FAP714: How to save money on college textbooks, 10K scholarship

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Student Financial Aid News
+ Inside Higher Ed: On Thursday, with a $14.5 billion deficit looming, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency and proposed 10 percent cuts across the state budget. The deep cuts proposed for the state’s public education system would require lawmakers to suspend Proposition 98, a 1988 measure that sets aside about 40 percent of the General Fund revenues for K-12 and community colleges.
+ Against that backdrop, California voters will head to the polls in early February to decide whether a certain proportion of that allocation should be strictly reserved for community colleges – and whether California’s fees, already the lowest in the nation, should be reduced from $20 to $15 a credit hour and essentially locked in at such low rates. California’s 109 community colleges serve more than 2.6 million students.
+ “There has been, much to community colleges’ dismay, some opposition coming in from other systems.”
+ California’s controversial Proposition 92 has pitted the various components of California’s higher education system against one another. Among its supporters are the Community College League of California and community college chancellors, presidents and trustees. Among its opponents are the California State University and University of California Systems, and the powerful California Teachers Association. (Although CTA’s statewide affiliate, the Community College Association, broke from its parent organization to support the initiative). The debate has largely denigrated into a turf war: “Proposition 92 if passed could result in unintended problems that will negatively impact the CSU and threaten funding for other critical California programs,” CSU says in its statement. “Proposition 92 requires more state funding and reduces student fees for one segment of higher education without regard to the needs of all of higher education. Since it does not create or identify any new revenue sources, unprotected state programs such as UC and CSU would be competing for a smaller share of available General Funds,” UC’s regents said in theirs.
+ Inside Higher Ed: West Virginia Wesleyan College is offering a four-year scholarship, worth $90,000, in an “American Idol” style competition, The Charleston Gazette reported. A local radio station is posting video interviews with 12 finalists and their parents — and the scholarship goes to the winner selected by voting from station listeners. The college selected 25 applicants for the station to consider, and the station selected the finalists.

Scholarship Update
+ Student Loan Network $10K scholarship
+ Open to anyone who will be a full-time college or graduate student in 2008.
+ Gain additional entries for each student you refer who registers.
+ Contest ends on February 29, 2008.
+ Current Scholarship Points members should enter the drawing through their Earn Points page at ScholarshipPoints.com.
+ Take your shot at http://www.studentloannetwork.com/10K/

Mail Bag / Financial Hacks
+ Gretchen on MySpace asked: How can you save some money on college textbooks? They’re so expensive.
+ Start with a spreadsheet and put down:
+ ISBN, Price, Shipping, Total
+ Then hit up this giant list of sites
+ A1books.com
+ abebooks.com
+ addall.com
+ alibris.com
+ alldirect.com
+ amazon.com
+ AnyBook4Less.com
+ bartleby.com
+ bestbookdeal.com
+ bestwebbuys.com
+ Biblio.com
+ bigwords.com
+ bookfinder.com
+ bookmooch.com
+ Bookpool.com
+ BooksOnCampus.com
+ campusbooks.com
+ campusi.com
+ cheap-textbooks.com
+ collegeswapshop.com
+ ebay.com
+ findlaw.com
+ firstandsecond.com
+ freeloadpress.com
+ froogle.com
+ half.com
+ Jalopnik.com
+ Paperbackswap.com
+ Pazap.com
+ safarix.com
+ SmartBookFinder.com
+ textbookrevolution.com
+ textbooks.com
+ textbooks100.com
+ textbookspecialist.com
+ valorebooks.com
+ walmart.com
+ Your best bets are Bookfinder.com, Amazon.com, Bigwords.com, Froogle.com, and Walmart.com
+ What to do with books when done? Two options - first, there’s always resale, but campus bookstores give you pennies on the dollar
+ You can also sell direct on Craigslist or a campus-based exchange like CampusX.com
+ Finally, consider tax deductible donations if you itemize deductions - like Books for Africa

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Reminders
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ Discuss this episode at the Financial Aid Forum!
+ FAFSA form tutorials and free help at FAFSAonline.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

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