Category Archives: Scholarship Friday

Scholarship Friday, scholarships, Uncategorized

Scholarship Friday: 10 Scholarship Tips for Parents

 

scholarship tips for parentsNo. You won’t be applying for the scholarships. But you will (and should) be an integral part of the scholarship search and application process. If you want your student to be successful (translation: more money for college), you need to get involved. Be the cheerleader cheering them on to success. Be the taskmaster assuring they stay on task. And be the errand boy (or girl) by helping out when needed.

Here are 10 scholarship tips for parents:

  1. Discuss the importance of scholarships—Your college bound teen should know that scholarships will not only help you, but they will help him by not having student loan debt when he graduates. The more money you win, the less you have to worry about college costs.
  2. Encourage the extracurriculars—Outside activities are critical when applying for most scholarships. If they aren’t required, it’s an added bonus to the application and paints a positive picture for the scholarship judges.
  3. Start early—It’s never too early to begin the search. Keep your eyes and ears open to scholarship opportunities and pass them along to your student. There are indeed scholarships for all ages.
  4. Check with your employers—Many companies have employee sponsored scholarship programs for the employees and their dependents.
  5. Block off time for the search—Set aside at 30 minutes a day to search for scholarships, and more if it’s possible. Searching for scholarships is just like job hunting: you have to put in the work to reap the rewards.
  6. Encourage your child to create accounts on free scholarship search sites—Check out these posts for some sites to bookmark: How to Find Scholarships Online, 7 Great Scholarship Search Sites, 56 College Info Websites, 50 More College Prep Websites.
  7. Proofread your child’s scholarship application and essay—Check for errors and omissions. These few things can make the difference between an award and ending up in the reject pile.
  8. Pay attention to deadlines—Late applications will not be considered. Find a filing and organizing method that works best for you and your child to stay on top of deadlines.
  9. Check with the high school guidance counselor—Encourage your child to meet with his guidance counselor and express interest in scholarships.
  10. Encourage persistence—Don’t stop searching. The more your student applies, the more chances he has to win.
Scholarship Friday, scholarships, Uncategorized

Scholarship Friday: 10 Tips for Your Scholarship Search

 

scholarship searchScholarship searching is an art. It requires a commitment of time, energy and perseverance. As in any worthwhile pursuit there are tips to make it easier and more effective.

Here are 10 tips for your scholarship search:

  1. Assemble your scholarship search tools—Having the right tools makes all the difference. Your tools for this search will be a professional email, a filing system and a calendar.
  2. Search scholarship databases—Scholarship databases are an invaluable tool in the search. Here are 7 sites to get you started.
  3. Check into other schools’ resources—If you live near a community college or better yet, a university, you can utilize them as additional resources. They have libraries and scholarship listings that might be unique to your area.
  4. Utilize your school’s resources—Counselors are great resources for your scholarship search. Scholarships come across their desks every day and most of them have scholarship application forms available for the asking.
  5. Search your community—Every community has local organizations that offer scholarships to local students.(i.e. non-profit groups, local businesses)
  6. Don’t forget government sources—Believe it or not the U.S. Government also offers scholarships to high school students heading to college. Explore these opportunities.
  7. Pursue all personal and family affiliations—Brainstorm about your family and scholarship opportunities that are specific to you.
  8. Apply effective internet search techniques—Follow the primary trail to secondary trails. Many times there will be less well-known scholarships lurking in the shadows of the primary trail. How does this translate: the less that know about the scholarship, the less applications, the greater your chances of winning.
  9. Uncover school specific awards—Most colleges have scholarships that are only available to their students. Research the colleges you are contemplating attending and find out what types of scholarships are available. You may have to fill out a separate application when you apply to the college.
  10. Search organizations—Go to the library and ask the reference librarian for an Encyclopedia of Organizations. Make note of any scholarship opportunities that are listed that might pertain to you or your family.
Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Debunking 6 Scholarship Myths

 

truthEveryone has his or her own opinion about college scholarships. But the truth is most of those opinions are incorrect. Don’t believe what you hear from skeptics. Here’s the real truth about scholarship myths.

