Neo Major: International Business Status: Light Keeper A person with strange ideas in my head and strange feelings in my heart...

How to Find the Right School for You and the Money For It.
Andy Neo

Ask About Fin Aid Available
The most important criteria that all the search engines do not give as an option is whether the school give financial assistance. The answer to that question you can get at the financial aid page of the site of the university. If you don’t have time to browse ask this question directly in the letter of inquiry to the fin aid officer. Ask point blank “Do you give full financial assistance to international students applying to U/Grad school, program so and so?” If they do, ask for the fin aid application package. They will know what needs to go there.

Electronic Request Form
In the admissions section of the site they often have an electronic inquiry form that will ask about information about you and through submitting it you will register to receive the basic information package. A good way if you need only the initial information. Not too personal and doesn’t always answer your needs.
While you are at the task of looking for the names and e-mail addresses look at what the site shows. From it you will see one more side of the campus life. What the students are like, what are the colors of the school, what courses they offer (to study that in more depth request a course catalogue from the admissions office). See how the site is organized and what the students say about the school. Surfing the site will help you understand more about the school and make up your mind how badly you want to go there.

Ratings
Another helpful way to form your inquiry list is to look through different ratings. The www.bschool.com will offer you different listings of business school. On www.review.com and www.usnews.com you might find ratings as for quality of life, quality of programs, security and such. www.edupass.com will offer you ratings as for fin aid available. Ratings are not all that you need to make your choice, they just offer additional information and insight into the schools from the point of view of professionals. Also do not make the mistake of ratings being everything to make the correct decision. Often the information presented there is not that accurate and will need double-checking.

Financial Aid
When you have ordered the information you have up to a month of seemingly free time. Do not make this mistake! This is the time to surf the web for information on additional financial aid. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, therefore you will have to apply for the scholarships the schools or private organizations offer. A good way to get information about the scholarships you may be eligible for is to enter your information in the Fastweb.com database and let them search and send you the information on scholarships just for you. You may also look at the Abroadplanet Scholarships Section for the list of organizations that provide scholarships and financial assistance for international students. It is also a good idea to look into the fin aid options of the institutions you have inquired about. Establish a communication with the fin aid dept officer and ask him/her all the questions that you might have or get advice on your personal situation.