Scholarships for Grown Ups

Higher education is an important tool for all of us to succeed in today's America. The idea of education and training can be very daunting due to the high costs, and also because "education" is often aimed at youth. The following programs are proof that you don't have to be a high school senior to take advantage of scholarships, grants, and other money assistance to go back to get your degree or to even take some basic training courses. Adults can get $2,500 to go back to school. Women over the age of 45 can receive up to $5,000 to get an education. In Indiana, adult students can get up to $25,000 to help them with college. There is money for men, women, people studying business, people who are unemployed, people who have had life changing experiences, and more.

You can find more programs on the federal level (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: www.cfda.gov), the state level (every state has grants and other money available for higher education. Look for the state office of higher education. You can find them by dialing 411 and asking for your state capitol operator or by going to the web at www.govengine.com and clicking on your state) and local level (there are hundreds of directories you can look at; just go to your local library or bookstore and check them out).

There is also a free information clearinghouse, which offers free research either on the web or on the phone on any education topic, such as scholarship and financial aid for returning, non-traditional students: Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), 800-LET-ERIC (538-3742), www.eric.ed.gov.

No SATs Tests for Adults

One of the benefits of being an older student is that many schools do not require you to take the SAT or any other entrance exams, especially if you have been out of school for a long time. However, you should check with the school you want to attend. Each school will have their own requirements and even if they do not want you to take an SAT test, they might want you to do other aptitude tests in things like math and writing.

350 Colleges You Can go to for Free if You're 55-60

Believe it or not, more than 350 colleges and universities all across the country have special programs for adults who are interested in going back to school. This often means free or low-cost tuition, discounts on fees and books, and even special deals on housing. Anyone interested should contact the school they wish to attend to find out how to apply for a discount or waiver. Some limitations and restrictions may apply.

Over 100 Examples of Scholarships for Grown Ups

Listed below are a number of programs that can provide free money and help for your returning to school. If you are interested in thousands of additional programs like those presented below go to our Government Money Club at (www.myamericanbenefitsplan.com/trialregister704.php)

Over $140,000 to Help You Become a Chef
Program Name: Culinary Trust Scholarship Programs
Amount (Max): $5,000
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: For the educational pursuits of beginning and/or currently enrolled culinary students as well as long-time culinary professionals seeking funding for continuing education and/or conducting independent study and research.
Contact: The Culinary Trust, 304 W. Liberty Street, Suite 201, Louisville, KY 40202; 502-581-9786, ext.264; Fax: 502-589-3602; Find Out More Here.

Scholarships So Single Moms Can go Back to School
Program Name: Scholarship For Continuing Education
Amount (Max): Varies
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Available to single parent women who would like to go to school or continue with their education, but have been denied sufficient resources.
Contact: Raise The Nation, P.O. Box 8058, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87198; 1-505-265-1201; Find Out More Here.

$7,500 to Study Math and Science
Program Name: Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program
Amount (Max): $7,500
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Must be college junior or senior studying math, science or engineering.
Contact: Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence In Education Foundation, 6225 Brandon Avenue, Suite 315, Springfield, VA 22150-2519; 703-756-6012; www.act.org/goldwater/; Email: goldwater@act.org
Application: www.act.org/goldwater/yysnm.html

$25,000 Fellowships for Jewish Students
Program Name: Wexner Graduate Fellowships
Amount (Max): $75,000 ($25,000 each year for up to three years)
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Must be a college graduate who plans to pursue a career in the Jewish community.
Contact: The Wexner Foundation, Office of the Graduate Fellowship Program, 8000 Walton Parkway, Suite 110, New Albany, OH 43054; 614-939-6060; Fax: 614-939-6066; www.wexnerfoundation.org/
Application: wexnerfoundation.org/GFA/Fellowship_Eligibility.aspx and wexnerfoundation.org/Foundation/ (register here to apply online)

$37,000 Per Year to Get a Grad Degree
Program Name: STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship Program
Amount (Max): $37,000
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: For master's and doctoral level students in environmentally-related fields of study.
Contact: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20460; 202-343-9656 or 800-490-9194; http://es.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/; Email: 2007FellowshipsRFP@epa.gov
Application:es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2007/2007_star_fellow.html#APPLICATION or es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/forms/

