Keys To Finding And Getting College Scholarships

Those who work hardest, win. From preparing for college throughout high school, to searching, applying and competing for scholarships, hard work is the key to success. Being more efficient in using the tools available kicks that hard work up a notch above your competition. Here are resources and advice on how to use them in the college scholarship process:

RESOURCES

Guidance Counselor – Assistance with determining your skill sets, organizations to target, time lines, overall process

Library – Guides to writing essays, computer access to search sites directly

Local Paper – Find local private scholarships not available in online search engines, smaller competitive pool of applicants

Prior Award Listings – Who doled out dollars locally in the prior year can be found in graduation bulletins in the local paper – giving you an idea of willing donors

State Organizations – Free assistance and local databases such as www.thewashboard.org for Washington state students

College Planner – Pulls scholarships and develops strategy for application process – may include essay guidance for topic selection and grammatical editing – use in conjunction with college and aid application assistance along with family budgeting plan to maximize expense (which could be in the $500 range). “Lack of self-confidence can be an issue for those heading to college for the first time. When you consider the college application process as a whole, it can be overwhelming…(using a professional college planner) is a personal choice reflecting the level of comfort the individual has with undertaking a scholarship search and expressing one’s self through essays.” – Sharon McLaughlin, College Planning Consultant

Online Reference Sites and Database Searches – See below..

SITES:

www.cappex.com (college recruiting network, site provided scholarships)

www.cityofcollegedreams.com (mentoring the process)

www.collegeanswer.com – Sallie Mae (scholarship database, aid resources)

www.collegeboard.com (scholarship database, aid resources, college searches)

www.collegenet.com (forums, scholarship contests voted on by peers via social networking)

www.collegeweeklive.com (live conferences, virtual college fair, forums, scholarship raffles)

www.fastweb.com (scholarship database, forums)

www.scholarships.com (scholarship database)

www.scholarshipexperts.com (scholarship database)

www.scholarshipjunkies.com (mentoring the process, network with scholarship winners, direct assistance with completing applications & essays)

www.scholarshipstreet.com (mentoring the process)

www.studentscholarshipsearch.com (scholarship database, aid resources)

www.zinch.com (college recruiting network, scholarship database)

CATEGORIES TO TARGET IN SEARCHES

Academics

Career Path Industries – TEACH – for Teaching Field, STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math). “Professional associations related to your career path offer a wealth of information when it comes to finding aid. Many award their own scholarships through foundations and can also confirm the validity of others offered by private institutions.” – Sandra Proulx, Community Manager

Community Clubs

Disabilities – Physical & Learning

Employers – Your own or family members

Ethnicity

First Generation Students

Fraternities & Sororities

Hobbies

Medical – Cancer Survivors

Military Veterans – www.pattillmanfoundation.org, www.militaryscholar.org/apply/faq.shtml

National Contests/Lotteries – Fast and easy, though random and large contestant pools

Religious Organizations

Special Circumstances – Katrina, 09/11

Special Talents (athletics, music, dance, art, etc.) – In addition to private scholarships, your college admissions dept. can direct you to the appropriate dept. chair or recruiter for your particular talent to arrange for an audition/application

Sports Organizations

Twins & Multiples

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Essay – Write what you know – yourself. It will flow more easily and be your best advocate for yourself. Use it to not only highlight accomplishments but to explain the lack of certain things – such as choosing work over school clubs due to family finances

Transcripts – 3.0 GPA or higher improves options, however better grades in subjects within your professed major can offset a lower overall GPA

Test Scores – SAT, ACT

Financial Need Verification – Sometimes need proof of FAFSA

Letters of Recommendation

Community Service

Student Athletics

Academic Clubs

Work Experience

No Fees – You should not pay a fee to apply. Organizations charging a fee to apply are probably more interested in collecting fees than awarding money and can often be scams. “Scholarships do not ask students for money, they give students money…Legitimate scholarships require applications and have deadlines. If someone reaches out to you first with the claim that you have won, be wary.” – Sandra Proulx, Community Manager

IMPACT:

Will the school swap out private scholarship dollars for need dollars? – “The school may reduce the aid package they are offering by the amount of the scholarship, but they must first reduce the loans, not the free money (grants) you are receiving.” – Kevin Ladd, VP Scholarships.com

Tax implications? – Scholarship monies used towards room & board are taxable. Scholarship monies for non-degree students for any purpose are taxable. “Scholarship dollars are not taxable for degree candidates using the funds for tuition, fees, books, supplies, and required equipment.” – Sharon McLaughlin, College Planning Consultant

ADVICE:

Stay Organized – Keep a folder with copies of common requirements such as transcripts and letters in order to apply more quickly

Keep a calendar – Plot out the various application deadlines and follow-ups

Conserve time – Only apply for scholarships whose criteria you meet – even if the award amount is large. There are usually many others applying who meet all the criteria who will be considered above you

Look at odds – Don’t overlook smaller awards – several of those add up quickly to a bigger total – and generally involve smaller applicant pools to compete with

Remain Calm – Don’t be overwhelmed by all the tools and options. Mentors and planners can help narrow your goals and put a plan in place. “Fear, stress and confusion are far more challenging than which tool to choose…Families who prepare ahead of time are far more likely to be able to deal with the stress and identify opportunities as they come along, instead of missing them.” – Kimberly Stezala – The Scholarship Lady

Stay Focused – Know how much you need and how long the process will take. Spending an hour doing a free search online and reviewing the results is one way to get an idea of how many opportunities present themselves, the amounts available and the requirements involved. “It is not how much time you should put in but how much time you can afford to put in. For example, if you work efficiently you might spend 10 hours applying for a $1,000 award. That equals $100 an hour for your time. Even if you spend twice that much time, you still got $50 per hour to do it (provided you win the scholarship of course).” – Kevin Ladd – VP Scholarships.com

Be Precise – Take the 1, 2, 3 Approach – “Apply for one. Then, take what you learned from that experience and apply for two more. Then, complete three more. That is a total of six applications. Applying for a dozen all at once can be problematic due to mistakes made in cutting and pasting, or not closely focusing on each set of directions. Taking it piece by piece and learning from mistakes allows for the crafting of higher quality, compelling applications as you go. Sending them all out at once with the same mistakes or missing information on all of them means it is too late to correct any of them.” – Kimberly Stezala, The Scholarship Lady

It is never too soon to begin looking for scholarships. But it can quickly become too late. Many scholarships have application deadlines in the early Spring. Hopefully these tools and words of wisdom will help you reach your financial education needs. Do you have any other resources to share?

This is the third in a series of posts about the college financial aid process. Subscribe to our feed so you won’t miss future tips on loans and debt recovery.

IMAGE COURTESY OF SXC.HU

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