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College & University InformationPlaying and Winning the Scholarship Game
by:
Dan Rosenfield
OK, you don't have a 4.0 GPA, you're not the senior class president, you can't throw a football fifty yards, and your SAT scores aren't generating letters or phone calls from Harvard, Yale or Princeton. So, you'll ne'er
qualify for a college scholarship, right?
Not necessarily. There are lots of scholarships, and another kinds of fiscal aid for which you mightiness qualify. Several colleges may offer you academic grants with a GPA of 3.0 and SAT scores of 1000. Ashland University offers scholarships to twins. Galore church attached colleges offer grants to students who are members of their religious denomination. And that's simply the beginning.
If you are the son or girl of a military veteran, if either of your parents activity for a major corporation, if your parent or father is a member of a fraternal or civic organization, or if you are preparing for a career in a particular profession, there may be substantial scholarships for which you can apply, even as if you're not a top student or student leader.
Are you nice at writing essays? If you are, your writing skills may be the ticket to a scholarship. There is even as a scholarship for students who agree to abstain from exploitation tobacco and alcohol piece in college.
You may even as qualify for a scholarship because of wherever
you live, your last name, your ethnic heritage or race, or a illness or handicapping condition you may have. Get the idea yet? There are all kinds of scholarships, grants, and fiscal aid programs out there. Several require economic need or have another restrictions, others do not.
You can search through hundreds of thousands of possible scholarships (free!) in more than twenty several data bases at http://www.college-scholarships.com. Piece you're there, you can sign up for a free email news-sheet with articles on college admission, scholarship and fiscal aid programs, college survival tips, and financial gain
opportunities for college students.
At http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com you’ll find scholarships given by individual college to all listed students meeting the listed criteria.
Student-athletes may visit http://www.college-athletic-scholarships.com to find the information needful to secure an athletic scholarship (or an chance to vie in a Division III or another non-scholarship program).
Don't forget your school counselor, as he or she can be a great source of information simply about local scholarship sources. In fact, most high school guidance offices maintain a list of topically
based scholarships. Parents and students would-be be well advised to explore the range of scholarships for which they may qualify as early as the ninth or tenth grade so they can plan to meet the requirements of as galore as possible.
You should be aware that galore private colleges offer substantial scholarships and grants in order to be more competitive with lower cost public institutions and/or attract students who mightiness otherwise inscribe elsewhere. These monies are often offered to students with really little or no incontestable
fiscal need. In fact, galore private colleges often "rebate" 30%-35% (or more) of their tuition revenue in the form of institutional fiscal aid. Once
these funds are factored in, private colleges may ultimately be little or no more big-ticket for several students to attend than public colleges and universities with lower promulgated fees.
If you can demonstrate fiscal need, as established by your answers on the FAFSA
form at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ , you may want to apply to at least a few colleges which meet 100% of incontestable
fiscal need and do so with a reasonable proportion of gift aid to self-help aid (loans and/or work-study funds). Take note that though several comparatively
small number of colleges wish meet the full need of all listed students, galore more wish be far more likely to meet or nearly meet the full need of stronger students.
To position yourself well to be a competitive candidate for scholarships, students should take the most challenging classes available, activity diligently to discover as more as possible (not simply to get grades), and get involved in co-curricular, community, charitable and/or public service activities. Here’s a nice rule of thumb for all students; the more you have to offer the more you're likely to be offered.
Remember three words…research, research, and research. The more time you spend investigation scholarship opportunities, the more likely you are to find scholarships for which you may be eligible.
Don't let anyone discourage you. There are lots of folk "out there," including several educators, who are unwittingly spreading their serious misconceptions simply about who may qualify for fiscal aid and what is required to do so. Most important of all, do not fail to investigate or apply to a college you like because you think it is too expensive. That is one of the most common and worst mistakes a family can make. Remember, you ne'er
cognize what kinds of scholarships and/or fiscal aid you mightiness receive.
However, simply like you should have "fall back" or "safety" colleges in case you are not admitted to your 1st select institutions, you should choose and apply to colleges that wish be low-cost if you do not obtain the fiscal assistance for which you hope.
Obvious as it may be, I feel beholden to prompt you to pay attention to details and deadlines once
applying for scholarships because so galore students fail to do so. I could hardly believe it once
an independent educational counselor who probably earns in the neighborhood of $1,000 for portion a student identify and gain admission to appropriate colleges asked (on an email list serve) how galore words above the limit one of her counsulees could go on his college application essay. Don’t do the mistake that she did by assumptive there wish be no penalty if you “come close” to the requirements or are “only a few days on the far side
the deadline”. If you don’t pay attention, be prepared to pay for your mistakes.
But, do it right and you have a great chance of acquiring several scholarship and or fiscal aid help. Nice luck.
Just simply about the author:
Dan Rosenfield is a university dean who creates educational websites as a hobby. Among his sites is , one of the most popular college admissions and scholarships websites on the net. You can reach Dan at .
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