$27,600 Per Year to Get a Higher Degree
Program Name: DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program
Amount (Max): $27,600 ($2,300 per month for up to 12 months)
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Must be getting your graduate degree in the physical, biological, social, or behavioral sciences.
Contact: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Drive, SW., University Programs, Washington, DC 20528; 202-282-8000; www.orau.gov/dhsed/; Email: dhsed@orau.gov
Application: www.orau.gov/dhsed/FellowsApplic2006.pdf

$14,000 Scholarship to Further Study Science
Program Name: DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program
Amount (Max): $14,000 ($1,000 per month for up to 9 months and $5,000 for 10-week internship)
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Must be getting your degree in the physical, biological, social, or behavioral sciences.
Contact: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Drive, SW., University Programs, Washington, DC 20528; 202-282-8000; www.orau.gov/dhsed/; Email: dhsed@orau.gov
Application: www.orau.gov/dhsed/ScholarsApplic2006.pdf

$80,000 for Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
Program Name: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP)
Amount (Max): $80,000 ($20,000 per year up; can be renewed up to four years)
Income Requirements: up to $19,600 per person
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Must be committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.
Contact: Undergraduate Scholarship Program, National Institutes of Health, 2 Center Drive, Room 2E24, MSC 0230, Bethesda, MD 20892-0230; 888-352-3001; Fax: 301-480-3123; http://www.ugsp.nih.gov/home.asp?m=00; Email: ugsp@nih.gov
Application: www.ugsp.nih.gov/application_center/application
_center.asp?m=02&s=01

$30,000 to Attend Any College
Program Name: Harry S. Truman Scholarship Program
Amount (Max): $30,000
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: For college juniors who are preparing for a career in public service.
Contact: Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, 712 Jackson Place, NW Washington, DC 20006; 202-395-4831; Fax: 202-395-6995; www.truman.gov/; Email: office@truman.gov
Application: www.truman.gov/candidates/candidates_show.htm
?cat_id=777&doc_id=246903 (sample applications)

$24,000 to Study Environmental Policy
Program Name: Morris K. Udall Fellowship Program
Amount (Max): $24,000
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: Recipients must be in the final, writing year of their Ph.D. work in the areas of environmental public policy or environmental conflict resolution.
Contact: Morris K. Udall Dissertation Fellowship Program, 130 South Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701-1922; 520-901-8500; Fax: 520-670-5530; www.udall.gov/udall.asp?link=400; Email: curlin@udall.gov
Application:www.udall.gov/udall.asp?link=403

$40,000 Per Year for Graduate School
Program Name: Scholarship For Service Program
Amount (Max): $40,000 ($12,000 stipend + costs for books, tuition, room and board)
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: List of participating institutions: hwww.sfs.opm.gov/ContactsPI.asp?p=st
Other Requirements: Students agree to work for the Federal Government for a period equivalent to the length of the scholarship or one year, whichever is longer.
Contact: Scholarship For Service Program Office, 8610 Broadway, Suite 305, San Antonio, TX 78217; 210-805-2423, ext. 506; www.sfs.opm.gov/; Email: sfs@opm.gov

$10,000 to Study the Law
Program Name: Frederick B. Abramson Public Interest Fellowship Award
Amount (Max): $10,000
Income Requirements: None
Geographic Requirements: Nationwide
Other Requirements: The recipients must commit to at least one year's employment with a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia.
Contact: The Frederick B. Abramson Memorial Foundation, 1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036; 202-828-5120; Fax: 202-828-6490; www.abramsonfoundation.org/fellowship/index.shtml; Email: info@abramsonfoundation.org
Application: www.abramsonfoundation.org/fellowship/fellowshipform.shtml

Students Beware

In this day and age a new trend is emerging where mothers want to stay at home looking after the children, while being able to contribute towards the family income.

This group actually consists of single moms, disabled mothers, moms low on cash, and mothers who generally would like a better standard of living.

Finding ways to work from home, ideally doing only a few hours each day and still being able to bring up your children without resorting to daycare would seem like the ideal solution. Many moms look to the internet or local newspaper classified ads for opportunities to earn money from home. Unfortunately the scammers know this, and to them, these unsuspecting victims are 'easy meat'

Let us start with three of the most popular that can be found anywhere you look for working from home opportunities, these being:

· Envelope Stuffing

· Medical Billing

· Home Assembly

Envelope Stuffing

Envelope Stuffing scams promise moms up to $2000 for mailing 400 brochures with free postage and stationary supplies. After calling a toll free number, a pre- recorded message instructs you to leave your name and address for more information. Shortly afterwards you will receive a letter claiming that if you pay the $35.00 registration fee then for every envelope you fill and mail, $5.00 will be paid to your account.

