I never knew how hard it would be to get scholarship money for college until I actually started looking for it. After days of searching for what I thought would be free scholarship money, I discovered that over half of the scholarship sites I visited required personal information. If they didn’t ask right away, they sent me through a dozen pages of sponsor advertisements until finally getting me to a form that asked me for a four page description on how I wanted to change the world.

Although the internet made it easy for me to search for undergraduate college scholarships, it also made it easy for millions of other students hunting for a shot at free cash. So even after finding sites that didn’t ask me for my background information, I still competed with thousands other people. One week after I submitted online applications I checked my e-mail account, for what I thought would be updates regarding the status of my completed applications, only to find massive amounts of SPAM from companies I hadn’t even heard of before.

It’s hard enough writing a paper for one scholarship on top of trying to complete course work for five classes, let alone working two part time jobs where I can not futz around on a computer all day begging Google for tips on how to get scholarships from sites that don’t invade my privacy. I turned to my college advisor for advice. I visited the department for scholarship information and found two scholarships available for the current semester. So they expected me to compete with over twelve hundred students for a scholarship that required two recommendation letters, an unofficial transcript, a two page paper and the three page application itself? I was desperate.

After spending days gathering and completing all of the required materials I went to the office to apply. It was there I found out that I needed five copies of each paper I had with me so that every member of the board could review my application. So after spending money on a new ink cartridge, ream of paper and stressing out about deadlines, I got to rest. Two months later I received an electronic notification telling me that some girl named Britney something was receiving over three thousand dollars and that I should try again next semester.

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For some, going to school online is like a dream come true. You can “go to class” in your pajama’s, you don’t have to deal with traffic or nasty weather, and you’ll never have a scheduling conflict between your class schedule and your work schedule.

Pursuing a college degree online makes sense.
Distance learning has been around longer than you might imagine; online college is just one type of distance learning that has become very popular in the past few years. You have probably seen the ads for University of Phoenix. Founded in 1976, it is a private accredited university offering a variety of options for earning college degrees at all levels including an online doctorate.

Whether public or private, an increasing number of colleges and universities are offering classes online. The internet allows colleges to offer classes to a greater number of students; thus, increasing their revenue. Students benefit also, online classes give them the flexibility and tuition and fees are often lower, not to mention the savings on commuting and campus housing.

Many types of college degrees can be earned online.
Whether you’re pursuing a two-year degree from a community college or technical school or a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, or even a PhD from a private, public or state university, there’s probably a program to meet your needs. A continuum of options is available to educate yourself via your home computer.

Some courses are considered hybrids as a significant portion is online, but they have a classroom component to them; other classes are completely computer-based. Some degrees can be pursued without ever setting foot onto a college campus; these are typically programs that require less hands-on training and are more conducive to online learning. But, degrees in music performance, physical education or teaching, for example, require brick-and-mortar settings for performance, internships or student teaching.

Know what you are getting into and know yourself.
Before pursuing some or all of your college education online you must be comfortable on the computer and have the right equipment (internet access and a compatible web browser). You must be organized, disciplined and a self starter. Remember that college isn’t just about the classroom; a lot of college learning comes from social interactions. If you don’t require the social life of being on campus or the face-to-face interaction with your professors and classmates, then online education may be perfect for you.

First, you need to find out which courses and which degrees can be pursued online. Be sure to read the fine print on eligibility for your specific situation. And, expect to work at least as hard as you would in a traditional classroom setting. Online college is definitely not for lazy people.

Accreditation matters.
Colleges and universities choose to be accredited; accreditation is not a requirement. In the United States, there are regional agencies that govern and regulate the college accreditation process.
There are many reasons to choose an accredited college or university. You are likely to get a better education. Your degree will have more credibility and clout in the job market. And, perhaps most important, financial aid, loans, grants and scholarships are available to those enrolled only in accredited programs. Make sure your school of choice is accredited.

“Accreditation mills” are counterfeit accrediting agencies; “diploma mills” sell bogus pieces of paper that can be purchased without doing any of the work that goes into earning a legitimate college degree. Again, do your research before enrolling in any of these programs or colleges. Time and money are precious—don’t waste either of them.

Show me the money.
There is scholarship and grant money available for online education. Some programs are unique to online programs while others are available for classroom and online college classes. The Perkins Loan and Pell Grant, both of which are part of Federal Financial Aid programs, are available for students at two-year or four-year colleges whether online or in a traditional classroom setting.

Some scholarships and free money is specific to your state or your college or university. Unique to University of Phoenix is the First Chance Program. Since 2006, this scholarship has been available to a selected group of “in need” students enrolled in Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs. It’s funded by a combined effort of various non-profit groups.

Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally, (the HOPE Program) is available in many states including Georgia, Tennessee and Illinois. It is not a scholarship but rather is a tax credit for online programs in two or four year colleges.

Online college education may be the right choice for you. Be sure you’re enrolled in an accredited school and an accredited program, and seek out one of the many scholarship programs for which you may be eligible.

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