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Scholarships How can you earn more money for college?
Scholarships
How can you earn more money for college?
Places to find scholarships
• Local service organizations (Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions,etc)• Athletic booster organizations• Your or parent’s employer• Community or other charitable organizations• Churches or church organizations• University you are attending• Alumni organizations (your high school and university
you are attending)• Your university’s foundation• Professional organizations (particularly the field you want
to work in – law, medicine, geology, education)
Professional Society Scholarships
Merit scholarships
• Usually based on grades and test scores (SAT or ACT)
• Completely based on merit, not your family’s finances
• Often renewable – make sure you know requirements to renew (gpa or credits)
• Other areas of merit• Athletic• Artistic – music, dance, writing• Leadership – ROTC, Student government, RYLA, Boy’s State or
Girl’s State
• Could increase if you increase your gpa or test scores (but ususually only before you start school)
Need based scholarships
• Some donors and foundations want to provide support to students who have financial need
• Usually requires the FAFSA
• Many university foundations have endowed scholarships that are need based
• Understand “first dollar” or “last dollar”
• Aid Replacement – The federal government requires schools to reduce the amount of aid it provides if your outside scholarships exceed the cost of attendance
ROTC Scholarships
• Army, Air Force and Navy offer 4-year ROTC scholarships
• Usually must apply by December of your senior year• Major factors in awarding
• Physical fitness• Medical qualification• Grades• Test scores• Academic major
• Tuition, stipend, books, sometimes room and board paid
• Must serve on active duty, reserves or National Guard for 8 year commitment
Scholarship Tips
• I think many students don’t apply for scholarships that require essays because they feel it is not worth their time if they don’t win. What other job could pay you $500 for a couple of several hours of work?
• So many students do not answer the questions when answering the essay.
• Grammar & spelling count.
• Yes, there are un-awarded scholarships every year. But, you must still be qualified to receive them.
• Scholarships are not a substitute for grants or loans. There are applications and deadlines to apply for a reason. You can’t just call because your PHEAA grant was less this year and ask for a scholarship.
Scholarship Application Strategies
• Start with your guidance office – it is likely the smallest pool of students (your high school class) you will compete against.
• This is not “one and done”. It takes work.• Search engines• Colleges you are interested in• Develop a spreadsheet of scholarships you might be
eligible for• Deadlines• Amount of the scholarship• Requirements: gpa, test scores, essay, recommendations• Keep track of what you have / have not submitted
Scholly
Track your efforts
Scholarship name Deadline Amount GPA Test score FAFSA Recmndtn Essay Essy submtd App avlble App subd Other
Abbott & Fenner 6/12/17 $1,000 NA NA NA NA Yes (500 words)
Activia Training 4/30/17 $1,500 NA NA NA NA video to Youtube
Bridge Builders 4/3/17
Coca Cola 11/15/16 $1,500 3.00 NA
Dell 1/15/17 2.40 Yes Yes
