Need Academic Diversity

Evan Granowitz is regarded as one of the best young civil litigators around who represents his clients in different facets of lawsuit. His practice areas are Insurance Coverage (10%), Appellate (20%) and Business Litigation (70%). He has a wide range of knowledge which includes; breach of contract disputes, unfair competition, corporate director and officer litigation, business torts, bankruptcy litigation, insurance coverage disputes, class action litigation and other types of difficult litigation.

Evan Granowitz went to study law at the Boalt Hall School of Law at University of California, Berkeley where he graduated in 2004. During his time there, he was famous to have worked as a judicial extern to the Honorable Joyce L. Kennard, the Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. Due to his academic brilliance, he received the American Jurisprudence award for his performance in Contracts and also the Prosser Prize for his performance in Corporate Law.

For graduating amongst the best ten percent in his law class, he is a member of the Order of the Coif National Honor. Evan Granowitz is also a member of the Orange County Bar Association, a place where area attorneys see to exchange information that is pertinent to their area of specialization. He holds a membership of the California Young Lawyers’ Association. Due to his diligence and hard work, he was honoured the Southern California Rising Star both in 2009 and 2010; the award dedicated to the top 2.5% of lawyers in Southern California under 40.

Greatest & Best Cinematographers Of All Time : By Rajiv Jain ICS WICA, Indian Cinematographer, DOP

Cinematography and its significance is an aspect of film that is usually overlooked by your average movie goer. Often times when a director is know for consistently maintaining a certain style it is due in part to the cinematographers contribution. Like film editors, cinematographers take a back seat to directors when it comes to the public’s perception of each of their significances. Although it is ultimately the directors medium, the cinematographer guides the tone and feel of the film by controlling the aesthetics. This is of course excluding art direction, wardrobe and set design. A beautifully constructed sequence arrests your attention with such command and power, while still displaying a subtle eloquence. This display of the mastery of film is often referred to as something “cinematic”. In that moment it is film declaring “I am what I am.”  The cinematographer plays an instrumental role is deciding what that declaration is going to convey.

A films cinematography can often be so significant that it becomes a character in itself.  Films such as The Sheltering Sky, Road to Perdition, and Paranoid Park have such powerful and daring athletics that they help the viewer to characterize each film and ultimately differentiate them from the pack.  If you’ll notice every film on this list has at least a certain sequence that is ingrained into your psyche because of its overwhelming visual power and emotional significance.

Charles Rosher 1885-1974

Charles Rosher was a two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer who worked from the early days of silent films through the 1950s. Born in London, he was the first cinematographer to receive an Academy Award, along with 1929 co-winner Karl Struss. Rosher studied photography in his youth but earned a reputation early as a newsreel cameraman, before moving to the United States in 1909. He subsequently found work for David Horsley working in his production company in New Jersey. Because early film was largely restricted to using daylight, Horsley relocated his production company to Hollywood in 1911, taking Rosher with him, and opened the first movie studio there. This made Rosher the first full-time cameraman in Hollywood. In 1913 he went to Mexico to film newsreel footage of Pancho Villa’s rebellion. In 1918, he was one of the founders of the American Society of Cinematographers and served as the group’s first Vice-President. In the 1920s he was one of the most sought-after cinematographers in Hollywood, and a personal favorite of stars such as Mary Pickford. His work with Karl Struss on F.W. Murnau’s 1927 film Sunrise is viewed as a milestone in cinematography. In addition, Rosher also received two Eastman Medals (named for George Eastman), Photoplay magazine’s Gold Medal, and the only fellowship ever awarded by the Society of Motion Picture Engineers.
Notable films: Sunrise (1927), The Affairs of Cellini (1934), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), The Yearling (1946), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Show Boat (1951).