So you pay the fee, only to find that you either get a letter telling you to place an ad exactly the same as the one you replied to, or a list of companies that if contacted already have in-house envelope sealing and addressing machines, and as such do not require your services!

Medical Billing

Medical Billing ads lure consumers with promises of substantial income working from home full- or part-time - "no experience required." They direct consumers to call a toll-free number for more information.

On calling, a sales representative will entice you to sign up by telling you that the processing of medical claims is a very lucrative business, that doctors are desperate for help with electronic claims processing, and that you - even without any experience - can do this work from the comfort of your home, after you have bought the software off them, for a charge of sometimes up to $8000

In exchange for the initial fee, they claim to provide everything you supposedly need to launch your medical billing business: the software program to process the claims and a list of prospective clients ready and waiting.

But the reality is that few consumers who pay for medical billing opportunities find clients or make any money, let alone earn the promised substantial income. The software consists of various forms and letters; anyone could design.

Competition in the medical billing market is fierce, especially for those who are new to it. Many doctors' offices process their own medical claims. Doctors who contract

out their medical billing often use established firms, not individuals working from home.

The end result is you lose the total amount invested!

Home Product Assembly

This scam can be very depressing for many work at home moms. The advert will claim that anyone can easily assemble various products using a few simple tools that you probably already have at home, and when you submit the assembled product you will be paid immediately.

When you apply to the company, you receive a booklet or pamphlet that has a description of the finished product. Once the items are finished (as many as you can produce) you return them to the company and you will be paid a certain amount for each item assembled. Once again this all sounds fairly straightforward doesn't it.

Here is the scam:

After paying for your assembly package, you will receive your instructions for assembly; you will be informed that all materials for the project will have to be purchased from the actual company involved (this is to ensure that the 'correct quality' of material is used). In most cases the materials could have been purchased a lot cheaper elsewhere. So to start with you have already paid money to the company and are out of pocket. Then after submitting the finished product for payment, you receive a letter (not containing a cheque!) and this letter informs you that your finished products have been rejected for being sub-standard due to some ludicrous reason or other.

Why would this happen you ask? Well the simple answer is that the products you are asked to assemble do not have any actual buyers. The only money made by this scam is by the originating company or individual selling you overpriced materials to complete your tasks. Very upsetting if you have spent many hours carefully assembling products you believe will provide you substantial income.

For a real opportunity, CLICK HERE!!!

Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no guarantees.

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
· Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

· Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

· Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.

· Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

Free Holiday E-Book

I have a nice ebook about holiday traditions that I would like to give to you absolutely FREE of charge. Please email me dottye789@earthlink.net to get your copy.

Pay Day Loans

Many people take out a Pay Day Loan to raise cash for unexpected expenses, to start a home-based business, or even to buy holiday gifts. The interest rates of these loans can border on Usury!

Have you taken out a pay day loan? What was your experience- good, bad, or ugly? Did it help, or did it just get you deeper into debt? Post your thoughts here!

Great Resource for Students-www.essayspace.com

A new web site has come up to help students with reserach for term papers. It is http://www.essayspace.com. Here, students can buy and SELL their term papers online. There is even a way to set up a "term paper circle" for FREE in which you can share your papers with a designated group of friends.

This is more than just your run of the mill term paper vendor site. CHECK IT OUT NOW!!

CLEP exams

I took several CLEP exams when I had already graduated from college, and was seeking teacher certification and did not want to get stuck taking a bunch of undergraduate courses. This really worked out for me. I thought the exams were easy, and actually enjoyed them.

One warning: just because a college is administering the exams, does not mean that they will accept the exams for credit. Don't assume that because your college's guidance office is setting you up with the exam materials, proctoring, etc. that they will actually grant you credit- find out first, and GET IT IN WRITING. I had to fight with the college involved- the guidance person I dealt with was very tricky; she implied that I could take the exams and then get credit, and then when the test scores were back, informed me that "F M College (no names given here) does not give credit for these exams". I went all the way up to the office of the president, and things got a bit nasty with the head of the English Department, but I won in the end. So, GET IN WRITING what the policy is, and avoid the "he said, she said" BS.

FOr more information about CLEP exams, Click Here!