INSYA ALLOH MAHER ZAIN

	Everytime you feel like you cannot go on
	You feel so lost
	That your so alone
	All you is see is night
	And darkness all around
	You feel so helpless
	You can’t see which way to go
	Don’t despair and never loose hope
	Cause Allah is always by your side
	Insha Allah x3
	Insya Allah you’ll find your way
	Everytime you commit one more mistake
	You feel you can’t repent
	And that its way too late
	Your’re so confused, wrong decisions you have made
	Haunt your mind and your heart is full of shame
	Don’t despair and never loose hope
	Cause Allah is always by your side
	Insha Allah x3
	Insya Allah you’ll find your way
	Insha Allah x3
	Insya Allah you’ll find your way
	Turn to Allah
	He’s never far away
	Put your trust in Him
	Raise your hands and pray
	OOO Ya Allah
	Guide my steps don’t let me go astray
	You’re the only one that showed me the way,
	Showed me the way x2
	Insyaallah x3
	Insya Allah we’ll find the way

Negotiating Your College Financial Aid Package

Scenario: You're a talented student with high financial need who's been accepted to some of the country's top private colleges and universities. You're going to college no matter what, but your financial aid package could determine where you enroll. You've completed the FAFSA, you've submitted the CSS PROFILE, and the offers are rolling in from selective colleges and universities: Vanderbilt, Williams, Northwestern, Boston College, Grinnell, Colgate, Rice, Penn, Lafayette, RPI, Duke, Oberlin - they all want you! And they're all helping you pay the bill, but the financial aid packages look markedly different. So now what?
Did you know that you can negotiate your college financial aid package, especially if you are a high-talent student attending one of the nation's more selective colleges? These academically driven schools compete for top-notch students like you, and I'm sharing some strategies for getting the best package you can from your preferred institutions.

When assembling your college financial aid package after (or alongside) your acceptance, each school will probably be considering three things:

A. The specifics of your financial situation, which each of them will weigh a little differently based on a combination of the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE results.

B. How competitive you are compared to the rest of their admitted students. In other words, how badly do they want you to enroll versus the other people they've admitted? No college ever plans on everyone saying yes, and even the Ivies know they won't draw 100% yield. But schools certainly like their yield to represent the best possible entering class out of the larger population of admits.

C. What they can afford. Most of these select private schools have deep pockets, but they still have a budget in place for financial aid.

After you receive your college financial aid packages and review them, you're bound to notice differences, though they all involve some combination of grants, scholarships, loans, and/or work study. The best thing to do is take the calculations step by step.

1. Each school has a different cost of attendance (COA) based on tuition, fees, room, board, and other projected expenses, with regional cost of living typically factored in too.

2. Though the FAFSA determines an expected family contribution (EFC) using federal formulas, each school has probably done their own calculations, using their own formula, to determine their version of the EFC. Let's call this the college's EFC, or CEFC, though it's not an official term.

3. Line up all the packages and ignore the EFC you got from the FAFSA. What's in play now is really the CEFC from each of the schools. Even if a school doesn't tell you flat out what their CEFC is, they've told you the COA because they have to. And they're also given you the details of the aid package. You can do the math: COA - Total $ in package = CEFC.

4. Now you know what each of the schools expects you to pay out of pocket. That's the one thing you can measure across the board. The rest of the comparison is more qualitative: weighing the mixes of grants, scholarships, loans, and work study. As you are surely aware, grants and scholarships are the best because there's no repayment obligation. Loans, while certainly not bad, do have to be repaid. And of course, there are different kinds of loans - some for your parents and some for students.

