3 Ways to Be Productive During Spring Break

Time is flying by in 2015. With the weather being what it is, it's hard to think about spring break, yet it's already March! Here are some suggestions to help you have a productive spring break.

PLAN THE REST OF THE SEMESTER

Good news is that the spring semester is halfway done! The other news is well, you still have the other half left. Now would be a nice time to rest, recover, and recuperate in order to finish the school year strong. Take this time to organize your coursework and get your mind ready for the final push.

PLAN FOR THE SUMMER

Before you know it, it will be the summer. Take advantage of your spring break by getting a head start on plans for the summer. See what internships are available or if there are any summer job openings. You can also take this time to see if there are any classes you could take as well. Take this time to think ahead.

PLAN FINANCIALLY TO CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION

While college is expensive, there are tons of resources out there to help you find help. Spring break is a great time to research on scholarships that are available to help you financially. Check out our previous blog post on how to find a legit scholarship.

Overall, enjoy your time off! Hopefully the weather will warm up too.

Scholarship "Red Flags"

With rising costs for higher education, more and more families are looking to scholarships.  Fortunately, there are tons of amazing resources available that are ready and willing to help.  Yet at the same time different scams and frauds exist as pitfalls for students.  How can you tell which scholarhsips are legitimate and which ones are not?  Here are some scholarship "red flags" to be on  the lookout for that will be able to help you discern...

Request for Personal Information

Always be wary of a scholarship that demands personal information such as your Social Security number, credit card information, and bank account information in order to apply.

Need to Pay or Buy in Order to Qualify

If you have to pay a fee or buy something or attend anything in order to apply for the scholarship, that is a definite red flag.

Promises "Guaranteed" Results

If a scholarship is saying you already won without having done anything, that is very suspect. All scholarships have eligibility requirements and is based on merit, so if you do not have to do anything to win their money, be very cautious for no scholarship is ever "guaranteed".

Information about the Scholarship is Missing or Inconsistent

If there is no contact information available for the scholarship, then that is a red flag.  Also if information about this scholarship is not found anywhere else or mentioned anywhere else, that is a concern.  Another big red flag is if there is no history of any past winners.

Issues with Website

If the scholarship's website is filled with constant advertisements and pop-ups, that is a definite concern.