they do not have to be paid back. Also for low-income students,The Perkins Loan program provides loans at extremely low interest rates that are paid back over a period of ten years starting nine months after finishing school.College students must take care to maintain at least a "C" average and half time status or they may lose their eligibility to receive government loans and grants. Students also have to take courses that relate to their major or federal aid will be cut off if the student exceeds 1 and 1/2 times the number of credits required for the program.Non-traditional students should always work with their financial aid officer at the college. It is important to check with the financial aid officer often to catch any issues with your application early. The counselor can help them with their FAFSAs and other forms, as well as find them a bank to loan them money through a government program.A good motivated financial aid officer works with students to find private scholarship money. It is also important to do scholarship research on your own. There are private scholarship search companies, but students should be able to do this task themselves for free on the internet or through their financial aid office. Most scholarships will be for traditional undergraduates, however, there are up to 1800 scholarships for the non-traditional student.Some employers offer a tuition reimbursement benefit for continuing education. The benefit depends on the employer some will pay for any accredited program while others must be job related. The amount of the compensation also varies from full tuition to just partial compensation. A student should check with the human resources department at work to find out the employers policies.Some private trade schools try to pressure students into enrolling prior to the students knowing how much financial aid they will receive per semester. One way to avoid this issue, is to go online and get a rough estimate of your financial aid package. Your financial aid officer should be able help you get this estimate before you start classes. It is important to focus on the cost of attending, not just the aid being received, as the loans will need to be paid back.


By : Gene Grzywacz

Research Paper -- How to Get Started

One of the biggest stresses for college students is the writing assignment, whether it is an essay, research project or a thesis. So you have just been assigned a big writing assignment and have no idea on how to get started and what makes a great paper. A few simple strategies will help you get started on your research paper and make the whole project go more smoothly.The first action most students will take is to Google their topic. This is a mistake for a number of reasons, most importantly the useless results you will receive will be a waste of time . The first thing you need to do is to decide on your angle. Say your assignment is "What effect do abortions have on the country?" Do you explore this from its political, health, historical, social, feminist, religious or even economic perspective? If the paper is five pages or less choose one angle and stick to the topic, but for a more in depth paper you could explore how these things interact.Now that you decided on a perspective for your research paper it is time to start collecting information related to the assignment. To avoid wasting time with unrelated or worst questionable sources you need to limit your searches to government and educational sources as well as peer reviewed journals.Even if you wisely timed your research to the above sources be sure to evaluate each one. First, is the source timely. Many universities and governments have been around for over a hundred years and you do not want these unless you are doing a historical perceptive that quotes research predating germ theory. Does the researcher have an agenda? Abortion Research from a catholic college and liberal college may both have strong biases. This does not mean their work should be dismissed out of hand, but examined more closely.After you have gathered ample source material it is time to start writing. Start with a paragraph that explains the topic of your research paper and outlines the points your wish to make. This will serve as your out line with the body paragraphs explaining and supporting points in this paragraph. Do not obsess if this paragraph is not perfect as this is a living document and will change many times until you turn it in.Now it is time to start writing the body of the research paper. Go point by point from your introductory paragraph. It is best to site and quote two sources for each point. Your can even explain and compare contradictory data and viewpoints. This is a great way to maintain your own objectivity as the author.Now it is time to let the paper rest. When your first write a paper it is impossible to read it without reading what you meant to write. After a good nights sleep give the paper a fresh read from top to bottom. Is the research paper clear? Does it make a point? Do you need to add or subtract information to cover your topic more completely? After answering those questions it is time to revise your document.When you are satisfied with your research paper it is time to have it proofread. You want three things from a proofreader. First, is the grammar and spelling perfect. Second, the proofreader should check if it is readable and that all of the ideas are complete. And finally the proofreader needs to be brutally honest as the person grading the paper will be.One final tip to writing a paper in a reasonable amount of time you need to find your voice. Have a conversation with yourself. The first draft should just flow out with total disregard to style and grammar. Once you have enough material written it is easy to rewrite and or revise your research paper. Good luck on your assignment.


