x-post: Need all your tips and advice on scholarship search

[Lori D.]

Hi ladies!

There is a possibility that I might suddenly have to put together info on searching for and applying for scholarships for our homeschool group and present that in 3 weeks. So... Can you all help me by posting any and all advice, tips, past experience, information, etc. that I could compile into a "scholarship how-to" session for high school homeschool moms? I would SO appreciate that!

 

Thanks in advance!

[Jane in NC]

Over the years, Lori, my mantra has been not to dismiss private colleges on the basis of tuition. One really needs to look at the "net price calculator" for each school on the government reporting site, IPEDS, to see what the average student pays. Financial aid is one thing--merit aid is another.

 

The first step of the scholarship process for many students is, unfortunately,standardized test scores.

 

Secondly, parents can help their students find colleges which are good fits. Not every college is looking for students with a long list of APs or top SAT/ACT scores. Students who have taken on interesting projects in high school can sell themselves to colleges. We know of one student who got around his middle of the road ACT scores with a stellar portfolio in order to qualify for a scholarship.

 

While every corporation seems to offer scholarships. dollars from these programs seem hard to obtain. I would recommend that parents and students seek out local monies. This might be from the parents' employers, local fraternal organizations, churches, credit unions, 4-H. It is easier to obtain a scholarship from one of these smaller pools than one of the national.

 

I think that you may need to do two programs, one on scholarships and a second on reducing college expenses via CCs, APs, co-ops, etc.

[creekland]

One has a much better shot at getting local scholarships than national ones. (These still generally run second to any scholarship the college(s), themselves, offer unless the college doesn't offer aid.) I don't know if all high schools do this, but ours creates a weekly printout of all known local (and some national) scholarships whether from banks, local businesses, local benefactors or whatever. Homeschoolers are welcome to come into our guidance office to pick up a copy - and any additional applications from those that interest them.

 

Also consider parent/student workplaces, anything you belong to (clubs, credit unions, etc), churches you might attend, etc.

 

Sometimes these amounts are small ($500 or so), but those still work toward books or other expenses. Mine have won a handful of small amount scholarships - they add up. Other times they can be quite large. Oldest won one that is giving him 5 figures worth of college money. He had good scores, but he wasn't top of the top.

 

Also note that some schools allow you to use these scholarships for extra money toward college and some will reduce the amount of college aid you get if you bring in outside money. Know which type you are going with before putting forth a bit of extra effort. A bit can depend upon your EFC. Outside scholarship $$ can't go toward your EFC if you are getting federal subsidized aid. Our gov't mandates the aid be cut first. IF that aid is loans, that's a good thing though, but again, not all schools will cut loans first. My boys have been fortunate with their schools. Not all are. It's worth considering.

[Barbara H]

Less than 5% of college money comes from private scholarships, so students should look carefully at their personal circumustances (financial need and academic profile) and plan based on that knowledge. Don't assume the apply for lots of scholarships plan works particularly well for most people. Pay the most attention to how well the college meets financial need (and if they do so through loans or grants) and what sorts of merit aid the student will be eligible for. Also, students need to understand how their college will treat outside scholarships. Some will nicely reduce self help like work or loans. Others it will just reduce the grant amount so it serves no purpose at all.

 

The other important topic would be avoiding scholarship scams.

[Lori D.]

Oh, wow! PURE GOLD, here, ladies!

 

You're all bringing up some extremely important topics to cover I never would have thought of. I knew I could count on you wonderful ladies! :hurray:

 

Off to research, and hopefully more people will chime in! Thank you all SO MUCH! Hugs, Lori D.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

If you were to consider service academies (to include Army-West Point, Navy/USMC-Annapolis, Air Force-Colorado Springs, Merchant Marine-Kings Point and Coast Guard-New London) and the service ROTC programs as possible scholarships, I would give the following advice:

 

Spend time researching the program early in junior year (or earlier) so that you understand the timeline of the application process. For example, the USNA summer seminar application doubles as a preliminary application. The summer apps open in Jan/Feb. They ask for gpa, class rank and test scores. An applicant who has none of these (ie, a homeschooler who hasn't taken the PSAT or SAT or ACT) may not be designated as an official candidate until they provide some scores. I've had that happen with candidates and it can put them weeks or months behind the curve in getting the application completed. Similarly, you need to know which schools/programs require nominations, whose nominations you are eligible for and the appropriate deadlines. I've had several candidates in the last couple of years procrastinate until they had missed the nomination deadlines. Without a nom, you are not going to USNA.

