The Blog

For the newcomers to SLDRC, this section is where we like to pick one of our top social media posts (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and share it here on our website.  The posts are usually top student loan questions, common concerns, things to look-out for or be aware of, or frequently asked questions (FAQs) and the answers to those questions or concerns.  Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to be a part of our student loan related information updates.

* * * * *   OCTOBER'S TOP FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and ANSWERS     * * * * *

•  How/where do I begin the process of getting/obtaining financial aid (either a grant or loan or both) to go to college?
• While this may seem like an easy or simple question, the truth is that for most people who are looking to go to college this is one of the top problems that families struggle with and top questions that people are looking for help on.  This is in part because everyone is different and so are their needs.  While some people may only need a little financial assistance to cover the costs of books, other may need quite a bit more financial assistance in order to cover books, tuition, and more.  It is because of this that a great number of students (far too many) do not go on to college or do not stay the entire four years to receive their degree.  So knowing where to go or from where/whom to get loans or funding to enable you to pay for your college expenses can be critically important, because the eligibility requirements and the loan terms and conditions (such as the interest rate and the repayment start date) can be different from one lender to another.  It is because of the fact that an individual's needs and INTENDED PLAN for how their student loan repayment plan will go can vary from person-to-person and change from year-to-year, that we rather provide information more about where to begin your broader search and things to be mindful and careful of as your narrow-down your potential lenders and ultimately select the right choice for you.  As you can image, this could and should take some time to research and choose carefully; you SHOULD NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE to begin this process.
• Just like with all other types of loans, such as credit cards or car loans, you have options when it comes to student loans.  Options such as...  You can begin the process in several different ways and through several different sources.  Your options can vary, and please DO NOT take this explanation about options as any form of guidance or instruction as to where and which sources to go to or choose; this is just meant to provide just a little bit of help or hope for those that have no idea how/where to begin the process.  
• Typically your options (outside of grants, scholarships, or the likes) are either federal loans or private loans. 
• For FEDERAL LOANS (which are commonly considered best for most students), one of the sources where you can begin your search for Federal student loans is at:  www.studentaid.ed.gov.
• Some of the Pros vs. Cons:  One of the most notable Pros (or benefits) of a federal student loan is that if after you graduate you go into certain specific areas of public service or certain areas of teaching, you "MAY" be eligible to have a portion of your federal student loan forgiven.  (Do we hear teachers out there saying "YAAYYYY!!!")
• For PRIVATE LOANS, one of the sources where you can begin your search for Private student loans is at:  There really is no single source that we can say is totally unbiased when it comes to where to go to for private loans.  And because we believe that there can be less risk of the unknown with federal loans instead of private loans we would simply tell you to very carefully do your research on the various private loans providers.  Speak with guidance counselors, and family and friends who have recently attended college, and perhaps search the internet for COMPARISON charts of the best private student loans providers.
• Some of the Pros and Cons:  One Pro (or benefit) of a private loan over a federal loan is that federal loans usually have specific define application time periods per academic school year; after that deadline you typically will only receive very little funding/federal financial assistance (which will likely not be enough for your needs).  Whereas many private loans tend to not be limited to a defined time period for you to apply for a student loan; you usually have a much longer time period to apply.  THIS IS WHY KNOWING AND COMPLYING WITH THE FAFSA APPLICATION DEADLINE IS SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT!
• BUT!, before you even think about taking out a loan to pay for you to go to college, FIRST check to see how much FREE MONEY (also known as GRANT MONEY and SCHOLARSHIPS) you can get to pay for college, as there is lots of FREE MONEY out there for people/students who really, really want to go to college.  There are a lot of foundations looking to give money away to the right person or people in order to support them in their endeavors and efforts to obtain a college degree.

Good luck with this, and we really hope that this information was/is helpful.  Remember, when it comes to getting financial aid for college student loans, being one of the early applicants for Federal, State, and really another other source of financial aid/financial assistance can be one of the most important steps in getting the amount of money that you need to enable you to go college and obtain your life-long important COLLEGE DEGREE!

Feel free to send us your question or concern by email or by direct-message on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and we'll try to provide an answer via shared post to either our website or one of our social media pages.

• Did you get your FAFSA application completed & submitted on October 1st?  Remember, financial aid money is given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, and unfortunately there's not enough grant money for everyone.  When the grant money is gone, it's gone!
• Have you registered for and/or taken the ACT or SAT yet?  Remember, you should NEVER wait until your senior year of high school to take these tests.  Between your junior and senior year, you could possibly be able to take them 2 to 3 times, and in many cases you are allowed to submit your best score to colleges.  Also, there are places where you can get preparation assistance and take practice tests.  Check Google for more information.
• Don't wait until the last minute to apply to college for acceptance.  If you find yourself constantly procrastinating to do this, the reality is that you are probably just not comfortable or are uncertain about how to do this and simply need a little help.  Believe it or not, every high school has a resource counselor, student dean, or guidance counselor who can help you with this, if you just reach-out to them and let them know that you would like a little help picking a good college and filling out the application.
• And for more information about any of this, or problems with your financial aid loan after you've graduated, get our short, easy-to-read booklets on Managing Student Loan Debt With Nickels & Dimes.
• Don't forget to check out our SOCIAL MEDIA pages.

DON'T FORGET TO PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS WE OFFER SPECIAL DEALS ON OUR BOOKS AND CONSULTANCY.  IN ADDITION, WE POST ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON OUR FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM PAGES.  SO WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE GO TO OUR PAGES AND "LIKE US ON FACEBOOK' AND 'FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM'.  AND PLEASE TELL YOUR FAMILY AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT US AND OUR BOOK SERIES.  THE INFORMATION IN OUR BOOK SERIES IS SOME OF THE BEST KEPT SECRETS IN AMERICA, AND WE BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND GET HELP TO EASE THE BURDENS OF THEIR STUDENT LOANS.  TRUST US, SOMEONE YOU KNOW CAN USE THIS HELP; 4 OUT OF 5 AMERICANS OWES A STUDENT LOAN DEBT!  THANK YOU AND WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT.

This is an information message: FREE STUDENT LOAN INFORMATION UPDATE ALERTS AND NEWSLETTERS.  Click here to quickly sign-up for our newsletters on changing events to student loan regulations that can affect your student loan repayment, and for alert updates on student loan processes.  IN FULL DISCLOSURE, some of the information contained in our books may have recently changed.  We do our best to make sure that our information is up-to-date with the current policies of the U.S. Department of Education.  However, as such, if the Department of Education makes updates or changes to its policies post the release date of any of the information we provide, that may not be reflected in the current edition.  All federal student loan borrowers are able and encouraged to apply for any federal repayment or forgiveness programs through the U.S. Department of Education for free without paying fees to any entity. Nothing on this site nor in our books/booklets constitutes official qualification or guarantee of result. StudentLoanDebtReliefConsultants.com is a private company not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education of the Federal Government.  By using all or any portion of information contained or found on this website or in our books/booklets you accept and agree to our Terms & Conditions Agreement.