By
Laura Pappano
If
you're a high school student with college plans, just about anybody
who mentions "scholarship" gets your attention.
But,
beware of promises, says Heather Hippsley, assistant director of the
enforcement division of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington.
The
FTC has won injunctions and orders to pay restitution against several
companies that have approached students by letter, phone, or over
the Internet, offering to search for scholarships - and guaranteeing
awards.
The
searches cost from $59 to thousands of dollars. One company I dialed
said it would cost $279 up front, and promised a scholarship in six
years or my money back. Hmm.
"Unless
they are the scholarship provider, there is no way they can guarantee
a scholarship," Hippsley said. In some cases, she said, students
are invited to a scholarship seminar at a local hotel and then given
a high pressure sales pitch to buy services.
Clifford
Wong, guidance counselor at Boston Latin Academy, knows several students
who have been approached. "I ask what type of services they are
offering, and, lo and behold, they are offering the same information
offered for free," he said.
And
that's the rub. The state's Higher Education Information center in
the Boston Public Library doesn't charge for any of its services,
including searching for scholarships and helping families fill out
Financial Aid Forms. Check out their website at www.edinfo.org,
or call 1-877-EDAID4U (1-877-332-4348). The College Board also has
a scholarship search on its website at www.collegeboard.com.