 

So I now suggest to homeschoolers that they start taking SAT early in junior year. They need to get a score in hand. Waiting until October of senior year doesn't give them time to improve their scores and get them submitted for consideration.

 

College ROTC programs have little (if anything) in common with high school JROTC programs. Not being in JROTC doesn't hold someone back from being in college ROTC. BUT, ROTC programs are far more competitive than they used to be. They are high demand, high payoff scholarships; and budget cuts are hitting the programs hard. This is not your dad's or grandpa's ROTC, where they were searching for interested students. So if you are interested, you need to stay on top of the process and make sure you are well prepared and get everything in on time.

[AngieW in Texas]

Parents should definitely look at the websites for any colleges their kids are considering. UT Dallas (where my oldest is attending and my middle dd will be attending also next year) has the school scholarship information posted on their website with average SAT scores for each level of scholarship.

 

The SAT prep class both of my girls took was a fantastic investment. Boosting SAT/ACT scores is likely going to be the best way to boost merit aid.

[lisabees]

I only have a minute; I hope this doesn't sound too jumbled. I wrote this in response to a recent thread:

 

Not all private schools provide merit aid; we took those schools off the table immediately. Those that do, can be stingy with it. Find schools that are known to give a good amount to a good amount of kids. This list was very accurate for us (non-need based aid). Some schools only give to the top 10% or 20% of applicants and only offer $5,000 or so. Look for the schools that are known to give $15,000-$20,000 or more to over 50% of its applicants.

 

Some schools offer merit for a combination of known/unknown factors. Other schools will guarantee merit if your stats are above a certain amount.

 

Encourage parents to look at this thread and this thread on College Confidential.

[hsbeth]

Great advice so far!

 

I encounter many folks who don't really understand the difference between merit and need based aid. Families can and should get an idea of their EFC well ahead of time. Many are shocked b/c they feel they can't afford the amount, but they need to plan based on those figures.

 

Understand that not all schools are able to meet 100% of a student's demonstrated need. Unfortunately dd has had to cross several possibilities off her list b/c of this. Here's a list from 2010:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2012/02/16/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need

Notice how selective those schools are!

 

Have a solid understanding of your individual state's scholarship plan. Know all the ins and outs and stay up to date on changes (often frequent). Here in GA we have the HOPE option. Over the last few years requirements have become more rigorous for each and every graduating class while benefits have been reduced as well. Folks who graduated a child a few years ago often have not realized that their next child has new guidelines to reach, etc. Sadly, I often encounter folks who are misunderstanding what our state program will and won't pay. For example, understanding the difference between a tuition scholarship and a tuition AND fees scholarship. Also, many forget that room and board are separate as well and that it varies widely even among public schools in the same state.

 

College confidential is a valuable resource. Many great scholarship opps are shared there.

 

The best way to increase merit aid is likely boosting test scores. Start early, prep. hard.

 

Individual Uni. websites are important. They have the best info. about merit aid and the net price calculators there are invaluable. Further, if the child has a decent idea of their intended major check out that sub-page as well. One of my dd's top choices has an additional tier of merit aid available specific to students in certain majors.

 

Definitely don't rule out privates or out of state publics. Many can truly be less expensive than instate public options. Really!

 

Check into tuition reciprocity agreements. For example, here in the southeast we have the "Academic Common Market". While limited in scope, it can be of huge benefit to certain students and isn't well known.

 

Compare "apples to apples". Understand which awards are one time and which are renewable for four years. Further, some self adjust for tuition increases and others do not. Do the math and weigh awards carefully. Be aware of what is required to keep the awards and make sure your student really gets this. Check into the graduation rate at the school in question and it's scholarship retention rate. Understand that in a more rigorous academic environment it will be more difficult to keep performing at a high level. Be realistic about not just getting in, but being able to stay for four years.