By : Gene Grzywacz

Electronic Devices That Help You Learn English

There are many ways to learn English. With the increase in new and innovative technology, many companies are now providing ground-breaking electronic devices to help people learn English more quickly. The following electronic devices will increase your ability to learn English and improve English speech:MP3 Audio Programs: Download the lessons from an English translation internet site and put them on your iPod. Because it is portable, you can listen and learn anywhere.English Audio Tapes and English Audio CDs: English audio tapes and English audio CDs are a great method of learning English. All you need is a Cassette or CD player. You can learn in many locations including your car.An Electronic Translator or Electronic Dictionary is an excellent tool one can use when traveling on a vacation, on a business trip, studying languages, conversing with foreign people, and in a variety of other situations. Many devices have a number of attributes that include advanced text-to-speech and voice recognition technologies. There are many quality electronic dictionaries on the market. Depending on which one you purchase, there is an extensive range of vocabulary that can include up to one million words or more. There are also electronic dictionaries that contain common expressions and phrases, grammar references, and much more. Two popular hand held English electronic dictionaries include the Talking Electronic Dictionary and the Audio Phrasebook. They include hundreds of thousands of words, definitions, and thesaurus entries. You can view the word on the screen and hear it spoken. There are electronic dictionaries that contain a study list, SAT word list, complete grammar guide, exercises, tests, and language improving games. Because Electronic Dictionaries vary, it is important to research each device to find the best English electronic dictionary to meet your needs.English Learning Software that can be downloaded on your computer will help improve English pronunciation. Advanced English translation software allows users to translate English language websites, English e-mails and English documents. Other translation software includes language instruction, study materials, full-text translation, speaking and non-speaking dictionaries that can be used with Windows, Pocket PC, Palm OS, Smartphones and many more.Television and Radio: Listening to English on the radio everyday and watching and listening to English television is an excellent way to learn English.PDAs: There are a number of PDA English vocabulary games that will help people learn English. PDAs are hand held and portable so you can learn in any environment. There are also PDA Electronic dictionaries and PDA Book readers containing language translations.Applications such as the CleverTrainer will help people learn English quickly and efficiently. People test themselves with words they have learned. This type of application is a great English learning tool that people can use on their Palm® handheld, Pocket PCs and PDA devices.Talking 2-way Language Communicator and Electronic Dictionary: These popular hand held devices are like having your own language interpreter. Just speak into the device and you will be provided with an intelligible translation voice response.Choosing an electronic device that helps you learn English has made learning and speaking English easier, faster, and more enjoyable. Before you purchase a device, make sure you research each product to find the English learning tool that complements your lifestyle.

By : A Nutt

Research Paper -- How to Get Started


One of the biggest stresses for college students is the writing assignment, whether it is an essay, research project or a thesis. So you have just been assigned a big writing assignment and have no idea on how to get started and what makes a great paper. A few simple strategies will help you get started on your research paper and make the whole project go more smoothly.The first action most students will take is to Google their topic. This is a mistake for a number of reasons, most importantly the useless results you will receive will be a waste of time . The first thing you need to do is to decide on your angle. Say your assignment is "What effect do abortions have on the country?" Do you explore this from its political, health, historical, social, feminist, religious or even economic perspective? If the paper is five pages or less choose one angle and stick to the topic, but for a more in depth paper you could explore how these things interact.Now that you decided on a perspective for your research paper it is time to start collecting information related to the assignment. To avoid wasting time with unrelated or worst questionable sources you need to limit your searches to government and educational sources as well as peer reviewed journals.Even if you wisely timed your research to the above sources be sure to evaluate each one. First, is the source timely. Many universities and governments have been around for over a hundred years and you do not want these unless you are doing a historical perceptive that quotes research predating germ theory. Does the researcher have an agenda? Abortion Research from a catholic college and liberal college may both have strong biases. This does not mean their work should be dismissed out of hand, but examined more closely.After you have gathered ample source material it is time to start writing. Start with a paragraph that explains the topic of your research paper and outlines the points your wish to make. This will serve as your out line with the body paragraphs explaining and supporting points in this paragraph. Do not obsess if this paragraph is not perfect as this is a living document and will change many times until you turn it in.Now it is time to start writing the body of the research paper. Go point by point from your introductory paragraph. It is best to site and quote two sources for each point. Your can even explain and compare contradictory data and viewpoints. This is a great way to maintain your own objectivity as the author.Now it is time to let the paper rest. When your first write a paper it is impossible to read it without reading what you meant to write. After a good nights sleep give the paper a fresh read from top to bottom. Is the research paper clear? Does it make a point? Do you need to add or subtract information to cover your topic more completely? After answering those questions it is time to revise your document.When you are satisfied with your research paper it is time to have it proofread. You want three things from a proofreader. First, is the grammar and spelling perfect. Second, the proofreader should check if it is readable and that all of the ideas are complete. And finally the proofreader needs to be brutally honest as the person grading the paper will be.One final tip to writing a paper in a reasonable amount of time you need to find your voice. Have a conversation with yourself. The first draft should just flow out with total disregard to style and grammar. Once you have enough material written it is easy to rewrite and or revise your research paper. Good luck on your assignment.

By : Gene Grzywacz