Myth 1

“Only low income families get help paying for college.”

Truth: Absolutely FALSE!

There are all sorts of reasons for scholarship awards: academics, special interests, talents, achievements, personal qualities, activities, skills, family heritage, geographical location, and the list goes on and on!

Myth 2

“Most scholarships are for athletes or minority students.”

Truth: Categorically FALSE!

Minorities and athletes encompass only one small portion of the scholarship landscape. For instance, there are scholarships for surfers, filmmakers, horse groomers, southpaws, and even descendants of revolutionary war and civil war vets; just to name a few.

Myth 3

“Only the smartest students win merit awards.”

Truth: Completely FALSE!

Many of the best scholarships are designed for students who devote time to music, performing arts, foreign languages, community service, web design, science projects, leadership, amateur radio, writing, photography, oratory, and even part time jobs.

Myth 4

“Once you’ve graduated from high school, it’s too late to apply for a college scholarship.”

Truth: WRONG!

Even if you’re already in college there are still scholarships to apply for. They may be a bit harder to find, but they are out there.

Myth 5

“Past actions and choices pre-determine scholarship success.”

Truth: FALSE if you utilize this tip!

Turn weaknesses into strengths. What your teen does from this point on can make all the difference. You can’t change your past but you can certainly use it as a tool to show others that you learn from your mistakes and rise above them.

Myth 6

“It’s best to just apply for a few awards because that maximizes your odds of winning.”

Truth: Extremely FALSE!

It’s a numbers game; apply for as many as you can. You never know which application will hit pay dirt.

Before you dismiss searching for scholarships, you should know all the facts. Don’t believe what the skeptics tell you. There are too many students attending college on scholarships to believe any of these myths.

 

essays, Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: The Scholarship Essay

 

scholarship essayParents love scholarships. They love the idea of a scholarship. They love it when their kids apply for scholarships. Who wouldn’t? Scholarships are free money. But scholarships require just as much effort as the college application, if not more. You have to create a resume, gather information and often write a scholarship essay. It requires drive, perseverance, and a desire to achieve success.

The scholarship essay

For those scholarships that require an essay, the essay is usually the focus. It’s imperative that your student craft an excellent essay; one the addresses the subject matter and follows the requirements. Look online at past winners to help you craft the essay.

The multi-use scholarship essay

Scholarship essays often overlap in the required subject matter, giving you and opportunity to use one essay over and over again. If you can enter with multiple scholarships with one essay, it will save you time. Just be certain when applying that any scholarship specific information is removed for the next one. The worst mistake you can make is apply for a Target scholarship with a WalMart heading.

Don’t forget to follow the guidelines

A simple way to make sure your essay is read and considered is to follow the guidelines. Pay special attention to word count, character count, font size, and subject matter. Any of these oversights will cause your essay and your scholarship application to be tossed.

Make your essay stand out

The essay is your best chance to stand out from other candidates and communicate why you should receive the scholarship. U.S. News and Education provides us with 4 ways to make your scholarship essay stand out:

  1. Know your audience
  2. Plan far in advance
  3. Make it personal and passionate
  4. Find an editor

It’s a no-brainer that finding and competing for scholarships takes time. But the time will be well spent when those awards start arriving. Follow the rules and but forth your best impression. Scholarship committees are looking for the best candidate to receive their scholarship award. Be that candidate, and the award checks will come flying in.

 

Scholarship Friday, scholarships, Uncategorized

Scholarship Friday: 3 Scholarship Truths

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scholarship truthsParents usually have two misinformed views about scholarships. First, they think it’s impossible to win scholarships because its like the lottery, a one in a million chance to win. Secondly, they think that only kids with high GPAs win scholarships. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m not going to lie. Winning scholarships requires a commitment both on your part and on the student’s part. It’s not going to happen if your student isn’t invested heavily in the process. And it’s not going to happen if you aren’t willing to help. It requires work, perseverance, and determination. If neither of these are present, scholarships will be impossible to win.

