Scholarships

[KennedyMcKenna]

So, besides the FastWeb website, where do I find good (real not hoax) scholarships to apply for? I'm a twenty something going back to a school to finish a 4year degree (online) and I need help! I've applied for a few specialty scholarships for a neurological condition I have, but want to apply for as much as possible. Any suggestions or ideas? Thanks buds!

 

[KennedyMcKenna]

Any tips or tricks or ideas about paying for school on a tight budget.

 

[KennedyMcKenna]

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[Sadie22]

Your local library may have books listing scholarship programs. Your state department of education may put out literature regarding instate programs. Perhaps your state government officials allocate some funds for scholarships. A number of corporations have programs. Your parents' employers may offer some funds. If there are any college scholarship fairs in your community, be sure to attend. Have you completed the FAFSA? Contact the financial aid office of your institution and see what they can do for you.

 

[Leajess99]

Try contacting the school's financial aid department of financial aid website for a list of Scholarships available.

 

[KennedyMcKenna]

Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

I'm from Canada but in theory the hunt is the same.

For my 3 year degree I ended up winning scholarships to pay for all of it and have money left over - and I was working full time. (I won a $13K scholarship plus 2X $500 scholarships, a bursary for $800 and a free course)

Places to ask/look:
Federal government websites
Provincial (state) government websites
Your school
Your local legion
google - seriously, there are tonnes of scholarship listing websites
Banks - they often run scholarship contests throughout the year
Your school's student union

Tips:
Play up your volunteer experience and get more - make sure it is varied and makes you seem like a "whole person"
You don't need an A to win scholarships
Apply for EVERYTHING but read the fine print and always follow the rules strictly
Get strong good references
Follow up each application to make sure they received it
Get your school awards officer on your side to make sure you apply for everything and to help you with applications
Apply for bursaries even if you don't think you qualify unless you expressly fall outside their income brackets

Scholarship hunting takes a lot of time but is obviously worth it I turned it into a hobby and it paid off. A lot of people apply willy-nilly, but if you are organized and a little obsessive about it, you can find a lot of good money that isn't always advertised or well-known.

Good luck!

 

[tasha99]

To find scholarships, I suggest going to your local community college financial aid office and asking if they have any information to search through.

I've been pretty successful with scholarships (about $60,000 worth, though I'm still going to graduate owing over $70,000 in student loans . . . ah grad school . .. ). I went to a scholarship information session put on by my community college way back when, as well as a call back session for interview practice when I got selected as a finalist for a major scholarship. For another scholarship, I went and asked the person who selected the recipients what she was looking for in the letter of interest (I knew her since she was the undergrad department head, as did the other applicants from my school).

The biggest thing is making your essays stand out. They need to show passion and personality. I also recommend volunteering your butt off because with grade inflation, everyone has good grades nowadays.

If/when you get an interview, don't forget to write a thank you note to the people who took the time to interview you. It's pretty much just like applying for a job--wear business clothes, research and know about the foundation offering the grant money, etc. Good luck!

 

[KennedyMcKenna]

Wow, thank you all so much, I'm writing this all down and putting my best foot forward to make this happen!