Susan Chu

  • Everything You Need to Know About Grad PLUS Loan

    Everything You Need to Know About Grad PLUS Loan

    A Grad PLUS loan is a federal student loan that’s available only to eligible graduate and professional students. It is issued by the U.S. Department of Education through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loan), and is a subset of the Direct PLUS loans. Grad PLUS loans, like other federal student loans,… Read More

  • What is a Stafford Loan?

    What is a Stafford Loan?

    A Stafford Loan is a federal student loan made and guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. Named in honor of Vermont Senator Robert Stafford for his contribution to higher education, Stafford Loans are available to eligible undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Stafford loans are currently available only through the William D. Ford Federal Direct… Read More

  • What is a Parent PLUS Loan? All You Need to Know

    What is a Parent PLUS Loan? All You Need to Know

    The price of a college education in the United States has increased across the board over the past 30 years. Between the 1992-93  and 2022-23 academic years, the average published tuition and fee prices have risen, in 2022 dollars, as follows:  Type of Institution 1992-23 Price 2022-23 Price Public two-year colleges $2,340 $3,860 Public four-year… Read More

  • What Are Federal Student Loans?

    What Are Federal Student Loans?

    When it comes to college education in the United States, the numbers are astounding (and not in a good way). The total student debt has reached a high of $1.7 trillion, with the average undergrad borrowing about $30,000.  Unfortunately, most students do not know how to manage their student debt successfully because they haven’t been… Read More

  • How to Manage EdFinancial Student Loans

    How to Manage EdFinancial Student Loans

    If you’ve taken out federal student loans to finance your education (like I did) and you have EdFinancial Services as your loan servicer, you need to take stock of where you stand with respect to your loans and learn about your repayment options. This is critical if you want to put your best “financial” foot… Read More

  • Are Private Student Loans Right for You?

    Are Private Student Loans Right for You?

    College education in the United States is getting more and more expensive, and students are borrowing more than ever to pay for their education. Student debt has reached a high of $1.6 trillion, with the average undergrad borrowing about $30,000. Unfortunately, most students do not know how to manage their student debt successfully because they… Read More

  • How to Manage Your Great Lakes Student Loans

    How to Manage Your Great Lakes Student Loans

    If you’ve taken out federal student loans to finance your education (like I did) and you have Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. as your loan servicer, you need to take stock of where you stand with respect to your loans and learn about your repayment options. This is critical if you want to put… Read More

  • How to Manage Federal Student Loans With MOHELA

    How to Manage Federal Student Loans With MOHELA

    If you’ve taken out federal student loans to finance your education (like I did) and you have MOHELA as your loan servicer, you need to take stock of where you stand with respect to your loans and learn about your repayment options. This is critical if you want to put your best “financial” foot forward… Read More

  • What You Need to Know to Manage Your FedLoan Account

    What You Need to Know to Manage Your FedLoan Account

    If you’ve taken out federal student loans to finance your education (like I did) and you have FedLoan Servicing as your loan servicer, you need to take stock of where you stand with respect to your loans and learn about your repayment options. This is critical if you want to put your best “financial” foot… Read More

  • Study Compares Excessive Social Media Use to Drug Addiction

    Study Compares Excessive Social Media Use to Drug Addiction

    Social media has taken the world by storm, making it so easy for people to stay connected. Facebook, alone, had 1.49 billion daily active users on average in September 2018. Snapchat had 186 million daily active users as of third quarter 2018. Instagram has more than 500 million daily active users worldwide. The use of… Read More

  • How Chinese Food Can Help Friends, Strangers Cooperate

    How Chinese Food Can Help Friends, Strangers Cooperate

    Chinese food is one of America’s favorite foods. But did you know that having Chinese food even with strangers can boost cooperation and help with negotiations? This is because sharing a plate of food, as is customary in Chinese, Indian and other cultures, leads to better collaboration and therefore faster resolutions, a new study finds.… Read More

  • Coffee or Tea? That Depends on Your DNA

    Coffee or Tea? That Depends on Your DNA

    Are you a coffee lover? Or, do you prefer tea? Whether you favor one or the other is a function of your genes, according to a new study by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that an… Read More

  • Renewable Energy Crosses Party Lines, Unites Americans

    Renewable Energy Crosses Party Lines, Unites Americans

    Last month’s Ford-Kavanaugh hearing is yet another example of how partisan this country has become in recent years. Considering this political climate where Republicans and Democrats are sharply divided — seemingly on all key issues — is it possible for Americans to come together on any single issue? It doesn’t seem likely, but researchers from… Read More

  • Why Food Can Taste Different Through VR

    Why Food Can Taste Different Through VR

    Our five senses come into play when we taste food. The ambience is important too. Most of us would agree that grabbing a quick burger at the local diner is not quite the same as enjoying steak frites at an upscale French restaurant. That our environment influences our food taste is driven home by a… Read More

  • You’re Not Alone: Mental Illness is Widespread at Universities

    You’re Not Alone: Mental Illness is Widespread at Universities

    The mental health of college students, worldwide, is at risk. Thirty-five percent of freshmen in a new study carried out by the American Psychological Association (APA) reported having symptoms of a mental health disorder, including major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. The researchers analyzed data involving nearly 14,000 students from 19 colleges in… Read More

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