Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Erica,

College can be expensive -- not only this one, but any college you want to attend. There are scholarships, grants and aid that can help you make your dreams come true, and get you launched into a career in the fashion, entertainment, or interior design industries. FIDM has a National Scholarship Competition in which you could win a full one-year scholarship to FIDM. To find out more about the competition, click here. But don't just count on winning the FIDM scholarship to get you in the door. Back up your future plans with other solid sources of funding. You can begin the search for college money in your own backyard. Check into scholarship opportunites via your parents' employers, your church or synagogue, a community organization, or based on your ethnic heritage. Very often these entities are proud to help sponsor the education of good students. FastWeb.com, the internet's leading scholarship search service, is a great tool for searching the web for money for college. Start here and search their database of 600,000 scholarships. For more tips on how to find out about scholarships, grants and loans that are available to help you attend FIDM, check out the"Affording College"page in the"Admissions"section of the fidm.com website. Finally, start a college fund for yourself. Start saving your money. When your family gives you gifts for your birthday or holidays, ask for cash. Babysit or get a part-time or summer job to add to your bank account. Eventually you will have quite a nest egg to help pay for school.

Sincerely, Fashion Girl