College scholarship money is available from a far greater number of sources than most people realize. The two major types of scholarships are academic and athletic, and in the first group there are a great variety of funding sources. In fact, the availability of academic scholarship funds from a growing number of sources is one of the most underreported stories of recent times.

There are “college-specific” scholarships, where the individual institutions have money available under a variety of terms. This normally means achieving a certain Grade Point Average (GPA), participating in extra-curricular activities appropriate to the proposed course of study or a combination of similar factors. Merit-based scholarships awarded for academic achievement are often included in financial aid packages offered by colleges, as well.

Specific departments at many colleges also offer scholarships to attract or retain students in certain programs. If a student knows what his or her major will be, direct contact with the right department is the best approach, since the availability of academic scholarship funds at individual college departments is not always widely advertised.

Thousands of private scholarships are also offered by corporations, business groups, non-profit agencies and fraternal organizations. These awards range from small stipends of $50 all the way up to $20,000 per year and more. There are many sources to consider in the private category.

Corporations, for example, wish to attract and keep well-educated employees, and support the communities where they do business. To encourage entry into particular fields, scholarship funds are budgeted for every school year. For corporate scholarships, students should check with their parents’ employers, investigate other local businesses, and search the newspapers and Internet for corporate announcements on the subject. A student’s chances of receiving a local corporate scholarship is often enhanced by geographic restrictions on such awards. It is also important to remember that these are the very scholarships that go unawarded because of a lack of applicants.

Increased availability of academic scholarship funding has been noted over the last few years among both religious organizations and labor unions. They both help members and their families with the cost of college. The AFL-CIO Web site even offers a “search service” that helps students find union-sponsored scholarships. In late 2005 the amount of funds available in these specific awards exceeded $4 million.

Chambers of Commerce, fraternal organizations such as the Kiwanis and Lions and special-interest groups based on politics, culture or nationality are all excellent sources of college scholarships. The proverbial “other” category has been called “the Mother Lode of scholarship opportunities,” with educational funds offered by individuals, groups and businesses that wish to further their own missions or social agendas.

Finally, various levels of government (local, state, federal) don’t just have loans available, but scholarships as well, and of course act as clearinghouses of information for seekers of college money. The amount of money available for college today is staggering, and students need to take advantage of information available from school counselors, college admissions offices, businesses, cultural groups and all the many other sources. Fortunately, today there is a wealth of information on the Internet, too, so students with good grades can research the availability of academic scholarship funds by letting their fingers do the walking. And they won’t have to wander aimlessly either, as plenty of maps have been prepared to lead them to college tuition checks just waiting to be made out in their names.

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How to and Where to Find Them

Being a student definitely has its advantages. One advantage is student discounts. Many business establishments offer discounts to “poor and starving” students. Students receive discounted movie tickets and discounts at certain restaurants, just to name a few. Another industry that extends nice discounts to students is the travel industry. Students can earn discounts on modes of transportation, accommodations and travel packages.

The travel industry considers students to be between the ages of 12 and 26, which makes them eligible for student travel discounts. Modes of transportation from European railway systems to domestic Greyhound bus travel extend travel discounts to students. This means that whether students are going to visit their grandmother or going to backpack their way through Europe, they can do it all at a discount. So how do students go about taking advantage of the travel discounts that all of these companies offer to them? Well, there are a couple of different ways.

Some companies offer student travel discounts that are available simply by showing your student ID card that has been issued from the school. Some travel discounts even go beyond offering discounts on travel. Student ID cards can even earn discounts on other items such as books and movie tickets. Just by showing a student ID card at various sightseeing spots around the world students can earn a student discount. This is true even if no student travel discounts are advertised. Students should always ask if a student discount is offered at the establishment. Sometimes signs are not posted announcing student discounts, but by asking students are often extended a discount.