Here are 3 scholarship truths that can make all the difference:

You MUST search

Searching for scholarships is not easy. It requires an endless persistence in looking for them, a willingness to explore every available opportunity, and a commitment to invest your time and resources in the effort. Yes, you can sign up on scholarship engines like Zinch, but these engines are not your only options; and if you’re not willing to dig for those lesser known scholarships, (especially locally) you’re only decreasing your chances of winning.

Parents can play a huge part in this part of the process. Pay attention, read everything you can, watch for them on social media, subscribe to podcasts (like How to Pay for College HQ) and subscribe to blogs that talk about scholarships (like this one). High school students are extremely busy and their time and effort is best spent completing the applications. You and your college-bound teen can be a team for this aspect of the process.

You MUST apply

One expert, Gyan Devi, says the time spent applying to scholarships reaps more rewards than a part-time job. However, the students MUST be invested in this part of the process. You can’t write their essays, complete the paperwork, or push them into it. If they aren’t invested, it’s not going to payoff with rewards.

One way to motivate them to do this is to have the money talk early in high school. If your student understands that winning scholarships directly affects his/her ability to attend college, they are going to be more likely to commit their time to applying.

You MUST be unique

According to “The Scholarship Mom“, packaging makes the difference. In order for your student’s scholarship applications to stand out, you need to package it properly. Just applying, especially when your student is one of thousands, probably won’t produce winning results. Just like anything you’re trying to sell or promote, it’s all about the marketing. And your student is marketing himself to the scholarship committee. You need to make sure he puts his best foot forward.

The truth about scholarships? There are scholarships for every student, some with high GPAs and some don’t even ask for a GPA. But, unless your student is willing to commit their time to the process, he/she is not going to win any scholarships. If you and your student work as a team, the odds of winning that big payoff increases dramatically. If you follow these simple tips and suggestions, the time spent will be well worth the payoff.

 

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Happy 4th of July: Attending a Military Academy

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4th of july

A few years ago my family and I attended the 4th of July celebration in Boston, Massachusetts. It’s an overwhelming experience to stand there while they read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House. There’s nothing like standing on the bridge in Concord where the first shot of the revolutionary war rang out our country’s desire to be free from the tyranny of the British. It’s one of those surreal experiences that makes you realize the cost of freedom and all the sacrifices our men in military make every day to protect that freedom.

Serving in the military is one of the noblest of sacrifices and each year college-bound teens aspire to attend one of our nation’s military academies. So today I would like to share a previous post about the steps needed to attend a military academy.

Steps to attending a service academy and/or getting an ROTC scholarship

Happy 4th of July and as you’re celebrating remember that freedom only comes when people are willing to sacrifice for that freedom.

 

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

10 GPA-Free Scholarships

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gpa-free scholarships

Not every student is a stellar student with a winning GPA. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to go to college AND earn scholarship money to pay for their education. Good news . . . there are GPA-Free Scholarships that make it possible.

Following are 10 GPA-Free scholarships that you don’t need to be in the top 10%, a valedictorian, or the best of the best. You just need to want to go to college and put in a little effort.

1. $1,000 Every Month Scholarship from GotChosen

GotChosen is offering a recurring monthly scholarship to help college students. The GotChosen $1000 Every Month Scholarship is easy and free to enter. A new winner is selected every month by a random drawing. Open to all fields of study, the $1,000 must be used for educational expenses, this includes: tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment required for study, or towards repayment of outstanding student loans. Virtually anyone 18 years old or older is eligible to participate. Open to U.S. and international students over 18 years of age, this scholarship asks you to register with GotChosen (painless) and enter the monthly random drawing. Applying doesn’t require a good GPA, essay or long form — just taking a gamble with absolutely nothing to lose.

2. College Week Live Scholarship

CollegeWeekLive believes that a college education is the key to having opportunities in life. That’s why their scholarship will reward students who are working hard to research, apply and choose a college. Winning is easy – all you need to do is login to CollegeWeekLive and visit 3 colleges that interest you. One lucky winner will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship every month. And many other winners may find the college of their dreams.

