FAP302: Back in the saddle! Gas prices, guidance counselors, Facebook, tons of mail in the mail bag, international student travel award, Chris Juergensen

Student Financial Aid News
+ Back in the saddle! Wedding photos on the Flickr page
+ Gasoline prices hit second highest ever, nationally - $2.97/gallon according to CNN
+ Here in Boston, it’s about $3.07
+ Will likely cause Fed to continue increasing rates - fuel costs boost consumer price index, which in turn causes inflation indicators to rise, which forces a rate increase
+ 91 day T-Bill, our old friend, is at 5.056% - bad news for loans
+ A new study suggests that race and class have an impact on the advice high school students receive on where to go to college. A Drexel University professor analyzed the responses of more than 1,700 guidance counselors to student profiles with information about academic performance, race, class and other factors. The professor, Frank Linnehan, found that — irrespective of academic performance — counselors were more likely to recommend community colleges to middle-class students than to upper-class students. Another finding: For middle-class students with lower academic performance, the guidance counselors were more likely to recommend that black students attend community college than they recommended that approach to comparable white students. The reverse was true for wealthier students, where white students were more likely to be urged to attend community colleges. The study will be presented in August at the National Academy of Management meeting.
+ For-profit colleges are more aggressive about recruiting online students, with 91 percent reporting that they follow up with prospective students within a month of receiving a contact, compared to 50 percent of nonprofit institutions reporting such activity, according to a new report from Eduventures, a consulting company. The survey also found that for-profits spend much more on online recruiting, but that the gap appears likely to narrow.
+ In interesting news, candidates for the governorship of Massachusetts are engaging in the time-honored practice of recruiting college students to drum up campus support, reports The Boston Globe. And many of those students are using Facebook to proselytize undecided voters and fire up those who have already committed.

Scholarship Update
+ Professor Emerius Victor Greene writes in: Please publicize our Frank P. Zeidler International Graduate Student Travel Award. It offers two round trip airfares from anywhere in the world to the University of WIsconsin-Milwaukee. The award is for any foreign student wishing to obtain a Masters’ degree (MA) in American History. The student is also to apply for a teaching assistantship in the History Department. The program is two years and the applicant must know English well encough to conduct Undergraduate discussions. The total income will provide full monetary support for the foreign student’s expenses. Application Deadline is Jan 1, 2007.
+ Detailed information at our student scholarship search site
+ No search term today, for obvious reasons

Mail Bag
+ Terry asks: Can a child 14-16 get financial aid to attend summer classes in college?
+ Maybe. Depends on the type of aid. Scholarships, student loans.
+ Ryan asks: I have a question about consolidated student loans. I graduated from graduate school in 94. I immediately consolidated my student loans with Sallie Mae. The interest rates were high at that time. I have never been successful in refinancing this loan or getting sallie mae to reduce the rate. Is there a way to do this? I get solicitations in the mail all the time offering to reduce my rate, but when I tell them that my loans are already consolidated, they say that I am stuck. is this true?
+ For the most part, yes. You can reconsolidate with the Department of Education, but it won’t save you any additional money.
+ If you haven’t consolidated, do so at StudentLoanConsolidator.com or 877-328-1565
+ Rose DeCristoforo writes in: I have another question if you don’t mind. I’m getting a lot of emails from GED/HS diploma sites that claim to be legit and offer accredited GED/HS diploams. How can you tell the ones that are scams and fly by night shops?
+ Unless the GED is issued from a state agency, it’s almost certainly not legit. Check with your state’s Department of Education for a list of testing centers that are authorized to issue a GED.
+ Armando Gonzalez writes in: Just reviewing the specs on the $899 machine and it does indeed have a combo drive that burns CD-RWs as well as reads DVDs. Just thought I’d share.
+ John Wall from the M Show sends in belated congratulations.
+ A different John from IU calls in to say hello

Podsafe Music
+ Chris Juergensen writes in: Interesting idea for a podcast. Finances are so important especially for musicians. I have been a music educator for twenty years now and balance it with a career as a professional musician. I came here to Tokyo from LA where I was a session player and studio musician. I still tell my students that it is not only about being a great guitarist but also about taking care of your money and being a business man.
+ Chris Juergensen, House on a Hill
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Consolidate your student loans at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Need financial aid help? Call us at 877-328-1565!
+ Toll-free comment line! 877-328-1565 extension 529!
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Add us to your iTunes at www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/subscribe
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529. Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/subscribe/

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