<p>The problem is that there is too much competition! I applied for about 10, and didn't recieve anything! Plus, what really gets me is that those who already recieved a full tuition scholarship also apply to these scholarships. Leave some money for the rest of us!</p>
<p>I applied to about 10, haven't gotten any yet. I know I didn't get a couple and all the other ones are still pending. It's kinda waste of time if you're not a GREATER writer or haven't helped kids in Africa or India because you'll mostly not get anything. Some of them are just purely biased because I know I'm more qualified than those so-called winners (i.e. better grades, better college, more interesting background and talents). Also the ones on FastWeb are too competitive because everyone uses it. Next year, I'll just do my FAFSA and get a part-time job.</p>
<p>I think a lot of the local scholarships, around here anyways, aren't based purely on grades, tests, or which college you are going to. I applied to probably 30ish scholarships, and I know I received 5 of them. Here is why I got them:
1. Rotary Club Scholarship- I had an interview and that went really well
2. Vetrans Club- MY mom knows many of the memebers
3. Local Foundation one- student interested in medical field, good academics, financial need
4. Other Local Foundation one- medical field... again
5. Local Association one- for a student living on Cape Cod with an extensive family history on the Cape... my family tree dates back to nearly 400 yrs. ago on the Cape... so that helped a lot</p>
<p>How do you find out about local scholarships? I tried fast web but only about 2 non-national scholarships appeared. I live in Georgia (border of Tennessee) and go to school in Chattanooga, TN, if anyone knows about chatttown... Any advice for discovering scholarships? I am/will be prez of school's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, on the board of school's community service, wrote a grant to teach spanish in innercity schools, raised over $50,000 for victims of the war in Iraq, and I founded my school's Students for a Free Tibet club--if any of that helps. Thanks...</p>
<p>I applied for about 20... local and national... and didn't get any. The local ones have all been given out and I am really skeptical on how some people go theirs. The same 4 people got about 30 local scholarships, and while they're good students, they must have padded their resumes or something to get all of that.</p>
<p>"2. Vetrans Club- MY mom knows many of the memebers"</p>
<p>Scholarship money should be awarded to SCHOLARS. That's exactly why I think a lot of scholarships are baised because they're funded by private money. If you don't know the committees, haven't cured cancer, helped poor kids/senior citizens, or aren't black or hispanic...your chance of getting a scholarship = .000001.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Finding local scholarships:
HS guidance depts usually publish a list, & updated throughout the senior year.
Also check local papers Community pages.</p></li>
<li><p>Recently saw that a bank was offering scholarships, as long as one opens a (free) account, and goes to a school in their specific service area.
These promo-related scholarships usually only offer a few hundred $.
However if you qualify (which we did not) in terms of locations, it's still worth a try as the process required didn't seem too extensive, and the locations would limit the # applicants ==> increased chance of winning.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>ubetteraccept_me ~ You should be very proud of your many accomplishments, they are truly outstanding. You don't mention your academic stats, standardized scores, or financial situation, but all of these figure in fastweb's search, I believe. Also if you just did the search recently, you are about 8 months too late for most of the deadlines.
Not to make too light of your situation, but doesn't Donald trump need an apprentice, because it sounds as if you would qualify! :)</p>
<p>"The local ones have all been given out and I am really skeptical on how some people got theirs. The same 4 people got about 30 local scholarships, and while they're good students, they must have padded their resumes or something to get all of that."</p>
<p>Here, seniors are given a packet with information and a common app. for local scholarships. Most are supposed to be anonymous so the applications don't include the students' names, though some say they aren't anonymous. The school tries to prevent the same kids from getting all of them, but since private entities are doing the choosing, the school can only request that the organization "select someone else" if a certain student has already been picked for too many. The downside of that system is that the local organization wants the right to select who they think is best suited based on their criteria and don't really care what the school wants. I know one organization was asked to change their choice, so they did reluctantly, but then were quite angry when they saw who ended up with their scholarship because the kid really didn't meet their qualifications very well and everyone knew it. The club officers actually fought over who would present the award because they were embarrassed at their selection.</p>
<p>Also, it seems to me that PTO moms and organization secretaries do the choosing for a lot of our local ones, so these women seem to like the kids who volunteer in hospitals, etc. I warned my S that he probably wouldn't get many local ones because while he has done some volunteering, he's had to actually work for pay to earn money for college. That isn't as noble in their minds.</p>
<p>That's a very interesting & different way of applying to local scholarships.
