Category: Resources

Posted in financial aid, High School, Resources, Scholarships, working

100 Employer / Employee Scholarships

Posted on by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa

Last week, I wrote a nice long post demonstrating some of the financial and real-world benefits of Working During College.  At the end of that post was a list of companies that would pay your teen’s tuition while they went to college!

In today’s post, I want to share a list of 100 companies that frequently offer scholarships to their employees or children of employees!

Parents:  check with Human Resources immediately!  Scholarship application deadlines are sometimes a year in advance.

Who qualifies?

It depends.  In some cases, a parent’s dependents are eligible to apply, but in other cases, the teen must be an employee.  If you or your teen already work for one of these companies, simply contact your Human Resources department and ask for more information.

My teen wants a job that isn’t on this list

Working is great, no matter how you slice it, but rather than browsing and hoping to find your teen’s employer, be proactive and talk to them about seeking employment at a company that offers educational benefits through scholarships or tuition reimbursement.  That’s being smart and planning ahead.  A summer job isn’t supposed to be a permanent career that’s deep and rewarding. It’s a nice way to earn some spending money, learn responsibility, develop a work ethic……. and possibly earn a scholarship!

What’s the difference between tuition reimbursement and a scholarship?

Tuition reimbursement generally requires continued employment with the company while you go to school.  When you’ve finished a course, the company writes you a check to reimburse you for the tuition you paid.  Tuition reimbursement can sometimes pay for a full degree, but often has a service requirement or other obligation in exchange for the educational benefit.

Scholarships are awards given to a student for achievement.  Often, these are one-time awards.  Scholarship amounts vary by employer, but it’s not unusual to see scholarship awards for $500 – $2,500.  Typically, a scholarship is a one-time award without further obligation.

I’m seeing a few names that are also on the tuition reimbursement list.

That’s right!  Many companies consider investing in an employee’s education as a very important part of their mission.  According to the Society for Human Resource Management (the largest HR organization in the world), as many as 91% of large companies maintained or increased their educational benefits since 2014.  In contrast, as few as 4% offer any kind of student loan forgiveness program.  In short:  plan to find these benefits before you start college and resort to borrowing.  Among millennials, as many as 1/3 reports falling behind on their student loan payments.  Ouch!

  1. A&W
  2. Abbott Laboratories
  3. Adobe Systems
  4. ADP
  5. Aetna
  6. Alcoa
  7. Amazon.com
  8. American Airlines
  9. American Cancer Society
  10. AT&T
  11. Baxter International
  12. Biogen Idec
  13. BMW Group
  14. Bosch
  15. Build A Bear
  16. Burger King
  17. California Grape Grower
  18. California State University Bakersfield
  19. Capital One Financial
  20. Carmax
  21. CenterPoint Energy
  22. Chevron
  23. Chobani
  24. Citigroup
  25. Community Bankers Assoc. of Illinois
  26. ConocoPhillips
  27. Costco
  28. CPS Energy
  29. Cracker Barrel
  30. CVS Pharmacy
  31. Darden Restaurants
  32. DirecTV
  33. Dish Network
  34. Dominion Resources
  35. Duke Energy Corporation
  36. DuPont
  37. Edison International
  38. Express Scripts
  39. Exxon
  40. GameStop
  41. General Electric
  42. General Mills
  43. Genzyme
  44. H&R Block, Inc.
  45. Harley Davidson
  46. Hewlett- Packard (HP)
  47. Home Depot
  48. Humana
  49. Hyundai Motors
  50. IBM
  51. Intel
  52. J Crew
  53. JetBlue Airways
  54. Kentucky Fried Chicken
  55. L.L. Bean
  56. Land O’ Lakes
  57. Long John Silver’s
  58. Lowe’s
  59. Marathon Petroleum
  60. Mayo Clinic
  61. McDonald’s Corporation
  62. Meijer
  63. Morgan Stanley
  64. Mutual of Omaha
  65. National Roofing Contractors Assoc.
  66. Nordstrom, Inc.
  67. Nucor
  68. Oshkosh
  69. Pacific Gas & Electric
  70. PepsiCo
  71. Pfizer Inc.
  72. Phillips 66
  73. Pizza Hut
  74. Rockwell Collins
  75. Roller Skating Association
  76. SAS
  77. Servco – HI
  78. Southwest Airlines
  79. Starbucks
  80. State Farm
  81. Subway Restaurant
  82. Sunoco
  83. Taco Bell
  84. Texas Instruments
  85. Tj Maxx
  86. Uline
  87. Union Pacific
  88. United Technologies
  89. US Bank
  90. USDA
  91. Valero Energy
  92. Verizon
  93. Vermont Grocers Assoc. Member
  94. Wakefield Healthcare Center
  95. Wal-Mart
  96. Walgreens
  97. Walt Disney
  98. Wells Fargo
  99. Whole Foods
  100. Yum!
Posted in High School, Resources, Transcripts