To illustrate, let's look at a pared-down sample for negotiating your college financial aid package:

Blue College (your first choice)
· COA = $34,500
· Scholarships and Grants = $19,500
· Combined Loans and Work Study = $10,000
· CEFC = You pay $5,000 out of pocket

Yellow College (your second choice)
· COA = $28,000
· Scholarships and Grants = $19,000
· Combined Loans and Work Study = $6,000
· CEFC = You pay $3,000 out of pocket

Red College (your third choice)
· COA = $31,000
· Scholarships and Grants = $26,000
· Combined Loans and Work Study = $3,000
· CEFC - You pay $2,000 out of pocket

As you can see, your first choice (Blue) might have put together a viable package, but Yellow's financial aid offer is better. And Red's is the best of all, even though it's not your top school. Now it's time for negotiating shrewdly. Presumably, it's sometime in March or April and you've got at least a few weeks between now and May 1, the general deadline for committing to enrollment. Roll up your sleeves, and consider the following:

If you really want to attend Blue, the goal is to get them to come closer to (if not match) the offers by Red - or at least Yellow. Contact an admissions representative at Blue - perhaps the person who interviewed you or someone on whom you think you made a good impression.

If there is no such person, just CALL and ask for someone in admissions to review your file with you (admissions and financial aid people work together at these institutions). Do not email; it's just not as personal.

Let them know that you're still making your decision but that right now Blue is your first choice. Most admissions people, trained to sell you and already knowing that you were good enough to get admitted, will ask what kind of help or additional information they can provide. This is a good time to mention that, although you're really excited about the school, the financial aid package isn't ideal. Just a few of the possible ways of phrasing this:

- "The package is generous, but I think it's going to make things tight for my family, and I don't know if my parents will agree to it."
- "I'm worried about all those loans. I know it's an investment, but we could end up borrowing $40,000 over four years."
- "I'm afraid I might not be able to attend."
- "I'm grateful but a little disappointed."

Do this yourself INSTEAD of having your parents do it, as it shows initiative and a bit of hunger. Your parents can always be there for moral support in the background. And here's a secret: most admissions representatives at selective private colleges like dealing with students more than they like dealing with parents. Furthermore, if your parents take more of a back seat, the college administrators may nurture you a little more, especially when they see you negotiating your college financial aid package. So, milk it bit. As long as you don't lie, you're not doing anything wrong. You're just presenting yourself in a sympathetic light, which is the same thing that well-off students and parents do during the admissions game.

See how the administrators respond. If you're not getting much of a response, ask them to tell you more about how the package was put together. This may involve some discussion with a financial aid representative or may even take a day or two of exchanged phone calls. Do it. Show them that you're serious and that you want to know. A great question to ask politely is:

"Is this the type of package that students in my financial situation usually receive?"

Remember that you still have a card to play - those offers from Yellow and Red. Don't share all the details quite yet…but let the admissions and financial aid folks know that you have received better offers elsewhere. Some verbiage you can drop in this discussion:

"…more manageable…"
"…would make it easier for me to focus on school…"
"…better for my family…"
"…less of an emphasis on loans…"
"…a difference of several thousand dollars…"
"…Even though I want to attend Blue, this could make the difference."

After a conversation like this, Blue may be willing to up the grant dollars a bit. See what they offer you. If they revise your package, ask them to fax it or email it so that you have something in writing. Also, be patient within reason - because this is an incredibly tense and busy time for these administrators. You have until May 1.

There may come a point at which you just share the other offers with Blue, so ask if they'd be willing to review a fax. Use your judgment on which one(s) to send. Even though Red's package might be best overall, perhaps Yellow is closer to Blue's level of prestige and thus holds more weight. Based on the extensive research you've undoubtedly done on these institutions, decide whether to share Yellow's package, Red's package, or both packages with Blue.

If this process doesn't work with Blue, you can try using Red's offer to negotiate with Yellow, employing the same strategies as above. However it turns out, there are a few things to remember:

Your negotiations are most likely to be successful with a college if your overall academic and extracurricular profile is at least average (and preferably, above average) compared to the typical entering classes in recent years. By comparing your grades and SAT/ACT scores with those of previous entering classes, you can roughly judge your qualifications. In other words, you need to "guesstimate" whether you were:

- an immediate, across-the-board "YES!" who stood out from other applicants
- someone ahead of the curve and comfortably admitted…the lower-case "yes!"
- someone who ran with the pack and got in…the basic "yes."
- someone who barely made it….the "well, uh, yes, we suppose."

