Night Elf Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Can someone please tell me where to start finding information about scholarships? I know about the FAFSA but I have no clue how people apply for all the thousands of scholarships that are available. I'm not trying to do this right now. I only want to figure out how it's done so we know what to do when the time comes. Btw, my high school counselor never talked college with me because I was going to be a secretary right out of high school, so I have absolutely no personal experience with financial help for college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 (edited) The best source of merit aid is the colleges themselves. So help your kids be strong candidates for merit aid by providing them with strong academics and encouraging interesting extracurricular pursuits. Some colleges don't give any merit aid -- the Ivies and some other top colleges do not. Some state schools do not (or give very very very little) But many colleges give a fair amount of merit aid -- either in small quantities to a large percentage of students or in large quantities to a small percentage of students. As your kids get closer to their senior year, you can begin researching which schools do and do not give much merit aid. Edited May 9, 2012 by Gwen in VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanna Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I just attended a webinar from AAA's seminars site. The topic was College Funding Options and mostly the subtopic of loans was covered although the speaker touched on scholarships just a tad. She said finding out about scholarships is covered in the Scholarship 101 webinar (link is on the same webpage). I see that it's pre-recorded. I didn't have a chance to check it out yet, but thought I'd share the info anyway. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 The best source of merit aid is the colleges themselves. So help your kids be strong candidates for merit aid by providing them with strong academics and encouraging interesting extracurricular pursuits. Thank you. I'll start poking around. :) I just attended a webinar from AAA's seminars site. The topic was College Funding Options and mostly the subtopic of loans was covered although the speaker touched on scholarships just a tad. She said finding out about scholarships is covered in the Scholarship 101 webinar (link is on the same webpage). I see that it's pre-recorded. I didn't have a chance to check it out yet, but thought I'd share the info anyway. :001_smile: That link took me to the main AAA page. A google search also brought me to the main page. Maybe you have to be a AAA member to access them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I'm getting ready to go to school, so am kind of in a hurry right now, but you can start here: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/financial_aid/ There's a ton of good info for beginners to financial aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanna Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 That link took me to the main AAA page. A google search also brought me to the main page. Maybe you have to be a AAA member to access them? Ah! I see! (I just happened to be using someone else's computer so when I clicked the link this time it didn't have access to my computer's cookies to know I'd already been there.) I don't think you have to be a member to access the page. Maybe by your computer's cookies it knows you're not in Southern New England. :confused: Anyway, try this link: https://www.southernnewengland.aaa.com/sne/loans/f_educational_seminars.php Scholarship info link is in the left sidebar. HTH!:auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) Agree with previous poster -- start with the scholarship/financial aid info from the specific institution itself. I stumbled on the online scholarship application website for our local community college which allows you to apply online, and then does a search and lists all scholarships the student may be eligible for -- just click on the ones that the student matches with! Last year, older DS as a CC freshman, came up with a list of 6 potential scholarships, was eligible to apply for 3 -- and got one for $800! Below is all the info I've collected so far on scholarships; hope something there will help "jump start" you! Warmest regards, Lori D. GENERAL TIPS 1. Grades - work hard and earn a GPA of 3.5 or better - do honors and/or AP (Advanced Placement) coursework - score well on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT tests 2. Community Service Many scholarships are based on volunteer/community service hours. Hours spent in ministry or church work count, but for national scholarships, also include service to well-known non-religious community organizations. 3. Extracurricular Activities Do a variety of outside-the-home extracurriculars that show leadership, team work, creativity, and/or responsibility. Certain activities also open doors to applying with organizations that may offer scholarships (sports; music competitions; gov't/civics; high school military cadet programs) 4. Research Google search for national or regional scholarships to find those you are very eligible for. Type in individual, specific searches, such as: "scholarships for ______________"): - homeschooler - ethnic/minority background (must be a minimum of one-quarter [grandparent]) - disabled (student or parent) - member of a specific church or religious organization (student or parent) - member of a specific national organization (student or parent) - child of a military serviceman or veteran - parent is a member of a union, works for a company that offers scholarships, etc. - student is a member of a specific group: * cadet program (ex: Civil Air Patrol = http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/cap_home/teens/ ) * church group (ex: Awana) * national organization (ex: Boy Scouts of America) (Unknown Eagle School scholarships) - use a specific curriculum (ex: Sonlight) 5. Go for small awards -- they add up Think of scholarship searching and preparation as though it were a job. Put in several hours of work to write an essay or do a project (make a poster or short video, etc.) -- and possible earn several hundred dollars for the effort! Look for local scholarships from local businesses, Elks Club, Rotary Club, Women's Business League, etc. I saw one in our city from a local carwash company -- $100 for a 1-paragraph essay! Far fewer people are willing to invest the time to earn $100-500 -- but often these scholarships go unclaimed because no one took the time to meet the requirement! 6. Search high school resources Talk to a friend with students in a local high school about what resources and info their school has; a friend of mine shared lists of scholarships and ideas she had received from the school. 