Transcript Resource Page

Posted on by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa

It’s only the most important homeschool document you’ll ever create!  I have a few favorite resources that I know you’ll love.  If you want to read my thoughts,  Homeschooling for College Credit, Chapter 7 is dedicated to the creation of transcripts specifically for families earning college credit in high school.

GPA Calculation

My favorite GPA calculator is Back2College   SUPER easy to use, I’ve used it for at least 5 years.  Totally free, but it is really just a calculator.  They use a standard 4.0 grading scale, so if you’re planning to use a different weighted grade scale, this isn’t the best site.  

Alternative GPA calculator if you use weighted grades  GPA Calculator

Transcript Template

My favorite ready-made transcript template is by How To Homeschool  You can create a pdf document that can be printed or saved, all totally free!  Uses a standard 4.0 grading scale. 

DIY Your Own Transcript

I’ve made my son’s transcripts using Microsoft Word and Open Office.  I’m happy to teach you how to do it too in this free online course I created just for you!

Build it! Homeschooling for College Credit Transcript using MS Word

 

<a href=”http://hs4cc-academy.thinkific.com/courses/hs4cc-moderator-training-by-invitation-only&#8221; target=”_blank”>By Invitation Only</a>

Transcript Services

If you want to use an online template that looks really official, HSLDA offers a transcript service.  Note that they won’t write your transcript for you, rather you enter your data in their system and they store it for 12 months.  While I have not personally used it, I know many who have and were very satisfied with the product.  HSLDA Transcript Service

Transcript Writing Help

HSLDA has a nice section of samples, videos, and tutorials that can walk you through a lot of the basics.  HSLDA Transcript Help page

Not my Favorite

Transcript Pro Software& DVD $189.00

I balanced sharing my negative opinion vs. not saying anything at all, but I opted to share my opinion for this product because of the cost.  The bottom line, if you shell out this kind of money, you’re going to be disappointed.  The full package is $189  ($49 base +$29 for the digital download and an additional $79 for the DVD +$29 for the printable syllabus).  I purchased this program in 2017, but the new version they are selling (version 4) was written in 2009.  Unfortunately, the DVD only teaches you how to use their software, so unless you’ve purchased that too, there is very little for the parent to learn.  The software is locked, and you’ll need a password to open it.  Once open, you can make a total of only 8 transcripts.  You can buy another 8 attempts for $49 more.  Their software operates offline, so no updates to their product are available, and you’ll have to save your files to your computer.  Again, computer technology since 2009 has changed significantly, so it’s a shame that they haven’t moved their product to a web-based platform.  As a result, you’ll not be able to use the program if you have Mac or a mobile device.  It only works (properly) on Windows 98 or Vista, and there isn’t a mobile app, so you’ll need a desktop computer. My advice, this is an extraordinarily expensive product for something that you can do for free on a dozen websites.

