<p>I've been accepted to the University of Georgia and plan to study Ecology and sustainable agriculture. (I've applied to the UGA Honors program, although I estimate my chances of getting accepted are about 1 in 3.) The Zell Miller scholarship will cover tuition, but that leaves about $13,604/year if my math is right, using the numbers they provide. I don't expect to get anything from the Federal government or from the University itself. I have applied/will apply for: the Annie's Sustainable Agriculture scholarship; a county-level scholarship; the Georgia United Credit Union scholarship.</p>
<p>Are there any other scholarships that I would have a GOOD CHANCE of receiving? My list of extracurricular activities is a little short, but my academics are pretty good:</p>
<p>Class Rank: 2 out of more than 220
730 Reading, 690 Math, 610 Writing
4.26 GPA (4.0 unweighted; 4 AP classes)</p>
<p>I do not intend to go into debt, especially since I am not necessarily going to pursue a well-paying career. As long as my dad finds a good job to supplement his pension, I’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know how my friends find time for retail/foodservice jobs. I need sleep! And it seems pointless paying for car+gas just to make minimum wage.</p>
<p>I wish I was more entrepreneurial; I could at least cut peoples’ lawns, but it’s awkward to just go up to someone’s door and offer…</p>
<p>So, OP, your dad already worked, but now you think it’s ok for him to have to find a job AGAIN, so that you can get sleep? Plenty of students figure out how to handle a job, EC’s and academics. Aren’t you a little embarrassed? Since winning scholarships is NOT a sure thing, and making money through working is as long as you get a job, show up, and actually work, you should probably re-think where you are most likely to find cash to help afford school.</p>
<p>Also note that your county-level/general scholarships will only be for a year, most likely, and you will need to have a plan to make up the remaining costs in following years. Depending on what your family is willing to pay and how much you are able to contribute, either by taking out student loans and working, it may be possible for you to go to UGA.</p>
<p>But if you are unwilling to work any kind of job, even on the weekends, or baby-sitting/tutoring, and you are unwilling to take out federal student loans, you need to consider going to a cheaper CC or look for schools where you have more merit money. (You’ve said you are ‘light’ on the ECs, so you can use that time to work!) Part of paying for college is /your/ responsibility, and there is no way you are going to find a 13k, four-year renewable scholarship that you are likely to win… you could try private scholarships, but those are harder to get than getting into Harvard.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, you need to take responsibility for paying for college-- if you’re not willing to work or take on loans, there won’t be a magic scholarship fairy that will hand you more money.</p>
<p>You need to sit down with your parents and run the numbers. Right now, U of GA looks like it might not be affordable for your family. Even if you were to take a full federal loan of $5,500 for your first year, your balance remaining due would be about $8,000. That figure will be tough to come up with with only summer and part-time jobs. Here is a calculator that will help you compare U of GA’s offer with any others that you may receive: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid)</p>
<p>Your GPA and exam scores are very good. Take a look at the threads on Guaranteed Merit Based Aid and see if there are any decent Ag schools that would offer you serious money. If you have missed the priority date for those scholarships, pick up the phone and call them. Some will make exceptions. Or consider a gap year so that you can work up a list of more affordable institutions.</p>
<p>you need to find out how much your parents will pay each year.</p>
<p>When applying for these scholarships, look to see if they’re for ONE YEAR only or if they are for all four years.</p>
<p>During the summer, you should be able to earn $2k-3k to put towards college. During the school year, you can work 8-10 hours per week without losing sleep.</p>
<p>My primary motive in asking this question was to ask if there are any scholarships I should apply for based on my academic achievements. I shouldn’t have started talking numbers. However, I appreciate all advice. (By the way, that $13,604/year figure is composed of fees, room&board, living expenses, books, and transportation. You’d think after all that chemistry I would be in the habit of always writing the unit! The nearest college, Clayton State, would be $11,042/year.)</p>
<p>I am an introvert. I need some downtime to remain mentally/physically healthy. I doubt that I would be able to keep my grades where they are if I had a job to worry about. My parents and I agree that my job in college is to keep my GPA above 3.3 so I can keep the Zell Miller/HOPE scholarship, which pays full tuition at UGA. Finishing in 4 years rather than 5 or 6 is also a priority, and is rumored to be pretty difficult at UGA’s School of Ecology.</p>
<p>My father is only 50. He retired recently but he is already applying for a job that would be more enjoyable for him and closer to home. I don’t feel entitled to my parents’ money, but they are more than willing to pay for my four years, and they have told me that they do not intend for me to go into debt, which is fantastic! And I am going sit down with them and run the numbers very soon, not because I don’t trust them but because I want to learn more about personal finance in general. (it’s a shame that this stuff isn’t taught in schools – our Econ. teacher this year is showing us some Dave Ramsey videos in addition to the standard Econ. fare)</p>
<p>One question: When do I get an award letter? Is this something I have to request?</p>
