The University Guide

Archive for September, 2010

Consider Different Ways to Invest for College Education

With the average cost of college level education rising approximately 6% every year, what is the best way to have the money for college exepnses when you need it? We can easily help you with different ways to invest for college education.

In fact, only 40% of students graduate in four (4) years. That means that 60% of students are taking five (5) years to complete their education.

It’s very important to plan for this major expense well in advance. On average, it costs over ,000 per year to attend a state college. And if you attend an out-of-state college full time, there is a sur-charge of over ,000. Private colleges can run well over ,000 per year.

There are actually several ways to pay for your education or provide financing your child’s education:

* You can invest your money in the stock market or savings account. However, this can result in hefty tax payments.

* You can hope your child has the ability to obtain a full scholarship.

* You can take a second job when the time comes…or have the student take a part time job to help with expenses. But consider the longer time frame to graduate…and also the fact that there is a higher drop-out rate with students who have to work.

* Or you could have your child finance his/her education with student loans. But, this leaves them with a huge debt load when they are trying to start their new adult life.

Let’s consider a a couple of different ways to save up for those education expenses!

Let me explain how to have the money for college at your fingertips when you need it. Just purchase a rental property with a 15-year mortgage? I’ll use a 5,000 property for our example:

Equity will build! Even if there is no appreciation in value, you will still have this 5,000 property paid for in 15 years. Plenty for the finances needed for college.

But let’s run some figures on a modest 5% increase per year in property values. In this case, your property will more than double in 15 years. Your 5,000 investment could be worth over 0,000 when you’re ready to pay for college.

And you don’t even have to sell it! Here’s a way to take your money out of this property without paying tax on it. Simply re-finance it. A re-finance is not taxable income!!

What a great way to plan for college! You will have had renters to pay the mortgage payment…and if you re-finance for college expenses, you will still have renters to pay for the new mortgage payment.

Even with refinancing for a higher amount – consider that because the property has increased in value – so has the potential rental income!

Getting straight A’s in school is about discipline and making sure that extracurricular activities don’t get in the way of studying. Get straight A’s on a report card by doing work before fun activities withtips from a playwright and college graduate in this free video on college life and personal growth. Expert: Laura Turner Bio: Laura Turner received her BA in English from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., graduating magna cum laude with honors. Her plays have been seen and heard from Alaska to Tennessee. Filmmaker: Todd Green

The 10 Strangest College Mascots

Sure, you have bulldogs, panthers, knights, and hawks. But not every school chooses a conventional mascot. In fact, some schools select rather unconventional ones and often for rather strange and unorthodox reasons. Here are ten of the strangest, in no particular order – except for the last one.
Boll Weevils.

At six millimeters longs, not many schools boast a mascot smaller than that of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Still, despite its diminutive size, the boll weevil is a formidable opponent – after all, it is the most destructive cotton pest in the United States. With that in mind, it is curious why men’s athletics at Monticello are represented by the Boll Weevils whereas the women are known as the “Lady Blossoms.”
Anteaters.

Is it any wonder that the 1960s, a decade famous for political unrest and protest, would also see the rise of University of California-Irvine Anteaters? Inspired by Johnny Hart’s comic strip, “B.C.,” Zot the Anteater was introduced at the school’s first athletic event, a water-polo game, in which cheerleaders led the crowd in the now-infamous chant, “Give ‘em tongue!”
Banana Slugs.

While famous for its marijuana culture as well as the infamous “Porter Run,” in which students streak en masse through campus one night of the year, the University of California-Santa Cruz is also known for its distinctive mascot. The idea for the mascot grew out of the students’ disapproval of the fierce athletic competition fostered at other universities – hence, they chose the peaceable slug.
Fighting Okra.

There are several legends as to how the Delta State “Statesmen” actually became known as the “Fighting Okra.” One version involves a group of athletes who decided to adopt a mascot that was more intimidating. Okra was suggested because it was green (the school color), Southern, and ugly. The name stuck.
Chokers.

