How to come out debt free from college

You have finished school and are wondering as to how you will be able to pay for the debt you mounted during your study days. There are many students out there who wonder whether they ever will be able to pay back their dues or not. Take the case of a law school student who had $120,000 in debt and is still trying to figure out whether he will be able to repay the loans and is still questioning whether it was worthy of spending such amount of money on education.

Most of the students tend to panic in such situations as paying back this loan can be daunting in tough times where thousands of people are losing their job each day.

Parents and students don’t need to panic in such situations and should work towards ensuring a debt free life for themselves. One way to get rid of this debt cycle is to own some kind of property which generates income from rent while you are still studying in school and though it may seem difficult at first but parents and students can certainly benefit from it. The good thing is first time buyers will also be able to benefit from the $8,000 tax credit.

So by the time you graduate you will stand apart from the rest as you will be debt free. Think about it!!

How to come out debt free from college

You have finished school and are wondering as to how you will be able to pay for the debt you mounted during your study days. There are many students out there who wonder whether they ever will be able to pay back their dues or not. Take the case of a law school student who had $120,000 in debt and is still trying to figure out whether he will be able to repay the loans and is still questioning whether it was worthy of spending such amount of money on education.

Most of the students tend to panic in such situations as paying back this loan can be daunting in tough times where thousands of people are losing their job each day.

Parents and students don’t need to panic in such situations and should work towards ensuring a debt free life for themselves. One way to get rid of this debt cycle is to own some kind of property which generates income from rent while you are still studying in school and though it may seem difficult at first but parents and students can certainly benefit from it. The good thing is first time buyers will also be able to benefit from the $8,000 tax credit.

So by the time you graduate you will stand apart from the rest as you will be debt free. Think about it!!

Apply for Japanese Scholarship before it’s too late

Are you a student from Bahrain wanting to earn Japanese scholarship then here is your last chance to earn it? Don’t worry you still have time to apply for Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Scholarship 2010 at the Japanese Embassy.

Given below are the criteria to be eligible for the Japanese Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Scholarship 2010:

You should have been born between April 2, 1988, and April 1, 1993
Completed twelve year school education whereas research students should have been born on or after April 2, 1975.

The Japanese embassy will be conducting primary screening of candidates on recommendation of Education Ministry based on submitted application documents, interviews and written examinations.

Further secondary screening will be conducted depending on the results of primary screening. The last date for submitting the documents is before June 26 and benefits include air fare between Japan and Bahrain apart from monthly allowance and tuition fees.

Students interested in the scholarship can get in touch with the embassy on 17716565 or 17711323 for further information.

Your child and his first credit card

Your child has grown up and intends to get his first credit card then you must take the following things in consideration so that he or she doesn’t burn his fingers in the process.

Keep the following things in mind before shopping for the first ever credit card for your child:

What is the reason behind purchasing credit card for your child?
Spending habits of the child
Risk tolerance level

While shopping for the first ever credit card for your child check out for the following things:

Fees

What kind of fees is charged by the card company? Does it include annual fees and other fees such as international transactions, cash advances, charging over the credit limit, balance transfers or late payments?

Do explain all such charges to your child before handling over the card to him.

Introductory rates versus the real rate

The introductory rates change after a few months and the real rates take over and I must tell you that these credit card rates are not very attractive therefore a child needs to be explained about before he lands in some kind of shock.

Grace Period

What is the grace period offered by card company to its customers, the longer the better and this aspect must be explained to your child to avoid any kind of penalties.

Rewards programs

Also check out any kind of reward programs offered by companies which your child will be able to benefit immensely from it.

Last but not the least ask your child to pay off balance in full to keep their experience with credit cards a happy one.

Scholarships on offer for students wanting to study in Japan

Do you wish to study in Japan at some of its top technology colleges, professional training colleges or universities on scholarship? If yes then there is some good news for you as Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology is offering scholarships to international students intending to study in Japan.

As per the press release Consulate General of Japan is offering three, four and five year scholarships beginning April 2010.

At the Professional Training College three year scholarships are being offered in the following courses:

Architecture
Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electronics
Dressmaking
Hotel Management
Fashion
Infant Education
Nutrition
Photography
Secretarial Studies
Telecommunication
Tourism

Scholarships are available for four years at the College of Technology:

Architecture
Civil Engineering
Information Communication
Mechanical Engineering
Networking Engineering


Undergraduates are eligible for five year scholarship in the following courses:

Agricultural Engineering
Animal Sciences
Biotechnology
Business Administration
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Economics
Electronics
Electrical Engineering
History
Fisheries
Japanese Language
Law
Politics
Pedagogy
Sociology
Social Sciences and Humanities
Literature
Information Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Naval Architecture
Chemical Engineering
Textile Engineering
Maritime Engineering
Veterinary Medicine
Forestry
Food Sciences
Medicine and Dentistry

In order to be eligible for this scholarship applicant must have been born between 2 April 1988 and 1 April 1993 and should have completed 12 year regular course of education. The applicant will have to undergo one-year intensive course in the Japanese language. A written examination will be conducted in July 2009 at the premises of the Consulate followed by an interview. Results will be conducted in February 2010.

If you are interested you can obtain prescribed application form along with the guidelines from:

Consulate-General of Japan (Culture and Information)
12/1, Cenotaph Road,
Teynampet,
Chennai-600018

How to raise your credit score

A good credit score ranges anywhere between 300 and 850 and everybody wants to reach the magic figure of 850.

A good credit report is really important these days as a higher credit score means lower rate of interest for you. It’s important not only while you are buying a house or a car but also if you intend to rent an apartment.

Here are some simple tips on how you can raise your credit score:

Avoid delinquency of accounts at all cost
Late payments will lower your credit score
Don’t maintain too many accounts
Delete your old accounts
Above all always keep a watch on your accounts

These simple steps will really help in pushing up your credit score.

How to bypass high interest rates on your credit card

As per U.S. Senate Banking Committee around one-third credit card holders in US pay interest rates of over 20%.

Here are some simple steps on how you can thwart higher interest rates on your credit card:

Keep a watch on your monthly statements

You may feel this is something which should be ignored but I must tell you that you should keep reviewing your credit card statement. As per law credit card companies are required to have a written notification of pending rate hikes and in case you get to know about a hike in interest rate get in touch with your credit card company.

Hit back at your credit card company

In case your credit card company says that it is going for an interest hike on your credit card tell them that in case they intend to go ahead with it you won’t be interested in their services.

If they don’t budge get hold of another credit card with 0% balance transfers and no annual fee and then approach your existing card company and tell them about your current deal, in most of the cases the companies are willing to negotiate.

As canceling your credit card could impact your score therefore think twice before leaving your current card.

Opt for the temporary closure route

Rather than opting for closure of credit card account which could hurt your credit score you could ask your credit company to suspend your account at the current rate which implies although you can’t use your card but its still open and safe from any kind of credit score damage. Later on you could activate your card at lower interest rate.

I hope these simple yet important steps help you to avoid high interest rate on your credit card.