James Wong Howe 1899-1976

James Wong Howe had over 130 films to his credit, spanning from the silent era to color. During the 1930s and 1940s he was considered one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards for cinematography, winning twice. As well as being one of the first cinematographers to use deep focus photography, Howe pioneered techniques to augment eyes on B&W film, early dolly techniques, handheld camera techniques and shooting by unusual light sources, such as by candlelight on The Molly Maguires.
Notable films: The Thin Man (1934), Algiers (1938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), The Rose Tattoo (1955), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Old Man and the Sea (1958), Hud (1963), Funny Lady (1975)

Conrad L. Hall 1926-2003

Beginning with films such as Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hall helped liberate approaches to filming by making, as Sight and Sound puts it, “making virtues of mistakes”. Blemishes such as the sun hitting the lens, dirt getting on the lens, or other seeming distractions which would have necessitated reshoots in the past, but Hall’s approach exemplified the new wave of American cinema and helped set a template for gritty, independent films. But Hall also proved he could handle more ‘pristine’ pictures, photographing films such American Beauty later in his career. He won his first Oscar in 1969 for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and then would have to wait 30 years for his next, for American Beauty. His third Oscar was awarded to him posthumously for Road to Perdition. As well as that, he was nominated a further seven times during his life.
Notable films: Cool Hand Luke (1967), In Cold Blood (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Day of the Locust (1975), American Beauty (1999), Road to Perdition (2002)

Christopher Doyle Born 1952

Though born in Australia, Doyle made his mark by photographing Asian films, especially the work of Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai. His work with the director, particularly the films Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love and 2046, is lauded for their vivid splashes of colors and high saturation, and he is considered one of the most important architects of Asian New Wave cinema. He is also one of the few “superstar” cinematographers, whose reputation is often higher than the directors he works with.
Notable films: Chungking Express (1994), In the Mood for Love (2000), The Quiet American (2002), Hero (2002), Infernal Affairs (2002), 2046 (2002), Paranoid Park (2007)

Gordon Willis Born 1931

Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Darkness’ for his penchant for using rich blacks and dark interiors, most famously in The Godfather films for which he is best known, Gordon Willis is famed for his innovative cinematography which has garnered him two Oscar nominations and heaps of respect. His work on The Godfather films is legendary, and his innovations include pioneering the use of warm, fuzzy, amber glows to represent nostalgic scenes of the past in The Godfather Part II, and the unique recreation of 1920s photography for Woody Allen’s Zelig.
Notable films: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), All the President’s Men (1976), Zelig (1977), Manhattan (1979), Zelig (1983), The Godfather Part III (1990)

Gregg Toland1904-1948

Gregg Toland was not with us long, but it is a credit to his brilliance that he is so revered today. Toland was nominated five times for the Best Cinematography Oscar during a seven year golden period which lasted from 1936 to 1942, but it is his collaboration with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane that is most remembered. Though he didn’t create deep focus cinematography, he perfected it in Citizen Kane, allowing characters in the fore and background to be shot in focus at the same time. In fact, much of the film’s visual and cinematographic genius – low angles, high contrast, dark shadows – though often credited to Welles, was largely Toland’s doing. Welles later acknowledged that Toland was advising him on camera placement and lighting effects secretly so the young director would not be embarrassed in front of the highly experienced crew. So indebted was he to Toland’s work, that Welles insisted that their names appear together on the end credits. Later on, Toland worked on Disney’s Song of the South, which combined live action with animation.
Notable films: Wuthering Heights (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Long Voyage Home (1940), Citizen Kane (1941), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Song of the South (1946)

Sven Nykvist 1922-2006

As Ingmar Bergman’s choice cinematographer, Nykvist was given the unenviable task of transforming the Swedish auteur’s startling, often surreal, images into reality in front of the camera. Despite this, Nykvist was noted for his subtlety and simplicity, favouring naturalistic lighting to complement Bergman’s slow, paced style of storytelling. He was unpretentious and often hidden behind his towering director, but Nykvist was still acknowledged for his work with two Academy Awards for Cries and Whispers and Fanny and Alexander. Nykvist also worked with directors such as Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Andrei Tarkovsky. He was the first European cinematographer to join the American Society of Cinematographers, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASC in 1996.
Notable films: The Virgin Spring (1960), Persona (1966), Cries and Whispers (1973), Fanny and Alexander (1982), The Sacrifice (1986), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Vittorio Storaro Born 1940