Posted in AP Advanced Placement, CLEP, Credit by Exam, Resources, Tuition

Cost of Tuition in the United States

Posted on by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa

The current and historical cost of tuition in the United Sates is tracked and sorted for us to learn from.   The United States Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics keeps data on this kind of information, and much more!  (Psssttt, it’s one of my favorite sites to browse)

The costs below reflect averaged “rack rate” tuition for 1 year, which is to say the price stated by the college as their tuition rate.  Individual student’s scholarships or other grants are not reflected here, this is simply the price of tuition.   Note that public colleges generally have “in-state” and “out of state” tuition rates- this is because of the economics of a state-funded educational system, and out-of-state students will typically pay a significantly higher rate than in-state students.

Now, because this is the Homeschooling for College Credit page, of course, I’m also including the breakdown for several popular college credit exams that your teen can take – you’ll be able to see the TREMENDOUS cost savings as you get down to the bottom of the page.

“Cost of attendance”  is also collected, and includes OTHER expenses besides tuition.  Books, meals, dorms, etc. may all be estimated on your college’s website. As you dig deeper, you’ll want to sort out the costs that are variable and those that are fixed.  For instance, if a student lives at home, there aren’t many living expenses to add in, but a student living in a dorm will spend about $13,000 more per year. For the purposes of this post, we’re only talking about TUITION.  

Official Calculation as per-year

(Data Source:  National Center for Education Statistics: November 2016)

 

Less than 2-year (Diploma/Certificate)
Public Non-Profit 248 schools $6,505 in-state $7,288 out-state
Private Non-Profit 86 schools $13,433 N/A
Private For-Profit 1,616 schools $15,269 N/A
2-year (Associate Degree)
Public Non-Profit 1,016 schools $3,941 in-state $7,780 out-state
Private Non-Profit 178 schools $13,899 N/A
Private For-Profit 891 schools $14,864 N/A
4-year (Bachelor’s Degree)
Public Non-Profit 710 schools $8,141 in-state $18,341 out-sta.
Private Non-Profit 1,602 schools $26,355 N/A
Private For-Profit 700 schools $16,066 N/A

 

Unofficial* Calculation as per-credit

Less than 2-year (Diploma/Certificate)
Public Non-Profit   $217 in-state $243 out-state
Private Non-Profit   $448 N/A
Private For-Profit   $509 N/A
2-year (Associate Degree)
Public Non-Profit   $131 in-state $259 out-state
Private Non-Profit   $463 N/A
Private For-Profit   $495 N/A
4-year (Bachelor’s Degree)
Public Non-Profit   $271 $611 out-state
Private Non-Profit   $879 N/A
Private For-Profit   $536 N/A

Credit by Exam Calculation as per-credit
Credit By Exam
AP Exam $93  3 credit exam=

$31 per credit

 6 credit exam=

$16 per credit

 9 credit exam=

$10 per credit
CLEP Exam $80 3 credit exam=

$27 per credit

 6 credit exam=

$13 per credit

 9 credit exam=

$9 per credit
DSST Exam $80 3 credit exam=

$27 per credit

 N/A N/A
ACTFL foreign language $70 (written) 12 cr. exam=

$7 per credit

  

 

  

 
Saylor Exam $25 3 credit exam=

$8 per credit

  

Unofficial* = calculated by dividing the yearly tuition by 30, the standard full-time load.

 

Posted in Resources

The BEST Resources

Posted on by Jennifer Cook-DeRosa

These are some my favorite resources that I use time and again on my family’s homeschooling for college credit journey.

There are so many excellent experts, products, and resources that I’ve just picked the one BEST in each category to share with you.  I know you’ll love them too!

The BEST Curriculum Review Guide

  102 Top Picks by Cathy Duffy.  Cathy Duffy is the guru of curriculum reviewing- if you are considering a brand, she’s done a review.  Her reviews are on point and detailed.  Parents who are looking for specifically Christian or specifically secular material will find her reviews exceptionally helpful!  She is 100% my “go-to” when I’m researching curriculum.

