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THE LEN LESSER REPORT  

THE LEN LESSER REPORT

 

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$OME FREE ADVICE ON PO$T $ECONDARY EDUCATION.

Congratulations parents your son/daughter are very soon to be high school graduates. They have gone on line and filled out their college/university education. Remember that the O U A C, O C A S will allow them to accept only one of their choices at one time. Sure they can change your mind and delete and add a variety of programs that they are qualified for.

The O U A C web site advises them to; “Choose your school and program carefully. Post Secondary education costs you time, money and is a big investment, so you should evaluate carefully the post secondary institution you plan to attend.”

Attending post secondary school is relatively expensive with the student having funding options. There are loans, grants and scholarships that help defray the cost of your schooling.

If your son/daughter are so inclined Royal Military College in Kingston, www.rmc.ca offers up a great education with a nuclear reactor on site with an amazing low professor student ratio. No, R M C is not listed as one of their choices on the OUAC application form.

If they decide the military is not for them they may leave at the end of first year with the military picking up the tab. Your children can drop into the nearest Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre and find out if the program is right for them. Check out the web site: www.forces.gc.ca

The universities of Waterloo, Brock, Ottawa, &Windsor have direct entry into year one co-op programs with employers hiring students across the land. Many universities have Internship programs with Western allowing students to work for 16 months after successful completion of three years of school.

Folks, ask your employers if they offer up funding/scholarships to help supplement the cost of post secondary education programs.

The Ontario Government has a new web site to help students to navigate the confusing world of student grants, loans and scholarships. Check out http:osap.gov.on.ca/eng/intro.htm to learn how the system works. There are $496 million in scholarships offered by universities and colleges.

Remember that the loans are repayable by your children with interest rates set when they leave college/university. Mom and dad you are asked to submit your financial information to O S A P but you are not responsible for the thousands of dollars of debt that your offspring can incur to get their diploma/degree.

Here is some friendly, free advise for the taking. Think global and if possible look local for post secondary schooling. Going far away from home may sound great but remember that the cost of room and board is expensive.

Len Lesser

Len Lesser posts a report every week

You can email Len at lenlesser@hotmail.com