 

Of course some info. about national merit, service academies, and NCAA/sports scholarships may be appropriate depending on the interests of the audience.

[Nan in Mass]

Hi ladies!

There is a possibility that I might suddenly have to put together info on searching for and applying for scholarships for our homeschool group and present that in 3 weeks. So... Can you all help me by posting any and all advice, tips, past experience, information, etc. that I could compile into a "scholarship how-to" session for high school homeschool moms? I would SO appreciate that!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Make sure you point out the difference between TUITION and FEES. Sometimes the tuition is lower than the fees. Schools can say they didn't raise tuition but still make ends meet by tacking on fees for this and that. A scholarship that pays tuition may not be a nice as it sounds. Beware.

 

Make sure you point out that not only do you gave to GET the scholarship, but you also have to KEEP the scholarship. Find out what the terms are before you get excited. A scholarship that vanishes forever if the gpa drops below a 3.8 is probably not going to be a very useful scholarship. A scholarship that requires that you keep a 3.0 gpa and is reinstated if the gpa comes back up will be much more useful.

 

Make sure you point out that some degrees at some colleges are very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish in 4 years, so a four-year scholarship may fall short. Check the statistics and try to find out the 4-year graduation rates for a particular major. It may be that a cheaper school that takes five years costs more than a more expensive school where one has a better chance of graduating in four.

 

Point out that you need to make sure you know which money has to be paid back and which is a gift. My oldest received some "grants" that required paying back. Don't misunderstand - he was very happy to receive them and I think they didn't involve paying interest. He received grants, scholarships, subsidized loans, and unsubsidized loans. His school set it all up, which was great, but it took some untangling each year to figure out what exactly he had received.

 

And this sounds stupid, but check to see whether a scholarship is one-time or whether more money is given each year of college.

 

Nan

[Lanny]

Over the years, Lori, my mantra has been not to dismiss private colleges on the basis of tuition. One really needs to look at the "net price calculator" for each school on the government reporting site, IPEDS, to see what the average student pays. Financial aid is one thing--merit aid is another.

 

Thank you for posting that. My DD is "only" in the 6th grade, but time goes by quickly and best for me to acquire knowledge now.. And, I passed that link on to another TTUISD family, who are in the UK now. Very interesting link and information! :hurray:

[Jane in NC]

Thank you for posting that. My DD is "only" in the 6th grade, but time goes by quickly and best for me to acquire knowledge now.. And, I passed that link on to another TTUISD family, who are in the UK now. Very interesting link and information! :hurray:

 

 

You are most welcome. I was first introduced to the IPEDS College Navigator by a friend who is a college prof. Her daughter wanted to attend a small LAC as a STEM major. One of the things my friend realized is that college catalogs list lots of courses--but not necessarily the frequency with which they are offered. She used the College Navigator site to see how many Chemistry majors graduated from colleges on their radar. She inferred from this number whether the LACs were going to offer a sufficient variety of courses for her science oriented kid.

 

The figures reported to the government are all that is given on IPEDS. No spin. The wonk in me loves it. :D

[Lori D.]

:hurray:

Thank you all, SO much! I am breathing a sigh of relief, as I will NOT have to do the scholarship session after all! However, I am going to go ahead and compile all your wonderful info into a "top 25 tips" and have it available as a supplemental handout at the session.

Once I have that handout completed, I'll come back to this thread and post all of your wisdom, or at least post my email for anyone who wants me to email them the handout, if it gets really long! ;)

You all have blessed me greatly with your wonderful insights. I knew I could count on you all to save the day! Thank you. Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Watch out for loans that are granted automatically.

 

My friend was explaining that her son at a state school was considered eligible for a couple types of loans. His tuition bill came and the family paid it in full. A few weeks later, another charge for $10 (yep, that is ten dollars) hit his student account. Rather than sending another bill, they extended a $1000 loan, paid the $10 and then refunded the unneeded $990 into his bank account. Fortunately the family was paying attention and was able to take the money and immediately pay off the loan, rather than letting the money be used as spending cash, with interest piling up.

 

She said that when friends of her other college student were visiting, one mentioned that she'd just had a loan deposit into her account so that she now had spending money. Sounds like this is one way students can really pile on debt.