Vittorio Storaro (born 24 June 1940 in Rome) is a three-time Academy Award winning Italian cinematographer. He is most famous for his work on Apocalypse Now (his first Oscar), where he was given free reign by Francis Ford Coppola to photograph the film’s acclaimed visual look. He went on to win Oscars for Reds and The Last Emperor, which was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, his most frequent collaborator. Storaro is widely regarded as a master cinematographer with a sophisticated philosophy largely inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s theory of colors, which focuses in part on the psychological effects different colors have and the way in which colors influence our perceptions of different situations. With his son, Fabrizio Storaro, he created the Univisium format system to unify all future theatrical and television movies into one respective aspect ratio of 2.00:1.
Notable films: The Conformist (1970), Last Tango in Paris

Social science papers are scholarly writings meant for the social science field or profession. These social science papers may include essays, research papers, term papers, book or paper reviews among many other forms of scholarly writings. Social science papers are used to express academic ideas and concepts as well as findings within the social science field of study that is dedicated to exploring the human society. These papers are commonly written by students studying in various fields of social science which is slightly different from the natural sciences. These fields may include communication, anthropology, geography, law, economics, archaeology, political science, linguistics, psychology and international studies-just to mention but a few.

Social science should have some basic features which are defined by the academic writing style used to write the social science papers. A part from the style used, the papers should also have the following features in their writing. Firstly, social science papers should present a general introduction that outlines the context of the social science paper. This should contain a thesis statement towards its end. This statement acts as the basis of the argument and any other ideas or propositions that may be made within the social science papers. The statement should be supported from within the body of the essay. The second feature of social science papers is the body. This part presents the argument in a clear and succinct manner whilst using the presented evidence to support the earlier stated statement. This supportive information may be presented in various forms including the use of figures, theories and facts. Therefore, evidence is a crucial feature in supporting the content of any social science papers. The supportive information presented should be clearly in support of the thesis, and the writer of the social science papers should strive to show how the presented material does support the thesis. Thus the manner in which the supportive information is presented should be orderly and easy to understand.

Citations are another common feature in the writing of social science papers. These are used to present evidence in forms of paraphrased or directly quoted secondary sources. Citations are important because they help the reader to follow through your information sources as well as to structure your argument in their own context. Citations should be done in accordance to the stipulated academic writing styles chosen by the assigning tutor or lecturer. The bibliography is also a common feature in the writing of social science papers. The writing of a bibliography for any social science papers should follow the stipulations of the academic writing style used within the document for citations. Prior to writing the bibliography the writer of the social science papers should also include a conclusion section.

A feature that is important in social science papers because it sums up the argument within the social science papers. In the conclusion section of the social science papers the writer re-states the thesis and argument presented within the social science papers. Thereafter, the writer should state the significance and implication of the findings or facts presented within his or her argument. This explanation may also involve how the information presented may be applied in real life situations of day-to-day life. In order to have a clear flow of information students are advised to follow this outline for consistency and clarity enhancement.

In the late 20th century, as a student and practitioner of divine Science, I found the teachings in Eddy’s Science and Health to be extraordinarily effective in understanding how to heal mind/body/spirit through prayer. I’ve experienced proof of metaphysical healing and for this proof I basically give credit to the ideals of Truth, God, as outlined in Eddy’s Science and Health.

Before the turn of this century, my practice of metaphysical healing increasingly included the public. I would find myself in conversations with people interested in the scientific healing aspect of Truth, Christ. However in the beginning, these conversations brought about a rude awakening for me. I was too often speaking in 19th century vernacular when I shared Eddy’s ideas. So, I made the decision to admit that Eddy’s statements were deserving of expression in 21st century idiom and language and I developed the means to do so. It wasn’t long before logic took me further. If speaking about Eddy’s ideas in today’s language, I must also accept Science and Health in today’s language in print form. To insist otherwise is ethnocentric, impractical, and false-hearted.

