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Olympic Swimmer Allison Schmitt Speaks Out About Depression

By U.S. News & World Report

Everyone wanted to be Allison Schmitt. Everyone but Allison Schmitt, that is.

The now-26-year-old standout swimmer returned from the London Olympics in 2012 with five medals — three of them gold — and an adoring fan base who couldn’t help but cheer for the talented, down-to-earth Midwesterner nicknamed “Schmitty.”

“I had all of these people telling me how happy I should feel; what I should be feeling and that they wish they could be me,” Schmitt said on Wednesday in a phone interview with U.S. News. “They saw the materialistic things; they saw the medals, but I wasn’t feeling that.”

But what could have begun as an understandable case of post-Olympics letdown didn’t pass. Two and a half years later, Schmitt’s bad days still outweighed the good — a feeling she now understands as depression. “I wasn’t getting better and things were getting to the point [where] I kept internalizing it and I’d had dark thoughts and thoughts of suicide,” she says, “and it scared me.”

So Schmitt spoke out then, first getting help from a therapist and support from her coach and Michael Phelps, her teammate and friend, and soon opening up to her family and fans after her cousin died by suicide in May of 2015.

“[Depression] is paralyzing in that you’re not living life to the fullest; you have a block that you cannot see the positive side no matter how many people tell you to be positive, no matter how hard you try, no matter how many books you read,” says Schmitt, who added a gold and silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. “The only hope from there is seeking help.”

Now she and Phelps, who has also talked publicly about his experiences with mental health problems, are speaking out again as honorary chairpersons of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in the District of Columbia. The event, themed “Partnering for Help and Hope,” will promote the integration of behavioral health and primary care for children, youth and young adults with mental and chronic illness.

Schmitt’s hope? To destigmatize depression and other mental illnesses, and to encourage young people who are struggling silently to get help. “My goal [is for mental illness] to not be the elephant in the room; to have it be a normal conversation,” she says. “Accept that it’s OK to not feel OK.”

Watch the event at 7 p.m. tonight via live webcast at www.samhsa.gov/children.

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Olympic Swimmer Allison Schmitt Speaks Out About Depression originally appeared on usnews.com

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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