Sallie Mae Offers Tips for Last-Minute Paying for College Success

NEWARK, Del., Aug 08, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Freshman orientation is just around the corner, students are confirming
class schedules and families are finalizing college finances. If summer
end finds you with a financial gap, Sallie Mae offers interest-free
tuition payment plans, responsible private education loans and other
financial lifesavers for your educational plans–and your wallet.

“Sallie Mae recognizes the juggling act many families perform to make
the investment in a college education for their children, to save
simultaneously for retirement and to meet other financial goals,” said
Charlie Rocha, senior vice president, Sallie Mae. “The good news is that
there are a variety of resources and options available for families
facing financial deadlines for college over the coming days.”

Sallie Mae, the nation’s No. 1 financial service company specializing in
education, recommends families explore these last-minute tips if you
need funds after tapping scholarships, grants and federal student loans:

–
Use an interest-free tuition payment plan to make paying for
college more manageable. Available at hundreds of college
campuses, Sallie Mae administers interest-free tuition payment plans
that let families spread tuition payments over a number of months
instead of making a large lump-sum payment at the beginning of the
semester. You can choose to pay all or a portion of your expected
family contribution through a tuition payment plan. Visit
www.SallieMae.com/tuitionpay
for more information.

–
Consider a responsible private loan with options that help you save
money. Sallie
Mae’s Smart Option Student Loan helps you fill the gap with
interest rates among the lowest in the country, the most options and
flexibility while in school to help you save money in the long run,
and the most student-friendly consumer protections. With Sallie Mae,
students can choose from three flexible payment plans, including plans
with in-school payments designed to help you pay less interest over
the life of the loan.

–
Safeguard your tuition investment. Sallie Mae offers a new
tuition insurance program to help you protect your family’s investment
in college, in partnership with Next Generation Insurance Group.
Available to any student attending any accredited school, the service
reimburses 100 percent of the lost cost of attendance up to the
selected policy limit when an illness, injury or mental health
condition causes a student to leave school. In addition, Sallie Mae
also offers at no cost to the student a tuition insurance benefit that
provides up to $5,000 of annual coverage for withdrawals due to
covered medical and mental health conditions on loans that first
disburse between July 1 and Oct. 31, 2011.

–
Earn extra money for college with Upromise by Sallie Mae.
Upromise members can earn cash back for college every time they make
an eligible purchase from hundreds of participating retailers or use
their Upromise credit card. Upromise members have earned $625 million
in member rewards since 2001. Rewards accumulate in a member’s
Upromise account and can be used to pay
down eligible student loans faster, deposit in an eligible 529
college savings plan, or transfer to a Sallie Mae high-yield
savings account, or you can request a check. Visit
www.Upromise.com
for more information.

–
Textbook ways to save money. Students can save hundreds of
dollars a year on textbooks by buying used books or renting books
online. In fact, Upromise members can earn 3 to 4 percent back in
rewards through participating retailers such as Chegg.com and
Textbooks.com and an extra reward from Barnes Noble.com of 6 percent
from Aug. 11 to 31. Tech savvy students can lighten their backpacks
with ereaders from Barnes Noble.com and ebooks at Textbooks.com. To
find these extra college savings, start shopping on Upromise.com.

Sallie Mae reminds families that there is no one way to pay for college
and the formula doesn’t have to be the same each year. In most families,
the investment in college is a responsibility shared by both parents and
students who tap their own savings and income, scholarships and grants,
assistance from friends and family, and student loans.

Before the days of summer come to an end, Sallie Mae invites incoming
college students to enter the Smart Summer Sweepstakes for a chance to
win $10,000 for college, gift cards and concert tickets. Visit Sallie
Mae’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/SallieMae
to enter the contest or to post your last-minute paying for college tip
or questions.

Note: To view the Official Rules and to enter the Sallie Mae Smart
Summer Sweepstakes, visit
www.facebook.com/SallieMae .
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Sallie Mae


/quotes/zigman/300331/quotes/nls/slm SLM
-10.96%



is the nation’s No. 1 saving, planning and
paying for college company. Serving 23 million customers, Sallie Mae
offers innovative savings tools, tuition payment plans and education
loans that promote responsible financial habits and reward success.
Through its subsidiaries, the company manages or services $234 billion
in education loans and administers $38 billion in 529 college savings
plans. Members of its Upromise college savings rewards program have
earned $625 million to help pay for college. Sallie Mae is also one of
the leading financial service providers for universities and governments
at all levels, including supporting $8 billion in ecommerce transactions
annually at nearly 1,000 campuses. More information is available at
www.SallieMae.com .
SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, commonly known as Sallie Mae, are
not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

