Archive for the ‘Graduating Students’ Category

Feb
18

MBA Graduates: The Next Generation of Employers

Author: Sally Croft

The years from 2008-2010 have been a whirlwind of economic and emotional ups and downs for the nation and the world economy. America has seen the fall of major companies and the incredible financial woes that follow such falls. Major businesses such as the auto industry, banking and financial markets were under fire and threat of failure due to the poorly regulated practices of previous years. America and the world need new leaders with bright ideas to avoid future problems that affect all of our lives. The next generation of employees must be equipped with the knowledge to meet the demands of a global market. The decisions they make not only affect those in close proximity, but the results of their decisions will be felt around the world.

Future Employers

The new employers need to have the moral capability to be able to apply what they have learned to situations as they occur. Some of the unethical practices in the financial market used in the last decade must be revisited by these new bosses and made to fit an economic world fresh out of a recession. America and the world are coming out of a worldwide economic crisis and the new leaders will be ready.

MBA Grads

Where will the next generation of employers in the U.S. come from? It can be expected that the next generation of employers will be the most recent and upcoming graduates of MBA programs across the U.S. and around the world. The new bright stars have been trained to be the leaders in banking, economics, finance, and management. Fresh with the glow of having completed a tough university stretch of usually more than six years, these new MBA graduates have seen prosperity of the US and world economies, and watched as the bubble inflated and then burst. Their knowledge gained through current events and precedent setting cases during their college careers will have prepared them for just about any scenario that comes their way.

The MBA graduates who move into the executive positions in companies throughout the U.S. and the world will be leaders in their fields. What are some of the new generation employers going to do? As the banking, economic and marketing fields are wide open for new ideas the choices will be varied. Here are some of the careers to keep an eye on. Today’s MBA graduate jobs include:

• chief financial officer • director of investment banking
• finance director marketing • principal consultant
• manager • strategy manager
• head of sales and marketing • procurement advisor
• benchmarking analyst • marketing manager
• international head of marketing • lead consultant
• senior business analyst • director investment banking
• vice president of sales • business manager

The new leaders in these positions will have the responsibility of presiding over corporations and participating in decisions that will be affected by the new regulations being put in place. These new regulations that they oversee will be cutting edge decisions made on top of failures and rescues in many different industries. The process of bail outs and bonuses that were given to some of the banks and major businesses will have to be taken into consideration with each and every move these new leaders will make.

Feb
3

Top Scams Targeting College Students

Author: Sally Croft

Students are faced with the daunting tasks of completing their pre-college studies, applying to numerous colleges, waiting to get accepted and then planning how to pay for their educational pursuits and the expenses that are expected to come with this endeavor. The hunt for financing is on and students as well as parents can be lured in to schemes that are anything but beneficial to them. There exist, in all forms of media, those who are looking to take advantage of the novice student or adult borrower in order to exploit their resources and gain whatever they can from this.

Some of these sales approaches that try to get money from students or their families can be called “scams”. There are scams that range from simple advertising tricks to come-ons that just plain are invented to draw attention or even to direct you to a particular site. Some of the top scams targeting college students and perspective college students have become quite inventive with their methods.

College Students Scams
  • Government Offers - These are not really from the government, though they may refer to government sites. If an offer looks like it comes from the government be sure to check out the source of the mailing. Students should know that the U.S. federal government site for applying for general financial aid is called the FAFSA and is easy to find by doing a general web search for financial aid.
  • Flashy colorful advertisements - Discard any mail for financing that comes with flashing ads, music, dancers or other forms of entertainment to distract you.
  • One time offers - Avoid any thing that says it is a one time offer as it is probably not from a reputable source.
  • Student Loan Consolidation - Be careful of offers for student loan consolidation from companies other than banks
  • Scholarship offers, especially those that charge a fee

Things to Look Out For

  • Some ads offer information on how to get money for free, it’s not really free
  • Do not fall for any financial aid offers that come unsolicited through email
  • Sweepstakes with prizes and free money for college are a way to lure students in to deals
  • Be careful of so-called financial aid finders
  • Financial aid offers that charge a fee for finding sources for you
Dec
29

Comparing Student Loan Types and Borrowing Limits

Author: Sally Croft

Finding an affordable student loan package is important for any college student. Even before attending college or university, students have to consider the difficulties and costs they will encounter when faced with their student loan repayment after graduation. Most students will opt for federal funding but realize quite quickly that they have their limits. This results in students seeking supplemental funding from other sources. It is important that students understand what their limits are when applying for student loans, as these student loans will be a major financial burden on them for the first 10 to 20 years of their professional life.

3 Major Types of Student Loans — and their Limits

Federal Stafford Loans - Stafford loans are of two types:

  • Unsubsidized: Any student irrespective of their financial need can access unsubsidized loan. Under this plan, interest starts accruing from the date of disbursement of the loan. However, students can delay the payment of these interests until they have graduated from their institution.
  • Subsidized: Subsidized Stafford student loans are awarded based on the severity of the student’s financial need. To get this loan, students must apply through the Free Application for Federal Student loans form and provide the board with proof of their family’s financial inability to pay for the education out of pocket. Under this plan, the federal government will pay all interest on their student loan until the student begins repayment.

Under the Stafford student loans, first year students can access $3,500 as base loans and an additional $2,000 as unsubsidized loans. If their parents cannot access PLUS loans, the unsubsidized cap can increased to $6,000. Second year students have a base loan cap of $ 4,500 with a maximum of $6,000 in additional support if PLUS loans cannot be accessed by their parents. Third year students have a base loan cap of $5,500 with a maximum of $7,000 in additional unsubsidized support. Graduate students will only receive Stafford student loans if their parents cannot access PLUS loans and have a base of $8,500 with a maximum of $12,000 in additional support.

*The loan limits on Subsidized Stafford Student Loan dealt on a case-by-case basis.

Federal Perkins Loans - Federal Perkins student loans target undergraduate and graduate students with adverse financial conditions. Each institution makes these loans available to students from funding received from the government. Under this plan, students are allowed to defer their interest payments until all tuition, grace and deferment period is exhausted. These loans have a fixed interest rate of 5% that remains with the loan until it is repaid completely.

Undergraduate students can access Federal Perkins Loans with a loan limit of $5,000 per 1-year period with a cap of $27,000. Graduate students have an increased yearly Federal Perkins Loan limit of $8,000 with an accumulative loan limit of $ 60,000. For students pursuing non-graduate studies, such as Associate degrees, they have an accumulative loan limit of $11,000.

PLUS Loans: PLUS loans are supplemental loans that both students and parents seek to offset the immediate cost of education. However, with these loans, borrowers are required to start repayment as soon as the loan has been disbursed.

There is no specific limit placed on PLUS loans. The amount received based on the difference between the amount financial aid received under the Stafford or Perkins loan plans and the total cost of the education.