The BEST Test Prep Flashcards

InstantCert Academy,CLEP,DSST,ECE,TECEP InstantCert <— Affiliate Link.  I asked them for a coupon code that I could share with parents on this site, and they provided me with the one you’re seeing now.  If you use the InstanCert link here, it gives you a $5 discount off their $20/month membership and they send us a small commission to help fund our website.   That said, I’ve been a member of InstantCert for OVE 10 years, and am a HUGE FAN. InstantCert is an online flashcard and forum community.  They have 2 resources- first is the flashcard system.  Their cards are targeted directly to credit by exam products, and their forum and community share specific feedback about exams.  The pass rate among IC members is exceptionally high.  The second resource is their online community.  Amazing people – you’ll find me there as “cookderosa” be sure to say “hi!”  If you’ve gone through curriculum and are ready to focus on testing, I highly suggest giving IC a month’s investment- you might end up staying on for 10 years!

The BEST Free CLEP Prep Site

freeclepFree CLEP Prep You may not know that there is an excellent and completely free prep site for CLEP and DSST exams.  They even give a suggested ranking of “difficulty” for certain tests, provide simple study guides, and even have a few practice tests.  I hope they eventually develop content for all the exams, but until then, there are excellent guides for most of the popular ones!

The BEST Site to Check a College’s Accreditation

accredited.jpgDepartment of Education Database Accreditation is so very important, but colleges that aren’t legitimate will lie or stretch the truth on their websites, so you should never trust a college’s own website!  There are different types of accreditation, and while there are situations that don’t require it, my recommendation is to always choose a REGIONALLY ACCREDITED college unless you can make a strong argument for not doing so.  Within this link, click on the first option (“Get data for one…”) and then you can choose to search by institution or search by accrediting agency.  Pan down and choose from their list.  Note:  Regional accreditation is superior to national accreditation.

The BEST Selection of Audio Books

bookLoyal Books Loyal Books (formerly called Books Should Be Free) is so incredible that you should stop reading right now and check it out.  I can’t even do them justice.  Phenomenal.  You don’t even have to download- just click play.

The BEST Selection of Massive Open Online Courses

ededX I realize that free classes are sometimes poor quality, but that’s exactly why edX is such a big deal.  edX is a nonprofit collaboration that started in 2012 between Harvard and MIT.   This collection of completely free and completely open (no application) courses are taught by Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, and dozens more elite universities from all over the world.  In the past year or so, they’ve also expanded to offer college credit options, certificates, transfer classes.  In cases where you’re seeking credit or a credential, they’ve added a cost.  Learning remains free.

The BEST Official CLEP Book

clep CLEP Official Study Guide There are a lot of CLEP books, but if you only buy one book, this is the one.  It runs about $15 new and contains specific exam information for all 33 exams.  Each exam’s outline, base content, and then practice questions.  It also explains how scoring and testing works.  Since it’s very likely that all exams will undergo revision in late 2018, you’ll want to get a new edition for 2019, but until then, used is fine. My edition is from 2006!

The BEST CLEP Prep Guides

I think the REA Guides are hands-down the best CLEP Prep books on the market.  Why? They do things that the other guys don’t do.

  1. They include content that is an identical distribution match to the exam. For example, if the exam will test you on 15% of a specific topic, then 15% of that topic will be in the REA guide.
  2. They are not teaching guides, they are summaries.  While this can be a disadvantage if you haven’t spent time on the subject, for those who have spent a whole semester or year in the topic, you really just need to go in and nail the key points – this is that.
  3. They include practice tests, at least 2 but sometimes 3.
  4. They give you a score “guesstimate” based on your practice test scores.
  5. There are fantastic explanations for every practice question – know why an answer is true is sometimes essential when preparing for the real exam.

Many exams were revised in 2015, so please watch publication dates.  It won’t necessarily mean an older book won’t work, but just do your homework and check that the distribution in the book you use is on target or that you’ve added in updated content.  These links take you to the newest edition of each book.