<p>My college is giving me a generous grant. Along with Cal Grant A, I have about 80% of the 52+k fulfilled. However, I am still looking for scholarships, so that I don't have to take out as much loan or work as much (I know this sounds lazy but I WILL be busy).</p>
<p>I have applied to so many scholarships that I don't even remember how many I've applied or how much I've spent on postage. My friend (also a zealous scholarship seeker) got a 25k scholarship... And of course I'm happy for him, but it's discouraging.</p>
<p>I'm also afraid of asking my recommendation letter providers for more recommendation letters. Although I have about 8 who have a letter for me, I feel like bombarding them with more requests would change their opinion of me (not professionally, I don't think).</p>
<p>Does anyone have tips? What to do and what not to do? I know I'm going to target the local ones first because the applicant pool is smaller. Anyway, if someone already complained about not getting scholarships, sorry for posting another complaint. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading this, any help is appreciated. </p>
<p>P.S. How do you find out about your Pell Grant? My college says that I won't get a Pell Grant. My EFC = 0.</p>
<p>If you’re a citizen or a green card resident and your EFC is 0, then you qualify for Pell. (of course, if you weren’t either of those, you wouldn’t have an EFC, I don’t think.)</p>
<p>Who told you that you wouldn’t? It’s federal money; not school money. </p>
<p>If you weren’t born in the US, maybe the school wants to see your proof of citizenship or proof of residency first.</p>
<p>Yeah, I called financial aid on Friday and faxed them my proof of citizenship that afternoon.</p>
<p>But I think the school will deduct the amount of Pell Grant I’ll receive from their financial aid package. So instead of getting 32k from the school, I’ll get 27k.</p>
<p>Please check your FAFSA to see if you answered some of the questions regarding degree type incorrectly. That is pretty common. There are three places you can mess things up for Pell grant. First, there is a question regarding whether you will have a bachelors degree by a July 1, 2010 - did you say Yes? (I will add, since I don’t know YOUR situation, that if you DO … from ANY school, even foreign equivalent of bachelors degree … NO PELL GRANT!) Next, there is a question about the kind of degree program you are pursuing. Some students will say they are pursuing a masters or doctorate degree … but if they do not yet have a bachelors degree, they are NOT pursuing a masters or doctorate degree (yet). Did you mark this incorrectly? Finally, in the dependency questions, some students will say they are pursuing a graduate degree when they are, in fact, pursuing an undergraduate degree. Did you mark this incorrectly? Answering any of these incorrectly will keep you from getting a Pell grant.</p>
<p>Thank you! I double checked and the fist two items were ok. However, I couldn’t find the dependency section under my FAFSA. I guess this is why my college asked me to send in a dependency verification form.</p>
<p>I just emailed my financial aid officer and asked him if filing the dependency verification form would change the amount of the financial aid award. I will let everyone know.</p>
<p>Because the SCHOOL clearly doesn’t meet full need. The student would get the Pell because she is eligible, but the school could reduce their institutional aid by the amount of the Pell.</p>
<p>The scholarship hunt can be brutal. Look for things that are very tailored for someone like you. For instance, don’t look at the $20K scholarship where every validictorian in the region will be applying. Look for the $1,000 for oboe players (if you play oboe) or the $500 for future dental workers from Mariposa County (if that is you). </p>
<p>Meanwhile, look at other ways to trim the costs of your school. Is there a cheaper dorm? What are the clever choices regarding meal plans? Do you have to take a car? (not taking a vehicle can save thousands. No gas, no parking, no insurance). Can use you existing family health care coverage and not buy the school policy? All of these can save as much as you might make with a scholarship. </p>
<p>Because the SCHOOL clearly doesn’t meet full need. The student would get the Pell because she is eligible, but the school could reduce their institutional aid by the amount of the Pell.</p>
<p>Is that standard procedure for many schools to reduce institutional aid, when the student is found to be Pell eligible, even if there was a gap before that is larger than the Pell amount?</p>
<p>It’s not “standard” but it is possible. Schools will want to disperse federally funded aid first. THEN their own monies. If a school doesn’t meet full need…there is no guarantee that the gap will be filled by any funding means.</p>
<p>It is also possible that the student will receive the Pell IN ADDITION to what the school has awarded. That happens too.</p>
<p>Some computer systems may automatically reduce Pell to 0 if there is a citizenship flag. This is probably what happened in this case. If the awards were packaged without the Pell being taken into consideration, it is possible that institutional awards could be reduced when the citizenship issue is resolved & the Pell gets awarded. It’s also possible that the Pell was taken into consideration for awarding. The only way you will know is to provide the necessary information & then follow up with the financial aid office at the school. There are too many what-ifs for us to be able to tell you what happened in your case.</p>
<p>This was posted by Kelsmom in response to a similar question by another poster. I stand corrected. The OP of this thread would get the PELL in addition to the other financial aid…apparently…</p>
<p>Perhaps Kelsmom will see this thread and clarify.</p>
<p>Pell gets paid no matter what other aid a student has. Schools are not allowed to award need based aid in excess of cost of attendance … with the exception of Pell, which is always awarded if the student qualifies. </p>
<p>Other need based aid can be reduced or canceled when outside scholarships are brought into the picture. Pell can’t be. It’s unique.</p>
<p>Also … "Since your package doesn’t meet need, why would they subtract the Pell from your package?’ This is an interesting question. Sometimes schools use equity packaging, where a combination of Pell, SEOG, institutional aid, and the EFC is combined to total a certain number. If there was no Pell in the package & then it’s added in, other components of the package may be adjusted in order to keep the total at the equity number. This type of packaging maximizes aid dollars.</p>
<p>Thank you for this insightful conversation. Although my FAFSA said that I am eligible for a Pell Grant, my college said no as it used a different method to calculate my father’s foreign income.</p>
<p>I don’t want to explain my situation anymore, but I am not qualified. I am happy with the package and I paid the deposit today.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all your help and good luck to me and all scholarship seekers.</p>
<p>Ahh … the reason you don’t get the Pell is because the EFC is too high for Pell. The school made changes that increased your EFC. Unfortunately, sometimes that happens during verification.</p>