Archive for the ‘Small Business’ Category
Financial Aid Options in the US for International Students
WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A WAY TO PAY
I was accepted into school! Now what?
You have just received noticed that your school of choice has accepted you. You’re ready to pack your bags and head off on your adventure into a new world of academic studies abroad. It’s time for a celebration! HOLD ON. The first semester tuition is $10,0000! That doesn’t include housing, transportation, or textbooks. Now you’re questioning your decision and wondering how to make your dreams of studying in the US a reality.
America is known as the “land of opportunity,” but the reality is that everything comes with a price. International students have a high price to pay if they don’t have the proper funds, eligibility for scholarships, or know how to figure out how to pay for additional expenses. Exploring a different country is appealing, and it can be rewarding meeting others from across the globe. Finding the proper financial assistance can be an overwhelming task when there are few monetary resources and a small network to pull together funds.
How am I going to afford to pay my bills?
Are there any scholarships available to international students?
How can I save money?
What resources are available to international students on campus?
According to InternationalStudentLoan.com, in the last year “over 670,000 international students came to the USA to study at universities and colleges.” As more students pursue undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctorate programs in the United States, many are asking questions pertaining to financial aid, housing, Visa status, taxes, and more to make their educational experiences possible.
Early on, make sure to consider the financial aid process after you identified your school of choice and your area of study. There are many deadlines in place to ensure that you are eligible for assistance. You don’t want wait to get into school and realize later you’re stuck with no way to fund your education and make your experience worthwhile. It’s very important to budget yourself while on campus.
Are there different means available for funding to international students?
Some useful tips, suggestions and other websites for more information:
U.S. College or University Scholarship: You might be eligible based on need, nationality, or areas of study for a financial support. Check out the International Student Insurance website for additional scholarship listings, or your college’s website.
Assistantship – As a participating student you can apply and potentially be awarded an assistantship. It’s very competitive with other international and American students to earn this type of financial support while working with a professor or specific department. Some fees are waived or you can be paid a stipend towards your tuition. Apply early and learn of these programs through an advisor or speak with other administrative officers on campus.
Fellowships & Scholarships –A grant could be applied to a higher graduate or doctoral degree to pay for tuition, living expenses, textbook, etc. There are opportunities to also be considered for a Fulbright scholarship. Learn more about these options: Foreign Student Fulbright Student Program, Graduate Studies for Latin American and the Caribbean, Council for International Exchange, and the Institute of International Education.
Working On-campus, or Other Employment: In the US, international students working on campus can only participate for a limited amount of hours per week. Ask your work-study or financial aid office for assistance, as well as research the different for part-time positions that will accept international students.
Student Loan – You might be able to find a loan to pay for part of your educational costs from a bank or lender in your home country. Some U.S. loans might be available but they may have specific requirements. Check out InternationalStudentLoans.com
Funds From Your Country – You might find scholarships or other sources of funds within your home country offered by the government. A university, a private sponsor or employer can potentially support your college tuition.
Payments for School with peerTransfer
A service charge is applied for each transaction when money is transferred from an international bank and wired to the United States to pay for college. The amount your money is worth can also fluctuate on the different currency markets.
Stop wasting money and save it! Wouldn’t you rather have some extra cash to attend a concert with a friend, purchase a collegiate sweatshirt to keep you cozy, or add a new wide-screen television to your apartment or dorm?
SAVE MONEY. SAVE TIME. SAFEGUARD.
Encourage your school to participate or sign-up for peerTransfer to start making easy payments in a secure environment. peerTransfer saves you and your parent’s money. Don’t be bothered paying for unnecessary fees but rather have peace of mind with extra spending cash in your pocket. See if your school is one of the participating peerTransfer campuses. Contact them for more information.
Lessons Learned For Today and the FutureM
Last week, I had a great opportunity to mix and mingle with marketers as we navigated through the world of technology. Digital media will always be about bridging the gap between the real world and the virtual world, while contributing to the overall ROI, and making a true connection with the audience.
The forces came together to kick off the FutureM week of events at the Harvard Faculty Club with the Gravity Summit. It was located at the Harvard campus where the social media platform Facebook was born. The event broke new ground bringing a great group of speakers and attendees from across the country. People showcased their marketing stories using social media showing how big brands have made a few “Friends” and “Followers” along the way. Executives that contributed were from Bing, Mr. Youth, former CNN reporter Rick Sanchez, Audi, CFO of Hootsuite and others. I listened and tweeted away with new tips to share. Here is a link to a list of presentations that might be useful for you.
Respect, Recognition and Reward!
At the Gravity Summit, speaker Doug Clark, GM of Social Media and Customer Engagement for Audi, provided some solid advice to marketers. He shared a story of a woman that was a fan of the Audi TT Quattro sports car. Women are a great demographic for the brand. They made one woman’s wish come true with a car! Doug and his team followed the story of one special lady and listened to her interests and desire to drive the car. The company decided to drive to her door with the Quattro for her to take it for a spin! This is one great example using social media. Audi listened to its influencers and took the right action to create the right opportunity. As Greg Shove, CEO of Halogen Media shared also at the Summit, “Find the most interesting person, or activity that can take on a life of its own on your behalf and watch it grow.”
Stop. Collaborate. Listen to Your Audience.
Matt Britton, CEO of Mr. Youth said, “Friends want to connect with other friends, collaborate and have control of their privacy.” Why is that concept so hard for some companies to understand that same notion online? It’s how we want to connect and relate to each other in the real world so why should communicating online be any different?
As Audi’s Doug Clark presented his approach and I provided my comments:
- Offer a seat at the table - Welcome your audience
- Open doors – Make it easy for one to engage without barriers
- Create a win/win – Make it something rewarding for both parties
- Recognize a need – Determine your customers needs or wants
- Be quick to respond – Learn to take action and be agile
- Learn from audience – Take action based on new insights
- Listen and engage – Keep your ears/eyes alert searching for comments
- See yourself through the eyes of the customer – Put yourself in their shoes
- Be honest and authentic – Say it from the heart, and always be true to yourself and your brand
The Theme at FutureM was MOBILE
“Hi, I’m Human. Remember That?”
"App-tizers" to Choose and Make Real Connections with Customers
It’s not just about calling a friend, but rather a connection to “reaching out and touch someone” with new tools and social media tactics. Yet, so often I keep seeing marketing professionals trying to fit in with the wrong approach. Good examples include QR codes and checking in with Foursquare to check-out. Some disruptive technologies and changes are good, but remember to listen and learn from the natural daily actions, behaviors and what people want.
Chris Mahl, Chief Brand Alchemist of Levelup and SCVNGR, spoke at FutureM’s event and suggested for marketers to recognize, “What are the noticeable behaviors, what does your audience respond to, and make sure to treat your customer as an individual.” People need people, convenience and value – not a quirky gimmick or a link that just drives you to a website with no proper direction. You need to make it personalized to drive impulse and purpose.
John Caron, SVP of Marketing for Modiv Media, noted when marketing mobile, or for marketing anything for that matter, you must remember, “Reach, relevance and recognition.” When creating or defining the attributes of you product and/or service, be sure to consider those three aspects as part of putting together the message. Listen to what your audience seeks and the unique connection to you or your business. Regardless of the new toys we have available to play with today and into tomorrow, we all have strong emotions and there is a difference in how we all want to be treated, recognized and valued as human beings.
Inspire the Little Fashionista In All Of Us
My cute video shoot that I created and edited. Check it out and consider me to make your next video so you too can be a star!
Video produced, shot and edited by Keri Singer
