FAP414: Financial aid info for graduate students, ACS, Peppercoin, Pew, Roanoke, FAFSA and EFC, Fitness Rocks, Twisted Sister

Student Financial Aid News
+ Americans are increasingly reaching for plastic when making small purchases at convenience stores, coffee shops, and subway stations, according to a survey released yesterday.
+ The survey -- conducted jointly by market researcher Ipsos Insight and small payments tech firm Peppercoin Inc. -- found that more than 67 million Americans have paid for purchases of less than $5 using a credit or debit card during the past 30 days.
+ Affiliated Computer Services Inc., a Dallas-based student loan processor, forced its chief executive and finance chief to resign after it was discovered they had backdated stock options to increase their value.
+ Today is the first National Methamphetamine Awareness Day, a brainchild of the Justice Department designed to further increase awareness of the drugâs toxic effects through events across the states, including some on campuses.
+ Pew Research indicates that podcasting is still a niche phenomenon. Well, duh! Podcasting today is where blogging was around 1999. Blogs had a major impact in the 2006 elections - 7 years after they started their climb upwards.
+ From NASFAA: "Students who graduate from high school in Wythe and Bland counties will be able to go to their local community college tuition-free under a program being finalized by the school and a charitable foundation," The Roanoke Times reports. "The free tuition program would begin next fall. ...The program envisioned by the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation would be the first of its kind in the state, according to the Virginia Community College System."
+ The Department of Education has published the 2007-2008 EFC Formula Guide. It's 35 pages of fun that will give you a headache or put you to sleep unless you really enjoy financial aid as a hobby. I'll be reading it later today.
+ Check out our FAFSA resource site, FAFSAonline.com

Scholarship Update
+ Public relations scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students
+ $20,000 or more from the Public Relations Student Society of America
+ Variable deadlines
+ Detailed information at our free student scholarship search site
+ Search Term: "graduate student" scholarship "public relations" health

Mail Bag
+ Monte Ladner writes in: I met you at podcamp Boston. I do the Fitness Rocks Podcast. I have been thinking about going back to graduate school to get a Masters Degree in Health Communications. It is very expensive, and I already have two sons in college and a daughter who will be starting soon. What, if any, financial aid options do you know of that might be available for me?
+ Do your FAFSA form online!
+ Graduate Stafford Loan
+ Graduate PLUS Loan
+ Graduate Private Student Loan
+ Normally you'd call 800-926-2716 for the GradLoans.com Private Student Loan desk
+ No one was answering this morning, so I called our Act Education Loans Private Student Loan Desk at 866-229-8900 instead.

Podsafe Music
+ Twisted Sister, Oh Come All Ye Faithful
+ Music via the Podsafe Music Network
+ Stop by our MySpace page!

Reminders
+ Private student loans available at any time - visit AlternativeStudentLoan.com
+ Stafford federal student loans at StaffordLoan.com
+ Student loan consolidation at StudentLoanConsolidator.com
+ FAFSA form online filing at FAFSAonline.com
+ Financial Aid Podcast Show Notes at FinancialAidPodcast.com.
+ The Financial Aid Podcast is a publication of the Student Loan Network.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email me at financialaidpodcast {at} gmail {dot} com, visit http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com, or call 877-328-1565 x529 or 206-350-1208. AIM: FinAidPodcast Add me to your iTunes by visiting http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/itunes/

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