The closer you are to the top of that list, the better your chances are for negotiating your college financial aid package with a given college or university. However, even if you're just a plain old admit who is par for the course at that school, they might be willing to work with you if they're having a low-yield year. You will not know this, and they won't share because they don't know officially know until May 1 begins to roll around. Admissions is a numbers game, and schools run into trouble when not enough of the people they admitted choose to enroll. Even if it's a selective school, accepting only 40% of applicants, their yield on those accepted may only be 27% this year - when it was more like 32% in previous years. That makes a noticeable difference in the size of the freshman class, and the school ends up taking wait-listed students, something it does more because it has to than because it wants to.

My last piece of advice is this:

Using the Blue/Yellow/Red scenario, it's okay to negotiate with Blue, to "lose the fight" and still attend Blue if you and your family can make it happen. There are no repercussions, and there won't be any black mark next to your name because you tried to get a better package. Isn't it worth the effort?

If the denial of a better package does prevent you from attending your top choice, fret not, for you're still bound to have a solid experience at your number two. Or even your financial safety school, if it comes to that.

Since graduating from college, I have personally coached some top-flight high school students (with very heavy financial need) negotiate for better packages, so it is definitely possible. As someone who came from outside the traditional middle-class and upper-middle-class pool for these private colleges, I can say one final thing: Advocate for yourself…because someone has to.

Financial Aid for College: What Forms of Aid Are Available? What Do They Mean?

In most areas of the United States, public school systems from elementary to high school and beyond are enjoying their always anticipated summer break. Mainly families are enjoying much needed vacations, celebrating summer birthdays and holidays or just spending some time in the sun.
But while the days are ticking away until students return to class, it might be a good time to start thinking about sources of financial aid for either yourself or your future college students if you haven't already done so.

Most states and federal aid programs have a deadline in which you must apply to receive certain types of financial aid. Check with your school to make sure you don't miss out on those opportunities for assistance.

The best place to start is by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can fill out and submit your free application online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. For some students, you may need your parent's assistance with some of the information needed on your FAFSA, unless you were/are what is considered an independent student.

Four to six weeks after you submit your financial aid application, you should be notified that it has been processed. At that time you will have access to your Student Aid Report. (SAR) This is a document containing all the information that you submitted. It should tell you whether or not you are eligible for aid based on that information you supplied on your application.

It will also give your expected family contribution (EFC). Your EFC is calculated with a standard formula that the government uses to determine how much your family can be expected to contribute towards the financial expense of attending college.

Once you have received your SAR, check with the college you listed on your application to see if they have received your information. There may be additional information that you need to submit to the college before you can receive any form of aid.

Types of Financial Aid

Your college will be able to tell you a lot about what types of aid are available to you based on your need. There are several types out there. The following is a brief description of a few grants, loans and other types of financial aid.

Grants:

Federal Pell Grants are awards that do not have to be repaid. They are usually granted to undergraduate students who have not yet obtained a bachelor's degree or any other type of professional degree. The amount that you can receive depends on the maximum that is allowed for that school year. Currently, for the 2007-2008 year, the maximum amount you can receive from a Federal Pell Grant is $4,310. That is the total amount you can receive for the entire year.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) also does not have to be repaid. Just like the Federal Pell Grants, these are awarded to undergraduate students who have not obtained their bachelor's or other professional degree, as well as those who demonstrate an extreme need for such assistance. The maximum amount that can be received per year with the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is from $100 to $4,000.

There are also many state grant programs. Check with your college for a list of grants that you may be eligible for. As with federal programs, state grants will also have deadlines. Make sure you are aware of those to ensure that you will be able to get the maximum assistance that is available to you.