<p>I mean, yes, there are a lot of national scholarships out there (look at the other major scholarship forums for a list of scholarships still taking applications). But those scholarships are extremely competitive, and your academics would give you the same small shot as everybody else, especially without compelling ECs, and you don’t have a ‘good’ chance at really any of them, because for private academic scholarships on the natl level, there are probably a hundred people out there with better stats, unfortunately, who are also looking for money that can be applied to any school. You could continue to pursue regional/local scholarships, but again, be prepared for them to only be for one year. You should also look into the amount of departmental or continuing student scholarships to make up whatever the cost of your current local scholarships are.</p>
<p>But the best scholarships are at schools, not at-large. Happymom1 makes a good point to consider some more safeties, especially depending on what your parents are able to pay (and this is a conversation that needs to happen very soon, especially if they end up not being able to afford UGA).</p>
<p>
A lot of people, even introverts, work through college. For a lot of people, it’s a financial necessity, not a choice, and you may be more capable than you think. I’m managing to do it, and I consider myself to be extremely introverted-- I tend to not come out of room on weekends and evenings. For me, the trick was to find a job I loved (tutoring) that had flexible hours. I’m able to fit in nineteen hours of work or so between and around classes because I don’t work a traditional shift schedule. Food-service jobs are also pretty flexible on campuses, and those don’t tend to run very late, leaving plenty of evening alone time (whcih is actually when I currently recharge each day).</p>
<p>Edit: What kind of award letter do you mean?</p>
<p>OP, please reconsider working. You will make yourself much less employable, much less of a candidate for an internship, etc, if you haven’t even had the experience of showing a work ethic. Your parents may think they are doing you a favor, but you will not measure up against people who can also maintain a 3.3 AND work during college, summers, etc. These days, getting hired is tough enough. When you finally decide you have the energy, mental strength, or whatever you think is so necessary to work even part time that you aren’t equipped to do so, employers may not want you.</p>
<p>UGA with the Zell Miller is a great option for this student. He is unlikely to get a better value. Still, there are several ways to keep costs in line. First the 13K+ is the estimate so you can bring it down some. Be careful with your entertainment expenses, the meal plan is unlimited-use it, shop hard for books and other incidentals. After freshman year, most students live off-campus and can save quite a bit over freshman room and board.</p>
<p>After first semester, you should seriously consider work or research to add to your resume. Good grades and nothing else is not going to get you a job after graduation. There are almost always jobs on campus (no gas or car needed) especially in the dining halls.</p>
<p>According to this page, “Most jobs on-campus posted on DAWGlink receive between 50-200 student resumes for a single position.” And there are 2,000 on-campus jobs compared to 26,200 undergrads.</p>
<p>You have to start somewhere :). How many resumes do you think real world jobs receive?
If you try, you can get a dining services job. Your posts really indicate you need it for more than the money.</p>
<p>Also, note that 3 of the 4 largest student employers don’t go through DAWGlink. Food services employs 1000 students alone. If you’re willing to apply to a broad range of jobs (and to take job-seeking seriously), you’d probably be able to find some type of employment and go from there.</p>
<p>I am an introvert. I need some downtime to remain mentally/physically healthy. I doubt that I would be able to keep my grades where they are if I had a job to worry about. My parents and I agree that my job in college is to keep my GPA above 3.3 so I can keep the Zell Miller/HOPE scholarship, which pays full tuition at UGA. Finishing in 4 years rather than 5 or 6 is also a priority, and is rumored to be pretty difficult at UGA’s School of Ecology.</p>
<p>If your parents don’t want you to work during the school year, then fine. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t earn $2k or so during the summer.</p>
<p>How much will your parents contribute each year? Is sounds like your parents are willing to pay some/most/all of the remaining costs. Is that right?</p>
<p>I didn’t notice that note about DAWGlink, thanks.</p>
<p>An on-campus job would certainly be a lot less stressful and expensive without the commute. I’ll definitely try to get one of those, or something within biking distance. I didn’t realize that resume-building was quite so important—if I were an employer I would assume that excellent grades = decent work ethic. I guess the previous employment is just another criteria to screen through applicants, that way they have fewer interviews to do. I don’t have anything against work, I’m just worried that I won’t find a balance.</p>
<p>I’ve always thought that living off-campus is more expensive, something people do to be “cool.” But I do like to cook, and I suppose I could find a frugal roommate… I’ll have to do some research. Too many variables!</p>
No, work experience is really not “just another criteria.” Work experience is a critical part of developing a career.</p>
<p>
If you have a 3.7 and no work experience, and you are competing for a job with someone who has a 3.5 and four years of progressively-responsible work experience related to the position… 99 times out of 100, you’re not going to get that job. They’re ready to hit the ground running in a workplace environment, while you’ve never been outside the classroom.</p>
<p>GPA is important, but only to a point. Beyond a certain level, the difference between a 3.3 and a 3.6 may or may not be particularly meaningful. Employers care more about real-world work experience than a few tenths of a grade point.</p>