Here's all based on individual applications, the HS does not coordinate any application or swaying of the selection.
All they do is publicize scholarship programs, it's entirely up to students to apply on their own.
(as far as I know...)</p>
<p>I guess some schools do both,we were also lucky enough at my senior's award ceremony Sunday to be presented with another scholarship that she did not apply for that was from our church. She did not apply so I think the school had something to do with the final selection, as they must also have given her name to the committee?
It was a nice surprise as she was not one of the ones called up repeatedly for all of the prestigious leadership/service certificates. That's OK though, she took the $1000 instead ;) So hopefully some of you will also be surprised at your Graduation ceremonies with awards!
There were 2 or 3 other local monetary awards that girls won who also weren't expecting anything.
Good luck.</p>
<p>Tally so far: I know, it's kind of amazing, and I'm a little embarrassed.</p>
<p>1000-Church
2000-Had to turn down as she chose school in state that doesn't participate
10000-Regional (Based on activities, service, grades, income & essay, then an interview)</p>
<p>I take it back. I just got $1000 from Wal-Mart!!!!!!</p>
<p>Even if I am like 1/15, thats a huge one.</p>
<p>Redading this thread tho, I wish I'd been more pro active applying for local scholarships. I just got on Fastweb and did the ones that sounded feasible to me. I guess I should have done a more local search.</p>
<p>I was estatic to find out last month that I'd won a small schalarship based on my leadership potential and a written essay....</p>
<p>I later found out that I'd been chosen not for my extensive applications of leadership or my well thought out essay on the meaning of true patriotism, but because I'd been the ONLY person that had applied, but oh well. No hurt feelings-- just extra money for college, nonetheless :)</p>
<p>My advice: Apply to some of the lesser known scholarships-- your chances of winning are MUCH greater. Even if they are only for a few hundred, it all adds up and helps in the end.</p>
<p>Congrats to Vyse, any national scholarship is hard to win!</p>
<p>And congrats to Keri too, & why not after all the hard work?
(not your fault being the only applicant!)</p>
<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060530/ap_on_go_ot/student_loans%5B/url%5D">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060530/ap_on_go_ot/student_loans</a> </p>
<p>:rolleyes:</p>
<p>I'm 5/14, and Gates is one of them. Since I got Gates, I stopped applying for scholarships... I was planning to apply for over 40</p>
<p>In my area, all the local scholarships went mostly to politcal parents children (local politics, school board members, etc.). I am valedictorian of my school and the local scholarships that I qualified for went to a politicians boy.... He was in the top 15 of our class, but I am really skeptical of his receiving at least 8 of them. </p>
<p>Of course, I believe that committees may think that since we are in the top of the class that we will be getting money from all over to help with our college. The problem with that is that everybody thinks that, so we don't get the scholarships....</p>
<p>I applied for 6 scholarships. Out of the four I've heard from, I've recieved one. No local scholarships, as I could not find any that I would be eligible for. My advice to next year's seniors: Start the scholarship search early! I started in December, thinking that was early enough. However, my time quickly became wrapped up in my schoolwork, activities, and work. Before I knew it, many scholarship deadlines had passed, and that is why I only applied to a couple of scholarships as opposed to thirty or more.</p>
<p>Edit: I should also mention that my school guidance office was of no help with the scholarship search (or anything else). The only scholarships they had were ones that I was ineligible for.</p>
<p>Of everthing I read on here, it sounds like 95% of all schalorships are for writing/essays. SO if your child is not gifted here, they need not waste thier time? Can some of you give examples of NON-WRITING Scholarships--- the only one I seen on here (as an example) was for opening an account at a bank for a few hundred dallors towards College.</p>
<p>When we did the FastWeb scholarship search, we got all kinds of hits that were irrelevant and had to wade through many of these before we came to one that actually was applicable. Did anybody else have this experience?</p>