However, something about a printable revision ran contrary to what I’d been humanly imprinted with. Either consciously, or unconsciously, my brain was impressed with the notion that a readable revision of Science and Health was not an option. For feedback, I mentioned the idea of Eddy’s Science and Health in modern day language to my Teacher of Christian Science.  He then gave me a shocked look, fumbling with words agreeable to the value of  revisions. The subject was dropped as I wasn’t prepared to say anymore. I then bounced the idea off other students of Christian Science, but the idea came right back like a hot potato.

I remember going through mental gyrations that eventually calmed to strength. I reasoned with the motivation to be truthful and fall into line with progress. In other words, I took the steps to remove myself from incorrect reasoning that a revision is changing Eddy’s words, and from my own personal attachment to Eddy’s words.

Then a physical problem presented itself. After being in a horrific accident, I was fighting for my life. Timid conservatism was insisting it was better to go along with common assumptions. I felt privileged being familiar with Eddy’s words; they helped me immensely, so why change? Why repent? The answer blared back: because healing truths are not confined to physical states. And, more importantly, good ideas are to be shared, not buried in the letter by the stubbornness of Eddy worshipers. My human mind gave way to self-evident spiritual truths. Healing ideas are timeless, universal, and all-inclusively expressed. My thought had changed and my body responded by healing naturally and quickly to the amazement of the surgeon and nurses.

I quietly and sincerely began revising and updating Science and Health just after the turn of the 21st century. Wow, a printable revision of Science and Health is a daunting task. The revision of Eddy’s Science and Health needed to be done extremely well, carefully, thoughtfully and lovingly, without personal ego or preferences.

In this pursuit, I spent countless hours developing the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish this formidable task. I studied Bible history, researched other great thinkers who Eddy quoted and referenced, and became familiar with the times in which she lived. I examined the meaning of 19th century terminology and idiom, and learned how scientific and religious thought has progressed in the twentieth century. I was also active in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and consistently tended to my spiritual advancement.

The spiritual growth I attained while revising one chapter helped me to revise another chapter. Also, unique coincidences brought me together with people who were powerfully thankful for Eddy’s metaphysical ideas and offered me outstanding counsel on how to update it so the text is correct to the reader today.

One of the many examples of how Eddy’s meaning has been changed, because the words have NOT been revised, is the 21 times that she uses the word “apprehension” in Science and Health. Today, “apprehension” usually means anxiety or doubt.  In her time, it meant comprehension.

Much terminology, such as animal magnetism, phrenology, humors, brainology, and consumption, is outdated and consequently confusing to the reader. In the revision, these terms have been replaced with proper text that aids more fluent practical reading. Also, the book is now gender-inclusive. Although Eddy’s use of the term “man,” meaning person, was acceptable in the 19th century, it is not acceptable today. I also requested, and was granted permission to quote from modern Bibles and 20th century leaders. These quotes have been footnoted, as is appropriate for literature today.

After a few years of getting the revision on paper, I did approach The Christian Science Publishing Society for assistance in publishing 21st Century Science and Health. I was still a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, and figured our church would appreciate the opportunity to again have some form of legal access to Eddy’s writings. During the 20th century, we members were so busy with rituals and human ideologies that we had neglected to follow Eddy and keep her work in line with the times. Consequently, the church lost any connection to a copyright to Science and Health long ago. It was similar to a person inheriting a piece of property and failing to take care of it or pay the taxes and so the inheritance got taken away.

