Scholarship Tip of the Day: Avoiding the Free Seminar Scam
Tuesday, January 29th by Terreece M. ClarkeYou need money for school, don’t know where or how to look for it, and then you see a local ad that appears to be the answer to your prayers.
"Free Scholarship Seminar! Find free money for college! Meet one-on-one with financial aid experts!"
While there are some scholarship seminars that provide really useful information, most are pitches for scholarship finder services, consulting services, and student loans that are on the pricey side.
If you do attend one of these seminars, leave your credit card at home and forget your personal info, like your social security number. If you feel pressured to give out personal information, head toward the nearest exit! The last thing you need is a lil’ bit of identity theft.
Even if the seminar is being held in a college or university building, it doesn’t mean it’s a school-sponsored event. Call the school to be sure first. Most schools rent out their rooms on a regular basis to entities outside the school’s authority.
Tags: scholarship scams
February 7th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
This is wonderful information! My daughter and I attended a seminar and later made an appointment with the counselor. I will admit that the fees he asked for were quite pricey but he told us that most of the things he recommends, we could do on our own but he charged a fee for those people that didn’t want to do the due diligence. I took his advice and kept my money.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Flirtie,
A little hard work never hurt anyone and seeking out scholarship information is no exception. Besides, who has a better vested interest in making sure the scholarships are geared toward your daughter - him or your family? He’s gotten paid regardless.
Don’t get me wrong, offering a specialized service is one thing - a personal scholarship shopper sounds pretty cool. But my thought is if you can afford that, you probably can afford college :0)
Use the cash you were going to give him to pay for shipping out the application packets!
Thanks for the great comment,
Terreece