Although this rather unfortunate name is also slang for athletes who “choke” in the final minute and fritter away an easy victory, the Grays Harbor Chokers actually refer to an archaic logging term. Traditionally, “chokers” were men who wrapped logs with ropes prior to moving them to the lumberyard.
Vulcans.

Given the volcanic activity in Hawaii, it is certainly appropriate that a local school would invoke the Roman God of Fire. That being said, upon hearing of the mascot of the University of Hawaii-Hilo, don’t most of us actually think of another prominent Vulcan as its representative? (Hint: Live long and prosper.)
Battling Bishops.

Prior to 1925, the Ohio Wesleyan teams were known as the “The Red and Black” or as simply “The Methodists.” But given that there were a dozen Methodist colleges in the area, Ohio Wesleyan decided to have a contest and select a new name to distinguish itself. “Battling Bishops” was the winner.
Artichokes.

Coming on the heels of protest-mascots such as the Anteaters and the Banana Slugs, the Artichokes was chosen by the students of Scottsdale Community College in the early 1970s as a protest against the school administration’s practice of using scholarships intended for Native Americans to attract out-of-state athletes.
Poets.

Named for a prominent poet and leader in the abolitionist movement, John Greenleaf Whittier, the Whittier College Poets are not quite as intimidating as the Fighting Okra nor even as peace-loving as the docile banana slugs. Then again, the Poets are also not as ridiculous as at least one mascot…
Fighting Pickles.

Apparently, the Fighting Pickles was first suggested as a joke in 1972 when the North Carolina School of the Arts decided to have a contest to create a mascot. As with many mascot-choosing contests – when will school administrators learn? – the unlikely vegetable won, giving it not only the honor of becoming the school’s official mascot but probably the most ridiculous mascot of all time.
Then again, what’s your school’s mascot…

Accredited Distance Education Universities

The need for you to register with any of the uncountable accredited distance education universities out there cannot be exaggerated. In other words, you must not only be contented with just finding and going to a university, you should make certain that it is absolutely accredited. It is not clever of you to just take the utterance of the university for it. You have to check their claim from the proper accrediting bureau. Have in mind, they spent huge sums of money to own that lovely sites you are viewing. And they are free to put any affirmations on their online page but it is required of you to check that you are attending a duly accredited university.

In addition}, most people finish at only recognizing that the university is accredited. They neglect to find out if the course they are attracted to is also accredited. In other words, there are two types of accreditation. The school, plus the course you want to put your name down for must be absolutely accredited before any employer out there can accept you and your certificate.

Due carefulness is desired when in the hunt for accredited distance education universities. This is because not all of them are genuine. There are so many fake universities offering distance education out there and if you are not careful enough, you will drop into their trap. Make use of the world wide web to look for these universities. When you are offered with innumerable universities, you should not be lethargic as countless individuals do. Keep in mind, it is your job and advancement we are speaking about here. Consequently, you can’t afford to tease with this. Patiently go through the list. Check first for accreditation of the university. The next thing you should hunt for is whether your course is accredited.

Employers are acquainted of the several diploma mills on the net. They know them and can notice when you are presenting the certificates of one of them. Hence, in your own interest, stay away from them and search for accredited universities presenting distance education. You can be convinced that employers will consider you well. Also, you won’t be skipped when it is time for elevation. When attempting to enhance your career through distance education, you should be unwearied to do all that is requested of you to get a respected certificate. Don’t connect with the list of folks searching for a short cut. Moreover, I exhort you to disregard mails from universities that you don’t apply for information from. This is an example of an unaccredited university. Distance yourself from them like plague for your own good.

Google Tech Talks June 17, 2008 ABSTRACT Google University Inaugural Lecture: Expanding the Frontiers of Computer Science Enrollments in undergraduate Computer Science programs nationwide have declined drastically in the past half decade and there is now a real crisis in the pipeline of students being prepared for careers in computing. Mehran Sahami, Google Research Scientist and Professor and Associate Chair for Education in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, will examine some of the factors affecting enrollments in CS, analyzing both historical and current trends. He will also discuss the significant changes that have been made in Stanford’s undergraduate CS program which aim to expand the scope of education in computer science and highlight the diversity of options available in the field Speaker: Mehran Sahami