However, instead of responding to me, the Publishing Society told the Christian Science Board of Directors what I was doing. The Directors then began a dialog with me (which I have documented). This dialog went on for a few weeks and was not only grossly agonizing, but also very enlightening. Members of the church Board asked me questions, I answered. I asked the Board of Directors questions and they gave me assumptions that lacked credibility. For instance, the Board of Directors told me that Eddy requested her words not be changed. Her request was fair and was necessary in the 19th century when copyright laws were lacking. However, to clearly identify if changes have been made to an author’s wording is common practice today. Eddy’s words are still intact to her name on her book, while my revision of Science and Health is clearly juxtaposed with my name.  The Boards misinterpretation of Eddy’s request caused me to question any further interpretation they had of her writings.  I then withdrew my church membership so as not to be affiliated to their beliefs and fears. I continued finishing the revision, quietly.

Please allow me to digress here.

With all due respect, I assert that I am not antagonistic to First Church of Christ, Scientist. I have happy memories of being around wonderful people when I was a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist. I recognize that many church members are outstanding citizens of the community and contribute admirably to society. I also came across a few extremists who promulgated Christian Science as a religion of not going to a doctor. A dogma I did not learn.

All human organizations have their problems and have been known to get superiority complexes. These complexes twist and morph, sometimes looking arrogant or out of touch with reality. But, I am partly to blame if I give someone power they really don’t and can’t possess. It is dishonest and lazy for me to presume a hierarchy can make final decisions or that I can just repeat Eddy’s words and expect progress.

Consequently, when I am upset, it is only with myself, while struggling to break from habituated human mindsets. I do feel Eddy’s counsel when she wrote, “Judge not the future advancement of Christian Science by the steps already taken, lest you yourself be condemned for failing to take the first step.” (Science and Health, Trade Edition,pg. 459)

Needless to say, I pray vigilantly for a regeneration of practicality, honest hard-work, and compassion.

History has proven over and again that people can break out of the habituated human mindsets enough to manifest improved ideals that benefit humanity and our world. Usually these transitions sometimes include confusion, so I now speak to the beliefs and fears I’ve come across.

I’ve been asked whether or not 21st Century Science and Health has been authorized by First Church of Christ, Scientist. It never occurred to me to ask the church for permission to fulfill my right and responsibility to revise Eddy’s Science and Health in order to advance divine Science today. Just as I wouldn’t dream of thinking I had to be authorized by First Church of Christ, Scientist in order to understand divine Science and experience its healing power. First Church of Christ, Scientist has no authority over Eddy’s Science and Health. It is in the public domain.

Science and Health is its own complete entity. It manifests itself as self-supportive.

Another mental position and fear that I’ve run into concerning my revision of Science and Health is that a revision of Eddy’s work is somehow immoral, unjustifiable, or impossible. This is easily treated. Words are used to stimulate thoughts, which in turn do stimulate the physical state. It is impossible to confine divine Science to words either spoken or written. Thoughts of God, Truth, are not in the letter, and certainly not restricted to the English language. I read from Eddy’s works, “The chief difficulty in conveying the teachings of divine Science accurately to human thought lies in this; that like all other languages, English is inadequate to the expression of spiritual conceptions and propositions, because one is obliged to use material terms in dealing with

Education grooms students with well-informed knowledge to build their future careers. The methods adopted may be different, but the goal is the same. While traditional schooling allows the child to learn among peers and be influenced within their same age group, home schooling allows the child to learn at his or her own pace. Unfortunately, today most of the traditional schools are blamed that they expect every child to have the same attitude and move at the same pace with others.

Home schooling on the other hand, allows the parent and child to relax in the lap of their own home environment and the child is made to learn at a comfortable pace. There is a growing trend that favors home schooling. Traditional schools work within a fixed time slot, which robs both parent and child with very little time to devote to them everyday. In addition to the timings of the traditional school, their setup of each subject to learn is addressed and limited to a certain time frame, which may or may not be enough for every child to grasp the taught subject.

Home schooling, on the other hand enables the parent to fix a flexible schedule to teach each day. This gives the child the required rest and ample of time to learn and be part of a schedule that is preferred and not imposed. Probably one favorable point in traditional schooling is that it helps the child to get disciplined within the imposed time slot and schedule.

