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Penn State welcomes bye week

By WTOP Staff

JIM CARLSON
Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — James Franklin knows a bye week can make a depth chart better even if it can’t make better depth.

The Penn State coach said Tuesday he welcomes the downtime in order to allow players with nagging injuries to heal and for overworked regulars to get their legs back.

“Those things are really valuable and probably more valuable for us in our situation than most,” Franklin said. “I think that’s where it comes in handy.”

Franklin’s situation is overall depth. He has 75 scholarship players, 10 more than what former coach Bill O’Brien was able to keep after NCAA sanctions from the fallout of the 2011 Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

The NCAA reinstated Penn State’s full allotment of 85 beginning next season. Until Franklin’s recruiting classes can plug the holes, two bye weeks in October sandwiched around an Oct. 11 trip to Michigan and an Oct. 25 home game against Ohio State are a welcome sight.

“Everything is different and everything is magnified here because of the well-documented depth issues that we have and the lack of scholarships and things like that,” Franklin said.

Penn State jumped out to a 4-0 start but various early-season problems such as pass protection and the lack of a running game that the Nittany Lions were able to overcome surfaced during a 29-6 loss to Northwestern on Saturday.

“It’s not like a whole lot of things that popped up on Saturday were different than the story that we’ve been writing all year long,” Franklin said. “It just came to a head and we played an opponent that just didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes.

“Winning minimizes the issues and losing maximizes the issues but the issues are still there. We just have to have more of a sense of urgency to get them fixed.”

Franklin acknowledges a quick fix is unlikely.

“Some of them you’re not going to get fixed overnight,” he said. “A pretty good example of what we’re working through is that we have one scholarship offensive tackle (junior Donovan Smith) in the senior, junior and sophomore class.

“You look at our scholarship board, we only have one offensive tackle on scholarship in three classes. So you have a senior and a freshman and that’s it. Some of these problems you’re not going to solve in a week.”

Penn State’s week will give the players off Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“We’ll get more time on Sunday because you’re not spending any time cleaning up your previous game, so that will give us more of an opportunity to get more things done,” Franklin said.

“A lot of times in normal weeks and preparation you’re rushing to get the stuff corrected from the week before, you’re rushing to get the new game plan installed, you’re rushing to work on fundamentals and techniques that you need, and what happens is you probably don’t do a good enough job in any of those areas.

“The bye week allows you to do that, especially when you’re a new staff and trying to install new things,” Franklin said.

“Once you’ve been here for a couple of years and you have years of muscle memory built up in terms of techniques and fundamentals and plays and those things, then it’s probably not as magnified as it is right now.

“We’re excited about this bye week, the timing of when it comes, and hopefully it will put us in position to play the way we’re capable of playing against our next opponent.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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