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Sal Khan's story: Paying for college

Paying for college can seem scary, but there are ways to make it work! Sal Khan shares his story about how financial aid and work-study helped him and his sister afford college. He reminds us that some expensive colleges offer generous aid, and taking on some debt can be a good investment in your future.

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  • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Adarsh Narayanan
    Which college should I join Kerala . I'm actually in 10th.. I like Maths, Physics and Chemistry..I also want to join a field of aeronautical engineering . Which college should I join friends..?
    (10 votes)
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  • mr pink red style avatar for user nyasha
    sal khan how good were you in school
    (5 votes)
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  • male robot hal style avatar for user R3hall
    For my degree I earned in Canada, I worked to save up money. The US dollar was far stronger than the Canadian dollar so I was able to pay and graduate from there debt free.
    My next degree I earned was paid for by the military. As long as you pass the work, the service will cover your tuition and you only have to pay the book and tech fees. Thus, it is also important to find a school that is friendly to service members/veterans.
    (6 votes)
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  • mr pants teal style avatar for user maddy nielsen
    how can i find certain scholorships? are there scho.orships for art
    (4 votes)
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    • female robot ada style avatar for user Katey Gordon
      Hi There,
      oh I noticed your bio says your interest in Art therapy I have once been a pediatric patient art has helped me cope with my chronic illness your entering a great proffesion to start looking first you need to understand what requirements for scholarships in area and field I hope this link can help you on your path its the American Arttherapy Association they have resources for students which can help you start etc. In research of what requirements etc. And maybe can actually direct you to colleges located in area that also have scholarships I hope this link can help you good luck!
      http://arttherapy.org/
      Best Regards
      Katrina
      (4 votes)
  • male robot hal style avatar for user Hassan Sahal
    Where is the like button,
    always look for it,
    never found it.
    (3 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user Gage Rottum
    No question for this vid
    (4 votes)
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  • aqualine tree style avatar for user Josephine Kim
    So how can you start thinking about this in middle school?
    (2 votes)
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    • purple pi pink style avatar for user Annethebear
      ok, so I did a lot of thinking about college in middle school and all it did was serve to stress me out big time! If I was you, I would think more about what career you want to go into. I didn't start saving for college until I was a high school sophomore and then all my paychecks went into the bank. You can start saving, but don't stress. You still have some time!
      (5 votes)
  • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user William.C
    How can a student get scholarships, financial aid , and grants?
    (3 votes)
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    • spunky sam blue style avatar for user CZ
      Internet searches are your friend. Scholarships come from many places (organizations, the colleges themselves). Grants are usually through institutions. Financial aid is through the college you plan to attend.
      (2 votes)
  • piceratops tree style avatar for user Shreyas Potnuru
    i heard the chances of getting into colleges like stanford and dartmouth are slim. Is there anything i can do to up my chances getting in other than studying and prepping all i can
    (1 vote)
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    • female robot ada style avatar for user Katey Gordon
      Hi Kakupotnuru,
      The SAT's can be a factor the higher your score the more Universities and College's you can be accepted for admissions , the next thing you can do is gather letters of recommendations and commit to volunteering for a cause sometimes through networking etc. it can lead to scholarships or job opportunities but it's also shows well on your portfolio for applying to a college or University. Another thing is developing a hobby if you don't have one some of us are a specific art but sometimes after school programs focusing on STEM ( building robots) or computer coding are considered a hobby other things like being a tutor or Mentor( peer support) can be a great option to add to your admissions portfolio.
      Also way your options as well sometimes local or smaller Universities and College's offer more one on one academic support depending on the career or area your going in having more academic support will be crucial to the growth of the field for example some Scientists​ find they have had more mentoring on Research within there smaller based college/ Universities then IVY league schools now Standford and
      other top Schools may offer better access to resources compared to support which you may want as always be open to all choices. Next Coursera , Edx offer free online courses from Standford etc. anyone can audit the courses you will have to purchase for verification certificates​ or Nano degree type of courses​ but they may be a option for you in future endeavors.
      (3 votes)
  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user Masaki
    As someone who has gone through the college application process and attribute my GPA & SAT to Khan Academy, I encourage middle school/high school students to look at reddit/applying-to-colleges, College Confidential, and college statistics websites. I caution students to avoid "Chance Me" or hypothetical threads that offer unsubstantiated evaluations of your admittance chances. Do visit accepted student stats and application; these proved incredibly helpful for me.
    That fact that many of you are considering colleges at this age shouldn't be shameful, but exciting. Don't overstress, but discover your passions and adapt those to real activities in high school. Don't do things just for college, but build a unique story that presents yourself as an interesting person. There's no secret formula (barring say athletics or sadly, extreme wealth) that can dramatically increase your chances.
    I wish you all the best of luck! But please don't forget to enjoy high school as it's four years you'll only experience once!
    (2 votes)
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Video transcript

- So when I was in high school, back in the 90's, even then, college was, at least from my point of view, very very expensive and now it's only gotten more expensive. And I remember thinking, there's no way I'm going to be able to go to a school, at that time that cost 10 or 15 thousand dollars a year, now those same schools cost 30 or 40 thousand dollars a year, at least. That's the stated price for tuition. You know, my mom was a single mom, she kind of sometimes worked as a manager at a convenience store, she did a bunch of series of jobs to kind of make ends meet. We were on, depending on the year, free or reduced lunch and so I just imagined, my only option is you know, either go to a local school or get a full ride scholarship if I can. But then my sister opened my mind, she was three years older, she applied to Brown University, which at that time the stated tuition was I think already in the high teens, thousands, if not 20 thousand dollars a year. And when she applied she then applied for financial aid, and I didn't even know this thing called financial aid existed. And so she got some federal grant money, she got some federal subsidized loans, Brown gave her some grant, gave her some loans, then there was some small parent contribution and then she also had to do work-study. But they made a package for her so that she was able to go. Now it wasn't easy, she had to do some work-study, my mom didn't have to do some contribution, she did have to take on some debt, but she was able to go. So that completely opened up my mind, so when I applied to college I didn't let that be a constraint on me. I said let me just figure out where I really want to go to college because I knew this financial aid thing existed. And what a lot of people don't realize is that some of the most selective colleges, that have at least the stated tuition is high, actually have some of the best financial aid programs, they're very very generous with their financial aid. And so I applied, and I got into MIT and then I did the financial aid process and it was incredibly good, I thought. It made it very... I left MIT with about 30 thousand dollars in loans, I had to do some work-study, but overall it made it affordable, very doable. And for me, that 30 thousand dollars in loans, I couldn't imagine a better investment in my future. So I would say you have to be careful, you don't want to get too far in debt, you definitely want to weigh what you're going to take on in terms of debt and aid versus what you might be able to make and career possibilities. But you know I think it was a very powerful thing for me to see my sister and what opportunities are available that aren't always obvious.