What I learned in College: There is Free Money.....

College tuition is rising every year. In a survey conducted, it said if milk prices increased at the rate of college tuition then we would be paying $16 per gallon. I really don't know where all that money goes that they charge for tuition. The professors hardly get a raise (they just get paid a lot from the beginning). On a side note, I think universities should have their expenditures available to the public. Anyway, my point is that tuition is expensive, it is just gonna increase and yet it is a necessary.
But all hope is not lost. Read the rest of this blog and you might get some ideas on how to save money in college. First option is to have a good GPA in high school. And also have some useful extracurricular activities under your belt Eg. volunteer work, some important club affiliation, being school president, etc. With a good resume and a kickass SAT score (also very important) you can get a good scholarship.
I know what you're thinking. "What if I am not good at studies?" Don't worry I was always average in studies. If you are the same, then you better be athletic. Universities always want good athletes. And the sport doesn't have to be limited to football, soccer, lacrosse, or track and field. Universities have other sports too eg. Swimming, fencing, horse riding, golf, rowing, etc. In the movie 'The Thomas Crown Affair', Pierce Brosnan says that he went to Harvard on a boxing scholarship. There is always room in the athletic dept at universities. If you know where you want to go for college, check on what sports are supported there and see if you can make it that way.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Hey...dickhead...not everyone is born athletic." You are right. I sure was not. I still try very hard to be athletic. Truth is, that you do not have to be a geek or a jock to get scholarships. There are several ways you can get a scholarship. A few things I did were: Enter the Engineering Ambassador and the Peer Mentorship program. As an ambassador my job was to go on recruiting events for the university and as a peer mentor I spent time with freshmen students to make sure they are not flunking their classes. They provided some scholarship money for little work. I would apply to every scholarship I could find. Anything that provided a scholarship, I was there. I lost a few but I did get a few. Thing is, if you don't ask, you won’t find it and if you don't go for it, you will not get it. There are several things you can do to earn a scholarship. Research. Ask your seniors. Scholarship doesn't have to be an application. It can be a little work but a lot of money.

Bottom Line: You do not have to be a geek or a jock to get a scholarship. Learn to look for opportunities. Learn to ask for them.

Commenter’s: If you have input on ways to get a scholarship please post it for other readers.

Cultural Shock: One life - One job

When I was growing up in India, I and my family lived in the same place for 17 years. Like NYC, in Mumbai you do not have to go too far or drive for necessary stuff like groceries, movie rentals, hair cuts, etc. Everything was available within a radius of 1 mile. After seeing the same people all the time, you get to know them very well. You are good friends with your barber, the grocery store manager, the office supply store guy, family doctor, etc. Now these people knew me very well. So when I first left to the States I went and told them that I was leaving and that whenever I came back I would surely visit them. I went back to Mumbai after 2 yrs and visited the store owners like I said I would. 2 yrs later I went back again and did the same. Then I visited after 4 years. By this time I was working and had gone through 6 jobs (including part time jobs in college) in 8 yrs and guess what.....EVERYONE WAS STILL THERE DOING THE SAME THING. This is when it hit me, that these people have spent their at least 20 years doing just one job. Holy s*%#!!!!!
After working in the States and realizing the opportunities that we have here, I don't think I would be able to do the same job forever. Even if I really loved what I did (testing PS2/xbox video games) I know at some point I am going to get bored and will look for more responsibilities. A lot of these people in developing nations do not have that luxury. Just having a job is the biggest achievement for them and they spend their entire life working at the same place without even thinking, "Can I do more?" I know that there are people in the Sates that have spent their entire life working for one company. But I also sure it is not the same repetitive thing that they did every day.
Then I thought about it. Would I think the same way that these store owners and workers think if I never made it to the States? Would I be happy with just one job? Maybe.

Bottom Line: Some people spend all their life doing one job and some do all the jobs in one life.

Dad's...... we love them

My Dad celebrated his birthday a couple of days ago. He is 60 something. I couldn't stop thinking about how great of a person he is. I wasn't even born when my dad went to the gulf for a better job so he could give his children more than what his dad could give him. My mom had to work and take care of three boys on her own. Dad would come home every 3-4 months, try to run the house and then leave. We always used to say that he had the life. No kids to worry about and no wife to nag him. But now that I think about it, he had it toughest of all. I can't imagine how he lived without holding his kids or hugging his wife for so long. He made the biggest sacrifice a parent could ever make. If it was not for his sacrifice, we probably would never have made it to the States.
Everyone’s Dad is different. And they have a unique way of showing their love. It is always tough love. They never tend to show how much they love you like moms do. They always tend to think about the future of their kids and what can they do to make it better. When we are small we never see that and we hate them because they won't let us play video games for a minute longer than the allotted time. But they are right in doing so. We should thank them for being tough.
I realize this doesn’t apply to all Dads. Some dads never care about their family. I count my blessings that my dad didn’t do that. I believe we should try and look at the good in a person and learn from their bad.
Making sacrifices for the family is what I learned from my Dad. If you give it some thought I am sure you will be able to think of the sacrifices your Dad made for you. If you get a chance tell him how much that means to you. And if you are a Dad try to give your kids the best you can without ever thinking about yourself. I hope to do so when I have kids of my own.

Bottom Line: Dad's Love and Sacrifices are never noticed. But we all feel it inside us. Thank you Dad. Love you.