3.  Chegg Weekly Scholarship

Every week, Chegg gives away $1000 to one high school or college student. Cheng believes strongly in education and works hard to connect students with their best-fit colleges. But they also know that it can be expensive which is they award this scholarship this easy to enter scholarship. Just a short form and answering a question in three sentences and you could add $1000 to your college fund.

4. College Prowler $2000 No Essay Scholarship

The $2,000 “No Essay” Scholarship is open to all students and those planning on enrolling within 12 months. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced on our Facebook page. One entry per person, but you can come back each month to try again. High schoolers, adults looking to head back to school, current college students and anyone else looking to attend college or graduate school within 12 months.

5. Scholarship Points

The ScholarshipPoints program is free to join and provides you with the opportunity to win thousands of dollars in scholarships each month. Members earn points by doing what they already do online: shopping, reading, gaming, searching, quizzes, polls, and more. The more you do – the more you earn – the better your chance to win a scholarship! Register today and you could be the next $10,000 scholarship winner!

6. University Language $500 Scholarship

What could be easier than uploading your favorite photo? What does college look like through your camera lens? Show University Language Services for a chance to win a $500.00 college scholarship! As a prospective student making college campus visits, you have a lot to take in: the dorms, the classrooms, the cafeteria, the football stadium … not to mention the atmosphere! Whatever it is, submit a photo you’ve taken, along with a description of between 100-200 words on why that photo represents what college means to you.

7. $1000 Cappex Monthly Scholarship

Tell Cappex about yourself and don’t hold back in a simple form to be eligible for the $1,000 A GPA Isn’t Everything Scholarship. This scholarship opportunity will be available at any college or university. Applications accepted for a limited time so apply now.

8. B. Davis Scholarship

This Scholarship is available to all high school juniors and seniors as well as all students currently registered in any post secondary institution. There is no age restriction an this is not an academic scholarship. To apply for this scholarship you will need to write an essay of less than 1000 words on a topic they choose (topics change yearly).

9. Frame My Future Scholarship

Students are asked to submit an original “creation” through an image which expressed what they hope to achieve in their personal and professional life after college. Entries include photographs, poems. essays. collages, drawings, paintings and other imaginative pieces. The entry needs to communicate: This is how I “Frame My Future”, and include a brief accompanying description. Four winners will receive a  $1000 scholarship.

10. American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) offers $20,000 in scholarships (ten winners at $2,000 each) to the 10 high school students (U.S. citizens or legal residents) whose names pop up in a drawing.

But here’s the kicker: You have to read a six-page document on the fire sprinkler industry and take a ten-question multiple choice test. It’s open book and each correct answer scores you an entry into the drawing (10 is the most entries you can have). You even get a chance to correct wrong answers, which doesn’t happen often with tests.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: A Job and a Scholarship

 

There’s been much talk in the news lately about Starbucks offering its employees college tuition. But did you know that there are companies that offer scholarships to their employees? What better incentive for your college-bound teen to get a job than a job and a scholarship!

Here are three companies that offer scholarships to their employees:

job and a scholarshipMcDonald’s

Good old Mickey Dees offers the McDonald’s USA National Employee Scholarship Program. To qualify, you must have been employed at McDonald’s for at least four continuous months for a minimum of 15 hours per week. Each state selects one student-employee from that state to receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Wal-Mart

Who doesn’t love Wal-Mart? The Wal-Mart Associate Scholarship Program is a $2,000 scholarship that is paid over one year. It is offered to Wal-Mart employees who are graduating high school seniors.

Chick-Fil-A

Not only is Chick-Fil-A a great company to work for–they take care of their employees. The Chick-Fil-A Leadership Scholarship Program gives student-employees the opportunity to compete for $1,000 scholarships for college. Employees have to commit to completing high school and move on to an accredited college to qualify. In addition to the application, a letter of recommendation from his or her operating store must also be submitted.

Other company options

While some programs are merit-based and others are need-based, one requirement for receiving an employee scholarship is that (surprise!) you must be employed by that company. Check with your employer to determine whether there is a minimum employment requirement that must be met before applying.

