College has always been the major stepping stone into adulthood for many students. It is the time to move away from home, study the majors that interest you, and make lifelong friends. But if you are keeping up with the current news, it is hard to miss all the segments about the plummeting economy and how some students are opting out of college altogether because of the ever-rising tuition costs. So many opportunities can be missed if you choose to forgo attending a four year university. However, not all hope is lost.

Because the federal government understands how crucial having a degree is to achieving a stable career, they are offering free grant money for college for any qualifying students that apply. It is absolutely free no need to be in debt for years to repay loans for the rest of your life. Grants are offered only to students that are struggling financially. To ensure of this, students are required to fill out an online form known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Here, students must disclose some standard information that will establish how much free grant money for college they can collect. The top deciding factor is the expected family contribution, in other words, how much of the tuition portion that your family will pay. Generally, the lower the EFC, the more financial aid you can receive.

Also equally important to get the most benefits from grants is the students cumulative GPA, as well as their SAT or ACT scores. They play a huge role because the students with the best scores are awarded with the most grants. Therefore, the entire process should begin in high school. Achieving good grades does not end at the high school level, but carries on to the rest of your educational career. Getting involved with college prep in Los Angeles is the ideal first step. These courses are an addition to your standard high school classes, and are designed by professionals to instruct students how to study and then tackle college entry exams like the SATs.

These are held in regular classrooms and are coordinated by a qualified instructor to guide students through each exam, and provide in-depth explanations of each question that students need help on. That is an advantage of having college prep in Los Angeles as opposed to studying on your own with a prep book. There will be an instructor there that can guide you through each question step by step. Investing in these prep courses will not only guarantee a higher score on the entrance exam, but this high score affects the college you will attend, which in turn will affect further career advancements later on. It is always best to start early now to ensure success in your future.

For more details check our website : http://www.collegemadeeasy.org

A planning strategy outlines a strategy for marketing and advertising in a particular area. Marketing for a college audience requires awareness of where college students gather, what they spend their time doing and what attracts their interests. College planning strategies involve a particular focus on the life of a college student, requiring extensive research about student groups. The effort can be very rewarding. College students have a lot of influence over their peers' buying habits and their views on a product. Write a brief mission statement about what you are selling, where you are selling it and what your marketing goals are. Identify the specific college(s) that you are targeting.

Stepping in a college is an important event in the life of all students. They probably do not have any experience in finding the right college and funds to pay for their education. Planning for college is a complicated process and it's difficult to produce a favorable result if you do not have any previous experience. You may find a lot of stuff online that may give an idea of how much planning can be done to provide good college education. Many families don't have the time to find out the right college and find ways to pay for college. As a result, they end up with little or no preparation regarding one of the most important events of their life.

There are many good schools available today but are more difficult to attend then they were in the past. The two standard methods of college admission are sports and exceptional grades but this many not be enough. The increased demand on undergraduate admissions made schools to raise the grade point average (GPA) and scholastic aptitude tests (SAT). This may make getting into a good school even more difficult. Proper college planning strategies may help students be more successful in their endeavor of becoming a student of a large university. Planning is one of the fundamental approaches for a college education. Planning strategies as early as the eighth grade may ensure proper curriculum and GPA is obtained throughout high school education.

A recently conducted poll shows how 70% of the parents surveyed have no idea how they're going to pay to send their children to college. And it's not just poor economic condition. Tuition fees are rising dramatically that makes a tough situation even worse. Though frustrating, don't give up. You may still pay for children's college. This is possible by

• Scholarships
• Tax Credits
• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
• 529 College Savings Plans
• Loans - Federal vs. Private

Check our website for further info: http://www.collegemadeeasy.org

Does it matter what time of year you start applying to colleges? Definitely the best time to apply is as early as possible. If you do not know how to apply to college there are many resources you can turn to for help online. High school students in their junior year should begin the process of choosing which colleges to apply. Beginning with a list, students and parents should then collect brochures, discuss options with friends and family, and speak to college prep Los Angeles counselors to get a feel for what they want to go to school for and where they might like to attend.

For those students who are confident and ready to apply to colleges, early decision may be the best option. The acceptance rate in this first round of applications is much higher, however if you are accepted you must be absolutely sure that you want to go to that school. Upon acceptance you are then bound to attend that college. Early decision is a definite advantage for the right candidate. If you still want to get a jumpstart on your college applications earl you can go with an early action type of application which allows you to still apply very early but with a somewhat lesser acceptance rate due to the fact that if you do get accepted to a school, you are not necessarily bound to attend that college and may end up going somewhere else, if that is what you want. Both of these early applications are usually due sometime in November.

For all the procrastinators out there, you can still apply and get accepted to colleges through the regular decision application process. These are generally due by the first of the year and then you will know your application statuses by springtime. Acceptance rates vary by college and you can apply to as many as you like or can afford (some applications require a fee just to apply). It is all about personal preference which time you decide to start applying to colleges.

The earlier you begin your planning, however, the better chance you have at getting into the school of your choice. Maybe you are having a hard time figuring out what you want to do, and that's okay, too. Attending college is a major life decision and you want to be sure that you are not applying anywhere due to stress and pressure of deadlines alone. Take your time in deciding what may be the best fit for you so that once you get there you can be confident in your decision.

Whether you are about to graduate high school, or thinking of switching careers and going back to school applying to college can seem somewhat daunting. How to apply to college does not have to get majorly complicated, but there are a few guidelines to follow to get you started on a smooth path to success. Important things to consider are: desired location and field of study, out-of-pocket costs, grants, scholarships, and rate of acceptance to name just a few.

Generally, it is advisable to build a list of at least ten schools that you are very interested in attending, and then narrow down your choices from there and begin the application process for each. Do thorough research on each school you are considering and make sure you like the location and courses that each college campus has to offer. Do your best to base your decision of whether or not to apply to one school over another on your own educational wants and needs, not just because your parents went there, or all your friends are going there. If you can, go on campus tours of your top choice schools. Visiting a school is the best thing to do to really be able to envision yourself studying there.

Vary your list of selected schools in this way:

• Pick at least three colleges that would be your ultimate dream (these usually are extremely selective of their student intake and have a low acceptance rate).
• Choose three that match your academic records well overall (maybe not your favorites on the list but you will probably have a better chance of getting in).
• Lastly, be sure to list at least two safety schools in the event that you don't get in to any other schools on your list.

It is important to keep in mind that college applications are not free. So be sure you are applying to schools that you could really see yourself attending. If you are concerned about money there are many college financial planning services available to help you with things like applying for financial aid, grants, scholarships, loans, and more. To assure that you send in the best possible college applications give each one ample personal attention so that you are satisfied you are sending in a quality submission. The more personality a college application has, the better chance you have of it getting noticed by the right people