Summer is the perfect time to search for financial aid to pay for college. Graduating seniors, and soon-to-be seniors should spend a good amount of time this summer searching for scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid to pay for college.  Utilizing the time off from school to search for financial aid can be very rewarding as you find the means to pay for some or all of your college expenses.  Be sure to visit the following pages at the website for more information beginning your searches this summer:

• Financial Aid
  www.smbcollegelife.com/Planning.php?info=financialaid
  
  
• Scholarships
  www.smbcollegelife.com/Planning.php?info=scholarships
• Grants
  www.smbcollegelife.com/Planning.php?info=grants

Review these pages and you will be well on your way to finding the funding you need for college. If you are a graduating senior and have completed the FAFSA from for 2008-2009 then you can expect to receive the results of your financial aid eligibility within the next few months if you have not already received them.  If you have not filled out the 2008-2009 FAFSA form then you will need to complete it before the June 30th deadline.

Be sure to also utilize our recommended resources on each of the above pages for additional information on the specific topic.  We’ve recommended these resources because we feel they will also help you to plan, save and succeed in your college life. We believe that having more resources is much better than having none and that more resources will make your college life easier than ours was.  With the right resources and proper planning, your college education can be inexpensive and fairly easy to obtain.

Picture from pro.corbis.com

Some students might be preparing this weekend for finals while others may have a few days or weeks before finals begin. Whatever you case may be you should remember a few important things while studying for this round of finals. The number one thing is to take care of yourself.

1. Students often tend to skip out on meals, or eat quick and unhealthy ones because they are swamped with studying. If you remember to eat right, and healthy you ensure that you are getting the proper nutrients to perform at your highest level when it comes to studying or taking the test.
2. Get some sleep! I see so many students hanging out in the library until all hours of the morning and not getting proper sleep. I’m guilty of this myself so this is why I see other’s doing it. Just remember that it is important to sleep in order to rejuvenate yourself, especially before the final. All nighters before the big test NEVER work! Get some sleep and you will do 100% better.
3. Limit your coffee intake. I’m the first one to ramp up my coffee intake in order to drive myself to study more. I’ve found over the years that this tends to distract me more as I’m always running to the bathroom, or for more coffee. Caffeine also gives me a slight case of ADD so I’m usually less productive with large amounts of coffee.
4. Stress a lot less! If you study what you need to first, then study what you want to you will be a lot more prepared for the final exam and can feel less stressed. Also, eating and sleeping right, combined with less caffeine and healthy food, will keep your stress levels to a minimum.

I hope this helps as you prepare for you exams this term! Good luck and thanks for using SMB College Life!