The parent who chooses to home school the child is also at liberty to pick and choose the materials or subjects, in which the child has a natural aptitude and interest. This is not so with traditional schools. The traditional school management imposes everything from the books to the stationery, the syllabus to timetable etc. The home school can be customized. The main element in favor of home schooling is the fact that the parent is able to devote individual attention to the child and bring out the best in him or her.

In a traditional school, the ratio of teacher to students is 1:30, 40 or 50. This prevents the teacher to address the difficulty of each child within the thirty or forty minute time slot allotted to each subject. In the case of home schooling, if you are teaching the child a particular topic, like quadratic equations in math, and the child cannot grasp the examples and application very easily, you could restructure the time slot from half an hour of learning to one hour.

In home schooling, to impart teaching can be handled by both parents, even while on a family outing. To educate becomes an extended family activity in this way. However, in the case of traditional schools, there is no time for family bonding during school hours. While in home schooling, the child is monitored and kept away from negative peer influences. It is not possible to do so in a traditional school.

Home schooling environment makes the child confident to learn easily, besides possessing talent and knowledge. There is no competition and hence no fear, as may be the case with many children, who drop out of traditional schools. In the traditional schools, to make comparisons among children are not ruled out. However, one can argue to favor traditional schools, since children are helped to cope up early in life to face competition and pressures in the traditional school environment.

To home school your child or not is a personal choice, but the way you guide should give direction to the growth of the child both in education and health. It is not so much the matter of convenience, a parent should look into. All the above matter would help you to make a decision to choose home schooling or traditional schooling.

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The Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) helps students and their families save money by bundling multiple student loans into a single student loan, locking in the new student loan at a low interest rate and offering benefits in the form of interest rate reductions. H.R. 5, a bill recently passed by the House of Representatives and now being debated in the senate, will have a negative impact on Federal Consolidation Loans if it is approved by the senate and becomes law.

This legislation doubles the fees paid by FFELP lenders to provide federal student loans, which may eliminate the incentive benefits offered by FFELP lenders. It also encourages colleges to participate in the Direct Lending Program, which does not offer many interest rate reduction benefits to students when they do a student loan consolidation on their student loans.

Loss of Benefits Costs Students

According to NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company, over the past three years, 4,653,000 students consolidated their federal student loans through FFELP lenders. As result of the interest rate reductions offered by FFELP lenders, such as NextStudent, a borrower who consolidated ,000 last year could save ,513 more than a borrower who consolidated with the Direct Lending Program. Additionally, a medical student could save more than ,512 over the life of his or her student loan by consolidating with FFELP. These would be the savings lost if the current legislation becomes law.

Student Loan Consolidation Locks In Interest Rates

Federal student loan consolidation is free of charge and can lower monthly payments by up to 60 percent. Also, there are no prepayment penalties. NextStudent offers some of the most aggressive benefits in the industry including a discount of .25 percent for Auto-Debit and a 1 percent LOCKED interest rate reduction after the first 36 on-time payments. These benefits can save borrowers thousands of dollars over the life of their consolidated student loan.

Other packages include the Google Package: a discount of .25 percent for Auto-Debit, a .375 percent discount after six months of on-time payments and a 1 percent discount after 36 on-time payments (not locked). The 2% Package features a discount of .25 percent for Auto-Debit and a 2 percent discount after 36 on-time payments (not locked).

Qualify over the phone in as little as five minutes. NextStudent’s personally assigned Education Finance Advisors will walk you through the student loan consolidation process from start to finish.

NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and it is dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about Student Loans and Student Loan Consolidation at NextStudent.com.

What you need to know about financial aid BEFORE choosing a college.

With the high cost of a college education, no one wants to pay more than they must. Yet thousands of families pay too much for college every year because they don’t understand the basics of financial aid and don’t know the right questions to ask. So let’s learn what questions to ask.

