<p>God that's awesome. 0_0</p>
<p>so EFC and TFC are SELF-HELP, right?</p>
<p>nooope. Self-help is just loans and work-study. scholarships dont normally cover EFC or TFC</p>
<p>gphoenix: How do you know that it covers self-help, including loans and work study?</p>
<p>I received a form requesting that my school's financial aid office to show what my unmet need is. This unmet need is equal to the demonstrated need, minus total financial aid. The thing is, on the form, "total financial need" INCLUDES "total self help." This particular form implies that the self help wouldn't be covered by the scholarship, I think. =|</p>
<p>Pleeeeeeeease provide a good source for your information before I die or go insane, lol.</p>
<p>Hehe. I am done killing myself over this topic.</p>
<p>I have called the Gates ppl twice. In general (for everyone), the scholarship covers loans. For OCA and its applicants, the scholarship covers loans and work study. It does not cover EFC, be it parent or student. My source is the Gates people themselves.</p>
<p>what is OCA??</p>
<p>I know that scholarships cover Self-Help because I read in the Northwestern Financial aide booklet that if you get outside scholarship $, it goes to cover Self-Help (i.e. work-study, loans) before they deduct it from grants that you were awarded. Scholarship money does not cover expected family contribution or student contribution. I know this for a fact, and it is true to most colleges (I say most because there is probably a colloge that does not follow the "rules")</p>
<p>Oh another question. Do they give stipends to everyone?? I would REALLY love to get a stipend.... I wish more scholarships involved stipends.</p>
<p>PS Thanks gphoenix! your hard work is well appreciated.</p>
<p>OCA = Organization of Chinese Americans. Gates works with three minority organizations, one of which is OCA. Another is for Indian Americans & another for African Americans. Apologize for my lack of flawless memory.</p>
<p>The definition of self-help varies from school to school. Hence, it was vital for me to call Gates and ask them their definition: loans & work study.</p>
<p>As for stipends, I do not know. I was too wimpy to ask. I am also quite grateful for just covering my loans and work study. If another brave soul would to call and ask and post here, I would be grateful.</p>
<p>Lunknot - don't sweat it. My hard work is also for myself. I just post here to make myself smarter than I really am.</p>
<p>Oh wow, thanks so much, I feel a lot better. I was going to call them about it tomorrow.</p>
<p>I wonder why I got this form asking for that kind of info, then. Ah well, time will tell...</p>
<p>poor Latinos, no organization? :(</p>
<p>Hispanic Scholarship Fund</p>
<p>Also, gphoenix, you've got class to not be looking a gift horse in the mouth by asking about stipends. It's nice to see that.</p>
<p>However, since I know we're all curious, I'll call in the morning (I'm calling anyway, about other stuff) and ask what they mean by "living expenses." :)</p>
<p>Alright guys. Here's the info; I just spoke with them again.</p>
<p>Self help, as explained before, does include loans and work study. This will be covered,</p>
<p>Travel is NOT covered, contrary to what some people said earlier in this thread.</p>
<p>"Living expenses" that are covered include anything in the Total Cost of Attendance that is not covered by your school. In other words, no stipend, guys.</p>
<p>All in all, this scholarship is equal to your Total Cost of Attendance minus your school's financial aid package.</p>
<p>Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but I just thought I'd post the facts all together in one post.</p>
<p>Hmmm.... thanks for the update Dani.</p>
<p>My bad: there are four organizations & Hispanics has one: "The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administrator of the GMS initiative. To reach, coordinate, and support the constituent groups, UNCF has subcontracted with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Organization of Chinese Americans to assist in implementing the initiative."</p>
<p>Okay, Thanks Dani!!</p>
<p>I also read in a financial aid booklet that loans and work-study are for books, etc. . . . so maybe the self-help really is the "stipend" that people speak of. Obviously you don't pay the school directly for your books, laundry, etc. I wonder if colleges just take room&board and tuition out of the grants they give you and then just leave the rest in your account for your own management...? This is of course assuming that your received grants that exceeded the cost of tuition and room&board.</p>
<p>sry if i'm asking ridiculous questions. I don't have any bros or sisters in college...or friends really..lol. and my mom is certainly not a college finance expet.</p>
<p>Not ridiculous at all. I am dirt poor and my parents are completely ignorant of what GPA stands for, so you could say I'm in slightly similar spot. And my slightly wealthier friends, with their college-educated parents and gazillion resources don't understand how work study works.</p>
<p>So work study is generally something to pay for books & personal expenses - shampoo, shaver, etc. How you use it is up to you. The point is it is supposed to help you pay for your lifestyle, be it computer junkie who needs a new monitor or fashion brat who needs a new hair straightener.</p>
<p>This means that you work at a campus sort-of job in order to pay for your living expenses. So the crummy jobs (office aid, day care helper, computer techie, etc.) aren't so crummy in that you only work to cover your personal expenses (vs. having to pay for tutition, etc.), are on campus and not far to get to, and don't require major effort/brains on your part. If you choose well, you may even be able to study while on the job. The lifeguard, per se, has maybe two elderly swimmers every afternoon, that wear lifejackets as they do laps. Plenty of down time. Now, campus jobs don't pay great... usually 7-8 an hour, but that's an average teenage job payment. And like I said, it's sufficient to pay living expenses. Not taxable, from what I hear. Ok, I'm rambling... time for new point.</p>
<p>Which means, if you get grant money beyond that, or in my case, grants to replace work study, that you will have extra money in your account. And that you must go to the fin aid office and pick up your check! It works the same way if you take out extra loans... the extra money goes into your account again, and you go get a check.</p>
<p>So, if you have a really high work study, you could be getting 3k a year in check form, under Gates. Hence the illusion of stipends in this thread. (I knew it was way too good to be true.)</p>
<p>Now, I have heard an interesting case where people turn down crappy campus pay for a higher paying job. They do this because they have greater selection of jobs and ability to negotiate pay. And supposedly the money you make is too low to be taxed anyway. (Supposedly you hafta be making 66k before you start getting taxed.) But the downsides are that you don't have a job guaranteed; you hafta go look and interview on your own; your hours and the location of your job may not be as nice as a work study one, etc. And that is the end of my rather teenage lecture on work study.</p>
<p>So, as far as Gates goes...the higher your work study, the better. I get it. Thanks, gphoenix!</p>
<p>Will you guys who are finalists post your stats? I'm really curious to see what it takes to receive the scholarship. thanks</p>
<p>What if you get other scholarships? What happens to your workstudy/stipend then?</p>
<p>If I wanted to be a greedy bastard and get more money from gates do I just request for more workstudy?</p>
<p>LMAO Death Hammer!</p>