Don’t dismiss your employer just because they’re not a national corporation with a marquee name.

Many small businesses offer scholarships to their workers as well. No matter what the size of your company, ask your supervisor and check your company’s Web site to find out whether there are any scholarship opportunities available. A scholarship for college would be a great supplement to your college-bound teen’s paycheck.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships, test prep

Scholarship Friday: The PSAT Scholarships

 

psatIn the National Merit® Scholarship Program, three types of Merit Scholarship® awards are offered to Finalists: National Merit $2500 Scholarships, corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, and college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards. Special Scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who are not Finalists and meet a corporate sponsor’s criteria. In the National Achievement® Scholarship Program, two types of scholarships are offered: National Achievement $2500 Scholarships and corporate-sponsored Achievement Scholarship awards.

Today, however, I want to focus on the merit awards a finalist can receive from the colleges. This is where the big awards appear. And it’s also why the PSAT just might be more important than the SAT.

Why put so much focus on the PSAT?

By outscoring others in your state, your student can become a National Merit Semi-Finalist. In order to do this, they don’t have to necessarily have a perfect score. They have to score as well or better than the state index. By outscoring others in your state, you can become a semi-finalist. Your goal is to beat the state index which isn’t as difficult as you might think since most students don’t study or prepare for the test. For a list of state index scores click here.

How does your student become a National Merit Finalist?

After being chosen as a semi-finalist, there is a 96% chance of becoming a finalist. The only students who do not move up to finalist rank are those who do not submit any information about themselves, do not have good grades, do not take the SAT, or fail to score well on the SAT.

What type of awards are we talking about?

When your student completes the semi-finalist paperwork they will indicate the college of their choice. Only one college can be selected, however; be thoughtful when making the selection. Colleges who have money set aside for the finalists will use merit aid to entice your student to attend: full tuition, room and board, books and fees, laptops, study abroad and even spending money. They will also offer automatic entrance into the honors college, the best housing and priority registration until graduation.

As you can see, with all this at stake, it makes sense for your student to put a great amount of focus on studying and preparing for the PSAT.

For a great explanation on the importance of the PSAT for students and how parents can help, listen to Celest Horton’s podcast on How to Pay for College HQ: Paying for College With Debt-Free Strategies.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarships for All Ages

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scholarships for all agesMost parents, and students, believe that you have to wait until senior year to apply for scholarships–believing the theory that all scholarships are for seniors in high school. That theory is incorrect. There are scholarships for all ages from children, to middle school, to high school (even before senior year). The hard part, however, is finding them.

None of the online scholarship databases includes information about college scholarships that are available only to children under age 13 because of federal privacy laws. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), 15 USC 6501, and the Children’s Privacy Protection Final Rule, require web sites to obtain “verifiable parental consent” before collecting, using or disclosing individually identifiable information from children under age 13. This effectively prevents online scholarship databases from matching students under age 13 with college scholarships. Because of the difficulties in obtaining consent, all of the scholarship databases avoid the problem by omitting scholarships for underage children from their databases and refusing to register users under age 13. That makes it difficult for parents to find scholarships in that age group.

Today’s post gives you an alternative to searching–links to many of the scholarships available; because it’s NEVER too early to start the scholarship search and application process. Summer is the best time to begin the search and start preparing your scholarship folder/notebook/file.

College Scholarships for Children

https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/scholarships-for-younger-childrenhttp://www.scholarshipexperts.com/blog/college-planning/college-scholarships-for-children

College Scholarships for Kids

https://www.edvisors.com/plan-for-college/scholarships/college-scholarships/students-under-age-13-scholarships/

20+ Smart Scholarships for Kids Under 13

https://how2winscholarships.com/scholarships-for-kids-under-13/

College Scholarships for Middle School

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/college-scholarships-middle-school

Top 190 scholarships for High School Freshmen,

https://scholarships360.org/scholarships/top-scholarships-for-high-school-freshman/

Scholarships for Age 13 and under

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/age13.phtml

Scholarships for Elementary and Middle School Students

https://www.mefa.org/blog/scholarships-for-elementary–middle-school-students