Basics Part I

There are three types of financial aid for college: grants or scholarships, loans and work-study.

Grants and scholarships are free money that you do not need to pay back.

Most grants and scholarships come from the federal and state government or from the individual college.

Loans need to be paid back after college.

There are many loan programs available from the federal and state government. Most of these loans have fairly low interest rates. There are also private loans available although these generally have a higher interest rate.

Work-study is a job offered on the campus of the college.

Basics Part II

Need based aid vs Merit based aid

Need based aid is given by all colleges to students who have need. Anyone who can’t pay the full cost of the college has need.

A form called the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) determines the amount of need for federal grants and scholarships. Many highly selective colleges also require a form known as the Profile form The FAFSA form is filled out after January 1 of the year the student will first attend college.

The FAFSA and Profile forms ask questions about the income of the parents and student using information that you gave on your tax returns. These forms also ask questions about the amount of money you have in savings or investments. The Profile form is more detailed than the FAFSA form. Once these forms are completed the government uses the FAFSA form to determine how much your family can pay for college. This is your expected family contribution or your EFC. Your EFC is the same regardless of the cost of the college. Similarly the individual colleges who use the Profile use that form to determine what your family can pay for college.

Your need is the cost of the college you are looking at minus your EFC. For example, if you are looking at a college that costs ,000 a year and your EFC is ,000, your need at that college is ,000. If you are looking at a college that costs ,000 a year your EFC is still ,000. Your need at this college is ,000.

Merit-based aid includes scholarships typically for students who have good grades or have some other special talent such as athletic or musical talent. Most highly selective colleges offer little or no merit-based aid.

Finally, in looking at colleges you should ignore the cost of the college. Yes, you read that right. Ignore the stated cost of the college when you are first deciding which colleges to investigate further. You will see why later in this article.

So now you know the basics. Now comes the fun part: How to save money by asking the right questions.

Questions to ask the colleges

Question 1- What percent of my need do you meet?

Remember that EFC, or expected family contribution that the FAFSA determined? Some colleges will meet 100% of your need. Need again is defined as the cost of the college minus your EFC. So what does it mean if a college says they will meet 100% of your need? It means that once the FAFSA or Profile form has determined how much you can pay for college, the college will pay 100% of the rest of the bill.

Colleges will typically meet the need you have using a combination of grants, loans and work study. Most colleges will award work study and loans first and if there is a need after that, the remaining need will be supplied by grants. The colleges will typically have a standard loan and work study amount that they award and you should ask about what these numbers are when investigating the college.

Let’s see an example of a financial aid award from a college that provides 100% of need with a student who has an EFC of ,000.

Total cost of college ,000

Expected family contribution $ 5,000

Need ,000

Financial aid award

Work study $ 2,000

Loans $ 4,000

Grants $ 29,000

At a college that meets 100% of your need you pay ,000.

But what happens if the college doesn’t meet 100% of need?

Many less selective colleges don’t pay the total amount of need that their students have. Let’s use the example of our imaginary college from above only this time assume that the school only provides 90% of need.

Total cost of college ,000

Families expected contribution $ 5,000

Need ,000

This college only provides 90% of the ,000 need or ,500. Thus, your out of pocket expenses are the ,000 EFC plus an additional ,500 for a total cost of ,500.

This example makes it easy to see why a school that meets 100% of need is often a better financial aid “deal” than a school who doesn’t meet all of the families need.

Many of the most expensive private colleges meet 100% of the students need while cheaper public colleges usually meet less than 100% of the need. This means that for many students it can be cheaper to go to an expensive private college than to attend a cheaper state school. Until you know what percent of need the college meets, don’t eliminate a college from consideration just because it is expensive.

Question 2- Do you have merit based aid?

Many colleges that don’t meet 100% of a students need do offer scholarships for some students. If your student is near the top of the application pool for a less selective college they may get some money if they qualify for merit based aid. Thus, in some cases, if the student is willing to look at a less selective college, they may get a better financial aid package. Here are some questions you should ask if the college provides merit aid.