7. Focus Spend MOST of your time looking for contests, grants and scholarship monies for the specific college or university you want to attend. BOOKS - "College Admissions Handbook" by Cafi Cohen (chapter on finding college funding) - "The Scholarship Bok 2002" by Laurie Blum - "Free Money for College" by Laurie Blum WEBSITES - College Scholarships = http://www.collegescholarships.org/ - Homeschool Scholarships = http://homeschoolscholarships.org/ - HSLDA scholarship info = http://www.hslda.org/highschool/college.asp#scholarships - FastWeb Online Scholarship Search: list of scholarships = http://www.fastweb.com - FinAid: The Smart Guide to Financial Aid = http://www.finaid.org HOMESCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP LISTS Homeschool Buyers Co-op: list of scholarships for homeschoolers http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/contests-amp-scholarships/ Kimball Memorial Scholarship (for homeschoolers) http://www.learnatthebeach.com/homeschool-vacations/homeschool-scholarship/ Homeschool.com website: list of contests and scholarships http://www.homeschool.com/Homeschool_Contests_And_Scholorships/default.asp Eclectic Homeschool Online: short list of homeschool scholarships http://www.eclectichomeschool.org/articles/article.asp?articleid=199 College Scholarships.org website: short list and article on scholarships for homeschooled students http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/homeschool.htm Scholarships 4 Students website: long list of scholarships for all students http://scholarships4students.com/scholarships_for_high_school_students.htm Unclaimed Scholarships website: list of money, usually with unusual requirements http://unclaimedscholarships.us/ Edited May 12, 2012 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I do not want to rain on the parade, but there is one aspect of this crazy system of paying for college that you should be aware of -- Some college SUBTRACT the value of outside scholarships from the college's own financial aid package. Some college allow students to substitute outside scholarships for loans before they subtract from the aid package, and some colleges don't subtract outside scholarships at all, BUT some colleges do not allow aid to "stack." (My kids ran into this -- they received some generous merit scholarships that actually didn't reduce our out-of-pocket cost at all. :001_huh:) The long and the short of it is outside scholarships MAY make no difference whatsoever to what you end up paying out-of-pocket for your child's education. IF your child will not receive any financial aid, THEN whatever scholarship aid aid your child is given will certainly reduce your out-of-pocket expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 What a great list, Lori! Just one more website we found helpful - http://www.scholarships.com/main.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I do not want to rain on the parade, but there is one aspect of this crazy system of paying for college that you should be aware of -- Some college SUBTRACT the value of outside scholarships from the college's own financial aid package. This is a good point. My daughter's college allows the first $500 of outside scholarships to directly benefit the student. After that, half of the remaining amount reduces her need based grant and the other half will reduce loans. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 6. Search high school resources Talk to a friend with students in a local high school about what resources and info their school has; a friend of mine shared lists of scholarships and ideas she had received from the school. Along these lines, I've found a few of my local high schools have scholarship opportunities listed on their website, usually under the Counseling link. Also start scanning the local newspaper early in the high school years. Announcements for scholarship winners usually start appearing in early spring so you can find out what is available in your area. The danger of having scholarship money replace financial aid is only a concern if you are likely to get financial aid. We are counting on ZERO need-based aid. Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) Check out the Financial Aid sections of various college websites - many will have a list, even a chart, of available merit scholarships AND the criteria for each one. If you know your GPA and test scores you can look and see if you would qualify for merit scholarship at a college - some award the scholarship to every accepted student who meets the criteria! DS, rising college junior, has a renewable $16,500/year merit award from his school. He only had to be accepted to the college with the qualifying GPA/scores to get the award. Other schools may also demand an essay and/or interview, and be selective, not giving the award to every qualifying student. Better to pick the schools that will automatically give you the $$$ based on GPA/scores (if you get into the school). He also has a renewable $2,000 from the Foresters, a groups we have been in for about 20 years. It was competitive, for members only...and required proof of community service, an essay about the service, and recommendations. Point is, make sure to have community service (many scholarships want to see this plus it is a good thing to do anyway - DS was a volunteer camp counselor a couple years in a row at the camp for special needs teens his autistic brother attends). Also - check with every possible group you or your family are associated with (parent's work places, church, local Rotary, etc.) for possible scholarship opportunities. Much more likely to get an award from a place you have a connection with (like Foresters for us) than a more general award that everyone can apply for. And - know your family's expected contribution as per FAFSA. DS got the highest award from a few good schools (Gettysburg, Sewanee, Wooster) but we had to decline since our EFC turned ot a lot higher than we expected, and we could not meet it, despite ds getting the top awards at those schools. The school he is at gave extra small grants, work study, another renewable $1,000 a year for attending an Honors weekend and taking an exam (while he was still a senior in high school) and $500/yr just for filing the FAFSA in a timely manner. All told, his aid made our cost less than our EFC and LESS than the local state U would cost. PS - this college, Augustana in Rock Island, IL, does NOT subtract any outside scholarships from the aid package. Plus - starting next year full-time entering freshman will be guaranteed graduation in 4 years. Edited May 13, 2012 by JFSinIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 The school he is at gave extra small grants, work study, another renewable $1,000 a year for attending an Honors weekend and taking an exam (while he was still a senior in high school) and $500/yr just for filing the FAFSA in a timely manner. That's a good point! I recommend checking out any pre-college programs available at the universities you're considering. My daughter recently (just this week!) earned a scholarship award to her first choice engineering school by attending an on-campus technology leadership program for high school junior girls. It was very competitive, but definitely worth it! That's in addition to the merit aid she'll receive as a result of her ACT score. The same university offers additional scholarship money for students who attend their summer youth programs. I've also emailed back and forth with the folks in the financial aid office. They've been happy to answer questions and point us to available resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmitchell Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Great advice. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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