Student Loans:

Along with grants, you also have student loans. The difference between these and the previously mentioned grants is that you do have to repay these loans. When you repay them is your choice. You can make payments on your loans while you're attending college on a monthly basis. You can also contact the company that is servicing your loans and ask them to place you on an in-school deferment program that allows you to delay your payments until the time that you either leave school or graduate.

One of the student loans that you may apply for is called a Federal Stafford Loan. (FSL) There are two options you have with this type of loan, subsidized and unsubsidized. In a subsidized Federal Stafford Loan, all the interest that accrues during the time you are in school is paid by the government as long as your enrollment status remains at least half time. The other option is an unsubsidized loan. In an unsubsidized loan, you can defer your interest payments until either leave school or graduate, but you are still responsible for paying the interest as well as the principle of the loan.

If you are still considered a dependent of your parents, they can apply for what is known as a Federal Plus Loan. The difference between a Federal Plus Loan and a Federal Stafford Loan is that it is not necessary to demonstrate financial need to be approved for these loans. There is also no set limit on the amount that can be received on this type of loan. A parent can apply for the full amount of the cost of attending college, or the remaining amount after other aid is applied. This type of loan is also available to graduate students whereas other forms of aid are not.

Other Forms of Financial Aid

Aside from the other programs already mentioned, there are still other ways you can obtain assistance with paying for college. There are programs such as the Federal Work Study program in which you can work in a government office, on campus or in other areas determined by the government to help off set your educational expenses. Some campuses will have the same type of program available on a university level. Both will earn the student an hourly wage that usually paid on a monthly basis. There are also many online sources of information about scholarships, grants and internships such as www.fastweb.com.

As with everything in life, explore your options. Grants are excellent sources of financial aid, but not everyone is eligible to receive the full or even a partial amount. That's where loans can help by supplementing the grants. One should be careful in choosing the amount and number of loans. Do not apply for or accept an amount beyond what is needed unless you are for certain that you will be able to repay it. Once you accept it, it stays with you until you complete the repayment process. You also need to keep track of your loans, the amounts and any payments that you make towards them. If you let them slip into default, you are hurting any future chances of receiving any further aid for school. It can also affect your credit and future purchases. Choosing your financial aid is an important process, not only for your college success, but for your future as wel

Financial Aid Help for College Students

My senior year in college and I get in a car accident. I had to take off a semester and incorporated tons of bills both medical and car. The next semester was coming up quick and though I wish I was still injured I was not. I now had to face the bills from the accident and school bills.
In desperation I looked online to find scholarships or loans. I found a site that had both and so much more. www.finaid.org is my savior. It is a site that helps you find exactly what a college student needs. It helped me find scholarships based on me and get a loan with low interest rates.

Finaid.com has a scholarship website which leads to you to about 30 other websites based on what you want. It is written out clearly and easy to understand.

It also has a loan, other financial aid area, and financial aid applications. Each area explains everything clearly. It helps every individual, including me, find what they need.

For example:
Free Scholarship Lotteries
Federal and State Government Aid
College-Controlled Aid
Student Profile-Based Aid
Aid for Graduate and Professional School
Aid for Elementary and Secondary School
Aid for Specific Activities
Innovative Programs

There is also a section for Military Aid and Savings. The military aid section has:
US Armed Forces Recruiting Programs
Financial Aid for Veterans and their Dependents
Veterans and the FAFSA
HEROES Act of 2003
Books about Military Scholarships and Financial Aid for Veterans

My favorite area is the calculator. FinAid's custom calculators can help you figure out how much school will cost, how much you need to save and how much aid you'll need.

Overall this website made it a lot easier for me. It relieved a lot of stress and help with me financially

Student Loans Consolidation Advice: How Much Does it Cost to Buy Time?

