<p>All of the scholarships we've seen seem to be very much based on GPA, class rank, and community service/volunteer/ECs. Of course that makes sense, and it's great to reward those kids. </p>
<p>But I have a student who had extenuating health circumstances sophomore & junior year which precluded heavy EC/community involvement and stunted her GPA. She has high test scores though, and writes very well. Are there any scholarships that rely more heavily on essays, for example ... sort of like some small LACs read applications more holistically?</p>
<p>We have explored the scholarship-clearing house websites and found nothing so far.</p>
<p>(I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt to ask, right?)</p>
<p>Baylor’s automatic merit money might fit the bill, but only if she wants to attend Baylor. You can run her stats on their web page to see what she would get.</p>
<p>Search for “essay contests” instead of scholarships. There are plenty of them - off the top of my head there is JFK Profile in Courage, Bill of Rights Institute, DuPont, NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund on the national level. There are also some smaller national-level essay contests. And I have found a ton at the state level. </p>
<p>I’ve also found several for students that have faced significant adversity (Richie’s Spirit is one off the top of my head), which would be worth looking into. </p>
<p>A lot of the ones I’ve mentioned are already closed for this year, so might not help much for a senior. But local ones tend have later deadlines, so definitely look into those. </p>
<p>I don’t want to pry, but I am assuming that if your daughter had health circumstances that precluded her attending/doing well in school, that her extracurriculars/community service were related in some way to her health condition? If so, do any foundations related to her condition(s) have scholarships, essay contests, etc.?</p>
<p>I have autism and Crohn’s Disease, but I also have high stats and tons of EC/community service. Search for disability scholarships. There are so many out there that are exclusive to those with disabilities.</p>
<p>Thanks @ucbalumnus,
I did look at the list you linked and it seems to be institutional scholarships only (unless I missed something, which is possible since I have not had coffee yet!) The student is already accepted at college(s) so I’m looking for 3rd party scholarships.</p>
<p>But if it matters: 3.46 GPA; 2100 SAT; 790 and 720 SAT2</p>
<p>Thanks, @boysx3 and @thssportsman24 for the ideas about specific illness and disabilty scholarships. I’m looking into those.</p>