How many merit awards are available?

What is the value of the merit awards available?

What are the qualifications to receive one of these merit awards?

This works even for families that don’t qualify for need based aid at all. If your student can qualify for a merit based award you won’t need to pay the full stated cost of the college.

Question 3- How is financial aid determined after the first year?

Some colleges have a policy of providing good financial aid for the first year and then substantially reducing the grant aid in the following years while increasing the loans. You should ask the college in which you are interested how they determine financial aid after the first year and what the average loan is after the first year. While it is typical that the amount of loans will increase each year if the increase is substantial you will want to take that into consideration.

Question 4- What is the average loan amount at graduation of those students who have loans?

This question will give you the best indication of the amount of loans that this college requires compared to other colleges in which you may be interested. Although most students will have some loans when they graduate, you don’t want this amount to be any more than necessary.

Question 5- What is your policy regarding outside scholarships?

Most colleges will subtract money earned in outside scholarships from your financial aid package. Some colleges will reduce the loan burden by the amount of the scholarship, but other colleges will reduce your grant money. If the college reduces the amount of loans you have to take out that is a benefit to you. There is no benefit to you if the college reduces the grant aid.

Question 6- What is your packaging policy?

Most colleges give a financial aid package that includes grant money, loans and work study. But each college combines this money differently. Specifically you want to know:

What percentage of an aid package from your college is grant vs. self-help (loans, work study)?

The greater amount of grants versus loans and work study the better for the student.

Do you have a preferential packaging policy?

Preferential packaging occurs when a college gives a better financial aid package to a student with a stronger academic background than to another student with the same financial need but with a weaker academic background..

Question 7- What is your four year graduation rate?

What difference does a college’s four year graduation rate make? This is an important question that many people never consider. Another way to phrase this is, How many years of college am I going to have to pay for? If the college has a high four year graduation rate, you will most likely only have to pay for four years of college. However, if the college graduates most students in six years then you can plan on paying for six years of college, not four.

Conclusion

Now that you know something about financial aid, including the questions to ask each college you are

The terms “colleges” and “universities” are frequently used interchangeably – and many (if not most) four-year colleges often offer the same services and academic opportunities as universities. It’s not really about size, though universities are frequently larger, better funded and more prestigious than colleges. It’s more one of governance and administration. Colleges are single institutions, much like public high schools, whereas universities are extended collections of institutions; a single university may contain several colleges that operate semi-autonomously under a single administration; each college has its own dean and its own curriculum. While attending a university, a student may take courses from several different colleges.

Universities are also much more expensive. This is why it may be smart to consider starting out one’s academic career at on the the nation’s many two-year community colleges.

Tuition and fees at community colleges are substantially lower than those at universities; course offerings are correspondingly more limited. Some community colleges offer music and art courses, but mainly, courses are confined to basic academic subjects – mathematics, lab sciences, social sciences and language. This is the primary reason that many students choose to attend community colleges; it is an economical way to complete basic education requirements, or lower division course work that is common to both four-year colleges and universities. These two-year institutions offer what is known as an Associate of Arts degree, which generally allows the student to enter a university with junior (third year) class status; at this point, the student can focus on his/her major field of study.

Another way to save a great deal of money otherwise spent on fees, tuition and other assorted and sundry expenses is credit-by-examination. Most colleges and universities offer the College-Level Examination Program, or CLEP. By demonstrating your mastery of a given subject on a standardized test, you can receive full credit for the course without ever setting foot inside the classroom – and the cost per credit is a fraction of the full tuition.

It’s worth considering that while the cost of attendance of colleges and universities is high in the U.S. as compared to other countries, there is a flip side; virtually anyone in the U.S. who can afford it can attend, whereas in Korea, Japan and the E.U., such institutions are extremely selective. Relatively few people in those countries even get an opportunity to attend college because of the nature of public education in those countries. High school students must pass rigorous exams that essentially determine the course of their lives