Student Loans Consolidation The grace period for paying off student loans after finishing college, if you're lucky enough to have one, is very short. Soon after getting your degree, you will be testing the waters in the job market, and when those student loan payments start coming in you may be looking for student loans consolidation advice.
Consolidation of student loans can have certain advantages. It is generally recommended that you consolidate early if you're planning on consolidating, because there's no point in consolidating when you're nearly paid off, extending your payment time, and not seeing the benefits of having lower payments when you're recently starting your career. In fact, most lenders will not consolidate student loans if your total debts do not exceed a certain number, $20,000 or $30,000, for example.

Student loan interest rates are variable, so you may choose to consolidate just to lock your interest rate, although that interest rate will generally be higher than your current interest rates. The Department of Education offers loan consolidation at an interest rate equal to the weighted average of the interest rates of your existing loans.

The option of consolidation can be held in case of an emergency. If you can't pay a student loan, you can request a deferment or forbearance, but it may not be granted to you (and can depend on factors such as extreme economic hardship or unemployment) and can come with its own consequences, such as having to capitalize interest, which means the interest during your deferment would be added to the principle and you'll end up paying interest on interest.

A default on a student loan can lead to all the same problems as defaulting on a bank loan or mortgage, or worse in some cases. A default will be reflected on your credit history, and until it is paid back, you can be denied Social Security benefits, your paycheck can be docked, and your tax returns can be withheld. If you have a professional license and you default on a federal student loan, you can have your license suspended or even revoked, and you will have to make up the default, plus expenses, without being able to practice your profession.

If you're in danger of defaulting on a student loan, suffering economic hardships, or beginning a new career, student loan consolidation can offer flexibility and ease your economic burden. There are a variety of plans available, and lenders allow you to switch between plans as well as paying the principle in advance. When you consolidate, you can choose a plan which offers you up to four years paying interest only, graduated or income-based payments, and lower payments over a longer period of time. This does cost more in the end, but it buys you time to start your career and build up your credit rating.

Consolidating your student loans can be an excellent investment, even with the long-term payoff. A variety of services offer student loans consolidation advice by phone or email. You can take the time to compare options, and keep consolidation in mind as a way to keep your college debt manageable.

Federal Student Loan Consolidation Rates

Student Loan Consolidation Rates The number of unemployed or underemployed has been huge in recent past. This has made repayment of student loans all the more difficult for majority of the fresh pass outs. The student loans give students the advantage of the grace period and by that time they have to find a good job because after that the repayments start. The lender is not concerned with the employment status of the borrower. The government wants to help students in every possible way so that the future of the country remains burden free. Federal student loans consolidation rates have been lowered recently to help students pay off their loans comfortably.
It is true that loans are provided at high rate of interest and anyone takes up the option of obtaining loans only when he has no other option left. The rising cost of education urges them to obtain loan so that they are able to attain higher educational degrees. Another fact is that good and high paid jobs are reserved for those that have high education degrees. So, usually the student plans to get the degree and once they get a good job they will not have any problem in repaying loans or maintaining a good life.

Federal student loans consolidation rates can be easily found out from the legitimate website of the federal government that deals with student aids. There are calculators and other tools available on the website that you can easily use and find out what your repayment plan can be or about your monthly installment amount as well. Remember, only federal student loans can be consolidated under the federal student loan consolidation plans. There are many benefits if you take federal loans while you are studying because the rate of interest is always low on a federal loan.

Federal student loans consolidation rates are always lowest when compared to other alternatives. If any lender is offering you still lower interest rate on your loans consolidation program, there must be some other condition that will give him profit in return. So, read the terms and conditions thoroughly before accepting them.

STUDENTS LOAN CONSOLIDATION RATES

STUDENTS LOAN CONSOLIDATION RATES

The following information is designed to help you to better understand the interest rates associated with federal and private student loans offered by Chase.