Students can also obtain an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) from a local STA travel agency office. An ISIC card offers students discounts on travel, accommodations, shopping, and entertainment. The ISIC card has other benefits that include sickness travel insurance abroad, student travel insurance abroad, and discounted international phone call rates. There is generally a nominal fee to apply for an ISIC card, which can be renewed each year. These cards are available to individuals between the ages of 12 and 26.

Whether students have a student ID card issued by their school or an ISIC card, students are eligible for many discounts, which include:

Airfare: Many airlines offer deeply discounted ticket rates to students. Student airfares generally have more flexible restrictions than regular airline tickets. When making airline reservations students should ask if student rates are available for purchase. There are also travel agencies like STA and Student Universe that work specifically on student travel.

Railway: Eurail and Amtrak are two of the railway companies that offer student travel discounts. Students can buy deeply discounted tickets or railway passes for travel in the US or in Europe.

Bus: Whether traveling in the US or abroad, students with student ID or discount cards can ride on the bus for much cheaper than non-students. Greyhound is the main US bus service that offers student discounts. Students can also obtain cheap bus fare from European bus service, Busabout. Some Mexican bus services offer student discounts as well. Many of these bus services don’t offer too many frills and thrills to students, but they are cheap!

Accommodations: Student hotel and accommodation discounts are a little harder to come by, but students can also look to alternative lodging options to find great deals on student accommodations. Hostels are probably one of the most popular forms of student accommodations, especially when students are traveling throughout Europe. Homestays allow students to stay with a host family in the country that they visiting. This is a great way for students to learn about the country, culture, and the way of life in the country by living with a host family and becoming part of the family’s daily life.

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You Know This Is What You Were Born To Study
This way is undoubtedly the easiest. It seems like some people are born with a passion or anthropology or architecture. Maybe they are, maybe they’re not, but by the time they are college freshmen they have a fully formed idea of what makes them passionate when they study it. If you are one these lucky people, you don’t need to read any further.

You Know This Is What You Were Born To Do For Work
You are similar to people in the previous category, but while they seem predestined to study in a certain field, you have always known that you wanted to be a sports agent, for example, or a political operative. People like you also have a pretty easy time of picking a major. What you should to do to decide on yours is to look up the biographies of people who have the jobs you would like to have and find out what they studied. If one of these people happens to be an alum of your school, you should email them and ask them how they got to be where they are.

You Met With Your Academic Adviser
If you’re not sure, the first thing you should realize is that you’re not alone. There are a bunch of people in your class who also don’t know what to major in, first of all. Secondly, none of you are alone because all of you have academic advisers. Make an appointment with your academic adviser to talk over the question of what you should major in. Your adviser can look at your high school transcript, talk to you about what you love and hate to study, and what you might like to do for work. To make this meeting even more productive, you can think about these things beforehand. As a result of your talk with your academic adviser, you should have a list of subject areas for consideration. And where, you might ask, do you go from there?

You Talked To Faculty Members
Find the subjects on the list you made with your academic adviser and email the department heads in the various departments you’ve identified. Ask that person if you could drop by and talk about what it would be like to major in that area. A department head’s job (part of it, anyway) is to administer all of the majors in the program, so that person will be able to give you a good idea about whether or not you and his or her subject are a good match.

You Heard An Exciting Rumor In The Dorm
Keep your ears open to what your peers are studying. Talk to people about what they’re taking and whether or not they like it. You might end up with a major you’d have never dreamed you’d pursue, but one that will keep you fascinated for your college career and beyond.

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What is Burnout?

If you feel exhausted, overworked, and dread going to work, you might be experiencing burnout. Burnout happens when people become fatigued and lose motivation. When burnout occurs, it becomes increasingly difficult to face each workday. You might find yourself dreading work, or even making excuses to avoid going to work.

Some of the common symptoms of burnout include moodiness, extreme tiredness, suppressed immunity to illness, and a lack of interest in your work. Burnout is especially common among people with high-stress jobs including social workers, teachers, and paramedics. Employee burnout is a major cause of turnover, with many individuals changing careers to escape their stressful jobs.