SOURCE: Sallie Mae

        
        Sallie Mae 
        Patricia Nash Christel, 302-283-4076 
        patricia.christel@SallieMae.com 
        or 
        Debby Hohler, 617-454-6741 
        dhohler@upromise.com
        

Copyright Business Wire 2011

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JD Match Offers Tips to Law Students to Survive On-Campus Interviewing …

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 08, 2011

To prepare 2L and 3L law students for on-campus interviewing taking place now at law schools nationwide, JD Match is offering a series of tips on interviewing guidelines by Janet Stanton, CEO of JD Match:

Take each interview seriously. Be dead serious about each and every interview, as they are golden opportunities. Even if an interview is with a firm ranked lower on your preferred list, you may be pleasantly surprised with the opportunities. Prepare for each interview at every law firm as if it was your first choice so you don’t lose out; none should be wasted because you didn’t do your homework or decided to wing it.

Make them all love you. On average, firms call back only about 25 percent of students they conduct screening interviews with. Do all you can to ensure the maximum number of callbacks. Research firms rigorously. Follow as many of the suggestions below as you can. Rehearse out loud and in front of a mirror. Remember the sports phrase – “train hard, fight easy.” For OCI, it’s more like “train hard, fight hard.”

Prepare and rehearse your story in nuggets rather than as a single narrative. This way you’ll be able to use the most germane points when answering specific questions. You should prepare nuggets that cover key areas of your resume, law school experience, writing sample, achievements and even outside interests. Each nugget should be no more than one to two minutes long.

Speak in “newspaper” style. When you share information about yourself, speak about the most important points first. Use short nuggets as your story.

Be attentive. Don’t be so focused on what you want to say that you ignore signals from the interviewer. Gauge the attention of your interviewers and determine if you’re speaking too much! Maintain eye contact and pick up visual cues.

“Tell me about yourself.” Ugh. Many interviewers use this tough, broad question as a screening test, so expect it to come up. Memorize a two-minute summary from childhood to the present day. Deliver it with spontaneity. Be conversational and casual, yet professional, about what you share.

Pat yourself on the back, but not with arrogance! Your achievements should be work- or academic-related and relevant to the firm. If this isn’t readily obvious, connect the dots succinctly. Use recent achievements wherever possible and reference specific, tangible results. Numbers (dollars, percent growth, etc.) work wonders.

Strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are easy; just make sure they are relevant for each firm. For weaknesses, do not mention strengths carried to a fault, i.e., “sometimes I’ve been told I’m a workaholic.” Consider instead mentioning a (non-fatal) weakness and what you’re doing to overcome it.

Anticipate predictable questions. Prepare answers to these predictable questions in advance of any interview:

•     Why do you want to be a lawyer?
• Why are you going to law school?
• What specifically about our firm is attractive to you?
• Tell me about one of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome.
• What do in your spare time? Hopefully not mosh pit concerts, or obsessively updating Facebook

Check your attitude; adopt a “Goldilocks” approach. Confident; neither diffident nor arrogant; affable: neither cheerless nor laughable; focused but not scary intense. People want to be around people they like, and lawyers are no different.This applies to highly credentialed candidates, as well. Don’t reek entitlement; it’s just not attractive.

Attire is really obvious, but often overlooked. This is not the time to express your inner Goth. Get two conservative suits, the best quality you can afford. Men should wear white shirts, dark, subtle ties, and shine your dark shoes. Ladies can wear tasteful jewelry and a little clear nail polish wouldn’t hurt. Get a haircut!

The devil is in the details. Arrive early and review the cheat sheet as well as the pertinent questions you prepared for each firm. Give your self a once-over. Breathe. Knock on the door at the exact time your interview is scheduled to start. When you enter, offer a firm though not crushing handshake, and smile.

Don’t go empty handed! Bring several copies of your resume, law school transcript, writing sample and professional/academic references (your Mom doesn’t count). Have a friend proofread all, and spring for quality paper. Little things do make a difference. As you leave, request a business card.

Don’t forget to send a thank you note. It needn’t be lengthy; two or three paragraphs suffice. Discuss some thoughts about what came up at the interview, but no “hard sell.” Handwritten is nice, if you write legibly.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebJD-Match-Tips-Series/law-student-interview-tip/prweb8700200.htm

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