Federal Loans

Interest rates on variable federal student loans are set by Congress. For loans issued between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 2006, the rates are variable and change each July 1 based on a formula related to short-term Treasury securities. These Stafford loans are capped at 8.25 percent, and parent PLUS loans may not exceed 9.00 percent. Interest rates on new federal student loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 have a fixed interest rate.
The variable federal student loan interest rates have been set for 2007-2008.
Effective July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008, the new rates for variable student loans are as follows for loans that were first disbursed between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 2006:
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Federal Stafford Loan Rates

Period	Rate
During school, grace and deferment periods	6.62%
During active repayment, including forbearance periods	7.22%

Federal PLUS Rate

Period	Rate
For all periods during repayment, including forbearance and deferment	8.02%

The rates for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2006 will be a fixed rate as follows:

Federal Stafford Loan Rates

Period	Rate
For all periods, including in-school, grace, deferment, and repayment periods	6.80% fixed

Federal PLUS Rate

Period	Rate
For all periods during repayment, including forbearance and deferment	8.50% fixed

Private Loans

Our private loans are based on the Prime Rate. The Prime Rate is adjusted quarterly for Chase Select.

School Certified Private Loans

Chase Select Student Loan program is Chase's school certified private loans. This means your school must offer the Chase Select loan product for you to be eligible to receive it. The interest rates for the Chase Select Loan vary based on the students' and/or co-signers' credit history.

Interest Rate Index For Chase Select	Month	Rate*
Prime Rate	January 1, 2008 - March 31, 2008	7.50%

* The "Variable Rate" is equal to the Current Index plus or minus a Margin. The Variable Rate will change quarterly on the first day of January, April, July and October (the "Change Date(s)") if the Current Index changes. The "Current Index" for any calendar quarter beginning on a Change Date (or for any shorter period beginning on the Disbursement Date and ending on the last day of a calendar quarter) is based on the Prime Rate as published in the "Money Rates" section of The Wall Street Journal on the first day of the preceding month (round to the nearest one-hundredth percent 0.01%).

Non-Certified Private Loans

You may now qualify for up to $40,000 to help cover college costs. This money is available right away at a rate as low as 7.57% APR.¹
Now you can reduce your rate by 0.25% simply by having your monthly payments automatically withdrawn.² This can save you hundreds of dollars over the life of the loan using the repayment example below!

Loan Amount	up to $40,000 per academic year ... up to $150,000
Processing Time	preliminary approval in minutes on the phone or Web
Interest	may be tax-deductible3
Web Application	apply quickly and easily online

Apply now

1. The lowest APR available for the Private Education Loan is from 04/01/07 - 06/31/07. Actual interest rate, fee amount and APR is determined by the borrower's credit history. APR may vary and may increase after your loan is made. See below for repayment example.

2. Interest rate reduction applies as long as you arrange with the loan servicer to have your monthly payments automatically deducted from your checking or savings accounts. If a payment is not made due to insufficient funds in your account or for any other reason, the reduction no longer applies and the rate will automatically be raised to the non-discounted rate. Once you lose this benefit, you cannot get it back. The lender reserves the right to modify, continue or discontinue its borrower benefit programs at any time without notice. Call for details about current benefit offerings.

3. Consult your tax advisor regarding the deductibility of interest.

Repayment Example: Immediate Interest Only

Undergraduate loan with well-qualified cosigner:
Amount requested:	$10,000.00
Origination fee:	0.00%
Principal Amount of Loan:	$10,000.00
Interest Rate:	7.57%
Term:	240 months
Fund date:	7/1/2007
First payment date,interest only:	8/7/2007
Deferment:	48 months
Grace:	6 months
Total Deferment:	54 months
First payment date:	2/7/2012
Repayment Terms
54 payments:	$63.01
185 payments:	$91.62
1 payment:	$100.67
APR:	7.57%

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is the lender for the Private Education Loan Program.
STUDENTS LOAN CONSOLIDATION RATES

SOURCE

http://www.chasestudentloans.com/student-loan-resources/interest-rates.html