What Causes Burnout?

One of the major causes of burnout is overwork. If the expectations of your job are too high or unrealistic, job stress can quickly lead to burnout. One way of avoiding burnout in this instance is to ask your employer to clearly define your role at work and reach an agreement on the specific expectations of your position.

Another major cause of burnout is a lack of recognition. Toiling away at work each day without receiving positive feedback can be extremely frustrating and stressful. Earning rewards such as accolades, bonuses, or appreciation is one way of avoiding burnout.

Having little control over your job or situation is also another leading cause of burnout. Careers in social services and emergency health care are especially susceptible to this type of burnout, since clients and patients are often in dire situations that you have little control over. Fortunately, there are ways of avoiding burnout that can help you overcome these causes of burnout, stick with your job, and reduce the job stress in your life.

5 Tips for Avoiding Burnout

1. Take care of your health.

Job stress can have a negative impact on your health, so it is important to stay healthy in order to avoid burnout. Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly are great ways to help deal with stress. If you still find yourself experiencing burnout symptoms, consult a doctor to talk about steps you can take to control your stress levels.

2. Avoid perfectionism.

One important way of avoiding burnout involves lowering your expectations. Realize that you cannot do everything. Reward yourself when you do well, but don’t punish yourself when things don’t work out exactly as you planned.

3. Ask for help.

Sharing the load with others is a highly effective way of avoiding burnout. Think of yourself as part of a team, with each person bringing a unique set of skills, talent, and experience to contribute to the task at hand. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

4. Give yourself a break.

It is important to give yourself time away from your job. This might mean taking a vacation, or it might simply involve taking the time to participate in hobbies or activities that you enjoy. Go see a film, take a trip, or join a book club to find the relaxation that is vital for avoiding burnout.

5. Take a hard look at your job.

Avoiding burnout is impossible if you’re ill suited to your job. Do a career assessment to determine if your job is a good fit for your personality, goals, and values. If you decide that it’s time for a change, take the time to search for a career that is right for you.

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When figuring the cost of a college education several factors come into play. Tuition is just one of the many costs that a student is responsible for while earning their college education. Some costs may apply to certain situations that do not apply to other situations, so it is very important to assess the individual situation when figuring out the total costs.

Here is a breakdown of some of the costs of college that need to be considered when trying to come up with the total figure.

1. Tuition: Contact the colleges and/or universities that you are interested in attending. Ask specifically about the estimated costs for tuition. Tuition is the fee that schools charge for students to enroll and attend classes. This is not an all inclusive cost. Usually the estimate of these costs is provided in the college brochure.

2. Books and Materials: Contact the colleges and/or universities that you are interested in attending. Ask specifically about the estimated costs for books and supplemental learning materials. Student materials include notebooks, paper, pens and pencils and any other materials that students will need to complete their classes. Usually the estimate of these costs is provided in the college brochure.

3. Housing: If students are planning on living on-campus, they will also need to obtain housing information. Housing information should include the cost and what the cost includes. Some colleges and universities offer meal plans to students who live on-campus, which provides them with a certain amount of money to eat at the campus restaurants, cafeteria and cafes. If students are planning on living off-campus, they will need to do a little research on the average cost of rent for the area. Also be sure to include extra costs such as electric, phone, water, etc.

4. Food: Everyone has to eat, so be sure to include spending money for food in the calculations.

5. Spending money: College is more than just academics. There are student activities that students are going to want to participate in throughout the semester. Be sure to allocate a certain amount of money to spend on going out with friends, football games, going to the movies, and participating in a sorority or fraternity, etc.

6. Other fees: Some distance learning programs or online programs charge additional fees on top of tuition. They charge for items such as technology usage and distance learning fees.

So there are other costs and fees associated with earning a college education. The cost of a college degree goes beyond the tuition itself. It is important that students are careful to obtain all of the fees and costs associated with obtaining their degree before making a final decision.

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