Desperate for Scholarship Money!!!!!!!

I’m a few days from school ending and I need money for school! I have applied to over 20 national, local, and state scholarships but I have found the competition is so stiff and getting them is harder than expected. Another thing that hampered me I that I applied all regular decision so I wasn’t able to put a single college that I was going too. I really need money for things like a laptop and I just feel exasperated for being smart enough to apply to many, but still be placed in this limbo where I’m checking my mailbox every day but can’t relax that school is over because I need money. Does anybody know any good scholarships worth applying to, it seems so late for most things.

I’ve gotten a few but it isn’t enough for my first year.

If you are looking for money for a laptop, I would suggest you get a job.

Get a job. The odds of getting one of those national scholarships are similar to the Lotto.

@“Erin’s Dad” and @thumper1 Thank you guys for responding. I have gotten a job. I’ll be working 43 hours a week. But I’m frustrated and wish I could catch a little break with extra cash. Working previously, applying to scholarships, and going to high school, now working full time, and going to Harvard this fall, I just wish it could catch a break a little.

So did you apply to any financial safeties?

Can you live and home commute?

How much can your parents pay? What is your EFC? What is their income? What is the cost of attendance?

@Madison85 on paper Harvard is affordable for my family. I’m eternally grateful for this opportunity. I don’t have any money for indirect costs–books, laptop, etc. Its ust my single parent has no savings for anything else. We live paycheck to paycheck.

Direct costs are not the issue. What’s a bigger issue is the summer contribution I need to pay the school, AND find money to pay for all these indirect expenses.

So you are low income and got into Harvard but got zero outside scholarships? No local ones through your high school?

Summer job? Have you had a chance to apply for any?

You should still be eligible for the Stafford loans. I never suggest loans, but you should be okay with minimal ones going to Harvard. Good chance you’ll get a job on the other end of grad school.

@Madison85 I haven’t heard back from many local scholarships which makes me nervous. So far I didn’t get two local scholarships and three national. I got into Harvard RD and all other schools RD so for most of my apps I wasn’t able to list explicitly I was going to Harvard. But I would hope if I was Harvard (and Yale and 8 other school’s) material I would be competitive for a lot of these scholarships. I have won three scholarships so far but they aren’t enough. I’ll be making 11.25 an hour at really nice internship.

I tried the small and local strategy, but I’ve found that many local scholarships have one award. And even the local with several scholarships have thousands of kids who apply.

If he got all his COA met with aid (likely since he’s lowish income) then he can’t get a Stafford loan.

@dancelance What is your COA and what is the breakdown of your aid pkg. If you get outside merit, H may reduce your aid anyway.

How much are you going to earn over the summer?

So you don’t own a laptop or a desktop now?

@mom2collegekids

My package is very very generous, so please I don’t want to seem whiny. It’s less about the written package and more about living pay check to pay check paying another siblings tuition at the same time. Parent contribution is minimal and can be paid.

I have self-help which is 1,625 summer+2850 work study to cover essentially. Harvard let’s this be replaced with outside scholarships which is a plus, if you make up to 2000 over this you can get a one time reimbursement. My bigger issue is this amount (summer contribution) rises steeply.

Question: is summer/student contribution paid in full to the school?

I’ll be making 4,500 this summer before taxes.

@Madison85 none that I can bring. It’s literally decrepit (almost ten years old) and people at home need it.

You can ask H to give you a Stafford Loan to cover your “self help”. That way the money you earn this summer will go towards everything else that you need.

Laptops are rather cheap now, so don’t feel the need to buy pricey.

What sibling tuition are you paying for???

Did you ask your GC about the local scholarship in your area???

Yes, I have applied to several scholarships in my area, obsessively. I’ll find out about a couple in the next two weeks. I called one I was sure I am a very strong candidate since I fit very well within their specific niche. They said they had narrowed it down to four so I believe I have one out of four chance at that. Once again all these scholarships have ONE or two winners. The town wide one will release soon, I hopefully will get one of these small but widespread awards. We are paying for an expensive LAC college in the Northeast that is not as well endowed as Harvard by any shot. I will look into those loans, thanks!

I guess my stress is that these scholarships could pan out and everything ideally could be fine, but if not I have to pay for dorm stuff, laptop, and books and my mom had little savings.

Look at your FA package and the breakdown of the COA. Most of the $4475 comes back to you for your travel, books and personal expenses. All of the work study is yours to keep as you earn it, and pretty much all of the summer earnings should be yours to keep as well. I don’t think you understand how your FA package works. Plus you are making $4500 this summer when only $1650 is part of your COA. I find it hard to believe that if you are attending Harvard you are going to walk away from the local scholarships empty handed either, so there will be that money. What is going on with the scholarships you have already won? Can you elaborate more on your costs and concerns? It looks like you will be fine.