Just try to keep secret from your friends and family everything that you learn today! With Ellen Reaves on the show, you won’t believe how easy winning scholarships can be. She also gives us the leg up on how using LinkedIn will make your child’s hunt for a career so much easier. There is no doubt about it, you need to get on this #1 business platform and social media site. Parents, you can help launch your student into the career of their dreams AND help them win free money for college. So what are you waiting for? Get started now!

Questions Answered Today:

How can social media help find scholarships?

Social media can be used to your benefit, specifically LinkedIn. By creating a dynamic profile, you can interact with brands and companies. Everyone should create a free profile–average students, athletes, or anyone planning to go to college.

Ellen Reaves says this is the best way to find internships and to network with brands and professional organizations your child is specifically interested in.

This is also a place to be recommended for your various skills and services or to find volunteer opportunities.

How can parents help?

LinkedIn isn’t about just posting your resume. It is a way to showcase yourself as being something more than a GPA.

Some easy things that parents can do to help their child set up a great profile include:

• Be sure to use a professional image and not just any old selfie
• Include information about your child’s background
• Describe activities and organizations they are involved with
• Post examples of artwork, creative writing, or whatever they excel at

It is also important to teach your child about finances and how spending works. A lot of families don’t have the money conversation early enough or even at all. Help your child and have this conversation!

If your student is thinking about a gap year, be aware of the limitations on state aid or other financial aid options. Do the necessary research.

What should you be doing and when?

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” states Reaves. Remove your preconceived notions about financial aid. Believe it is possible for your family.

Parents also need to be honest about finances and what you can afford. If their dream school is outside your budget, then your student needs to be responsible for finding a way to cover the cost and to hopefully not use student loans.

The most successful families have these things in common:

• Start looking for scholarships early, even in freshmen year
• Be organized to keep track of deadlines and application pieces
• Recognize they have a unique story to tell and can use that information to repurpose essays for both applications and scholarships
• Seek local scholarships and don’t only focus on the large and competitive choices
• Have a great relationship with your high school counselor

Be sure to research the price of potential colleges so you can foresee upcoming costs and plan accordingly. Community college is also a fantastic way to start and then you can transfer.

What is the college money maze podcast about?

“We are focusing on a lot of the hot topics,” describes Reaves. One of the newest topics is on the adjusted FAFSA deadline that has been moved to October so you can submit it earlier.

The podcast also breaks down common terms and acronyms into plain language for people so they don’t need to feel overwhelmed.

The main audience of this show includes the parents of juniors and seniors in high school. There is a lot of information available, but a particular focus in on scholarships.

Understanding the college process will take time and the best way to understand all the technical jargon you will have to know would be to listen to podcasts, read, and to start learning how this process works. You can’t leave it up to your child! Be sure to share some sources you found helpful with your friends.

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• http://www.collegemoneymaze.net
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/collegemoneymaze/
• College Money Masterclass is coming soon!

BRAD RECOMMENDS:

Network Like a Billionaire

Scholarship Guide for Busy Parents

Episode 25: Get Your Student LinkedIn to College Success

Episode 14: What Is a Scholarship

Episode 43: How to Help Your Student Win Scholarships

THANKS FOR JOINING US!

We’d like to extend an invitation to our listeners to share their feedback and questions. Contact us to submit a question to our email.

If you find our podcasts helpful, please share us on social media and tell your friends!

The bottom line is that we care what you think and want to help you out, so we’d appreciate you reviewing us on iTunes or on Stitcher. And even better, receive automatic updates by subscribing to the show on iTunes or Stitcher.

Brad is not affiliated with College Money Maze.

The post THCC96- Using LinkedIn and Other Social Media to Find Scholarships Interview with Ellen Reaves, Co-Host College Money Maze Podcast appeared first on Taming The High Cost of College.