<p>Now that I know about how much a college tuition REALLY is, I want to know if those scholarships advertized on FASTWEB and ***************** really pan out. I want to know how hard is it to win them? And more importantly, how do you get your kid to DO them? I am desperate for funds but I think pulling teeth would be easier then getting my D to write a scholarship essay.</p>
<p>We did not use FASTWEB, but my impression is you should not hope for much there. If you get something it would be a nice bonus. But most would be one time awards, not enough to bridge to an unaffordable college bill.</p>
<p>My son tells me his research (which may have been mostly local scholarships) yielded mostly scholarships which were need-based. Not sure how they calculated need. I do wish he had spent more time looking because his stats were superb, but senior year was a really busy time for IB students.</p>
<p>labelness - I hate to be the voice of negativity - but don’t expect much from outside scholarships - I think it is kind of an urban myth. What I have seen - on the website you mentioned and others - is that you put a lot of work into the application, essay, etc. - to have a chance at $250. They never tell you how many apps they receive - compared to how many scholarships they hand out. I have also seen scholarship applications where they want your tax returns - which I won’t do. It’s bad enough having to furnish them to a college or to CSS IDOC - I’m not sending them all over the place for the slim chance of $250. The other thing to keep in mind is that winning an outside scholarship may adversely impact your need-based FA. For example, say you apply for need-based FA and get a $5000 grant - then you also get a $500 outside scholarship. The scholarship check will be made out to the college - when they are notified - they will reduce your $5000 grant by that $500 outside scholarship - so net result - you have accomplished nothing.</p>
<p>The best source for scholarships is the actual college. Read their website carefully and call if you have questions. Sometimes your student is automatically considered for scholarships just by applying. Sometimes there is a separate application - so you have to check. But I would concentrate my efforts on scholarships offered by the college first and foremost.</p>
<p>My daughter did quite well with several outside scholarships. None of them were huge (ranged from $300 - $1500 a piece) but they were mostly local or state based scholarships. We found our high school wasn’t the best at advertising them, but other neighboring schools had better websites so that’s where we learned about some of them. She was very motivated so dutifully wrote essay after essay in pursuit of them.</p>
<p>Fastweb was a waste of time for my D. They are nation wide, so there is lots of competition. She did far better with local scholarships. She had some from an organization of which she was a member for 9 years, another group that was a spin-off of the first group and a major-specific local scholarship. We also have many that are offered by organizations of which the parents are members and other service groups such as Rotary. Also some churches offered scholarships to their members. In addition inquire as to whether any of your employers have a scholarship program.</p>
<p>Your D should definitely contact her guidance counselor who should be able to point her to sources of local opportunities.</p>
<p>The best bang for the effort is to choose a school with great merit aid. Of course this will depend on stats. My second son chose a school which gave him exactly what he wanted, major-wise and experience-wise, and got most of his tuition paid for the four years with merit scholarships. He did win a $1000 local scholarship, but there were some stringent requirements to even apply (you had to be a prizewinner - 1st, 2nd, or 3rd - in the regional National History Day competition). Then you had to write an essay on a local history topic. Even of the many who were eligible, we found out that each year only 1 or 2 or 3 even enter an essay. Hey, $1000 is $1000.</p>
<p>I put a scholarship on fastweb for an organization where I’m on the board. But again, the requirements to even apply are so tight that we only get 2-4 applicants a year. It’s for $1000.</p>
<p>So maybe the trick is to find something with requirements you fit, but that not many others do. Then write a killer essay. I do however think that most of the scholarships there - given the chances - are not efficient uses of the student’s time. </p>
<p>Beware of one-time scholarships. They can suck you in for the first year, but from the second year on, it could be a painful ride, financially. My first son got one-time scholarship from the University of Rochester, but the tuition/housing was so high that I ended up emptying my bank accounts to get through that one.</p>
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<p>This is an excellent tip. My S found some very comprehensive lists of local and national scholarships on the websites of some of the local private schools. The pricey schools generally have great college guidance offices with excellent resources, unlike his own small parochial school. Unfortunately, a lot of schools require a password to access their internal web pages but it’s worth a little Googling.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. The part about it coming out of my need-based FA makes me very concerned because it is the limited need-based FA that got me to write this thread in the first place! It is the proverbial chasing of the tail.</p>
<p>I know - that is the worst part! The way the colleges look at it is say they have determined that you “need” $5000. But - once you get a $1000 outside scholarship - that reduces your need. Now you only “need” $4000 from the college. It depends on the college - they should address the issue of how they handle outside scholarships on their FA website - but typically it does reduce your aid.</p>
<p>This is what I really find so frustrating about the whole process - it’s like every time you take a step forward - you take one backwards. Say you get a raise - well normally that’s good news and you feel like you are making progress financially. But when you are getting need-based FA - all the raise means is that your EFC goes up - your aid goes down - and you are right back where you were! Same with getting a part-time job - in the end - it accomplishes nothing.</p>
<p>I’m very tired of this situation. My younger son will be looking strictly at what we consider to be reasonably priced schools where we will not be applying for need-based FA. That way - we have more control - a raise in pay is a good thing - and we will be off this roller coaster. Need-based FA has worked well for my older son - so far. But I always feel like this threat is hanging over my head of what will the award be for next year and what on earth will we do if his FA is reduced more than we expect. I can’t take the stress of it again for another 4 years.</p>
<p>^^Rockvillemom is 100% correct. I don’t think outside scholarship helps you (OP) when you are getting need based aid. </p>
<p>For example, the COA is $60,000/yr. You got $30,000 need based aid and your EFC is $30,000. If you get only $20,000 outside scholarship, you will be still paying that $30,000. The only thing changes is the FA goes from $30,000 to now $10,000. Of course, if you get more than $30,000 a year, then you pay less than $30,000. Only handful outside scholarships are at that scale. </p>
<p>FA officers at any school have been doing their job for many many years. If they figure your need is only $30,000. Then your need is $30,000. Of course, it is up to you whether you want to pay that $30,000 a year or not. It is very painful for almost all middle class family to pay for a private elite college education. </p>
<p>Or, there is a chance you did not present your need well enough. It is not unheard of that school gives $6,000 ~ $10,000 more needs based aid per year after appealing. On the other hand, I heard, a school is less likely to work with those who applied ED. </p>
<p>Best of luck. I think you best bet is to work with the FA officer. If you could not demonstrate your need is not met, then you don’t need more aid.</p>
<p>links to some outside scholarships:
[Scholarships</a> for Students with Certain Health Conditions](<a href=“http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/medical-conditions.htm]Scholarships”>Scholarships for Students with Certain Health Conditions)
[Michigan</a> State University Libraries - Precollege Scholarships](<a href=“http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3precol.htm]Michigan”>Background Information - Grants and Related Resources - LibGuides at Michigan State University Libraries)
[Gunn</a> College & Career Center (CCC)](<a href=“http://gunn3.pausd.org/~ccc/Colleges/c_famcon.html]Gunn”>http://gunn3.pausd.org/~ccc/Colleges/c_famcon.html) can enter as a guest
[Minnie</a> Stevens Piper Foundation](<a href=“http://www.everychanceeverytexan.org/funding/aid/faidalpha.php]Minnie”>http://www.everychanceeverytexan.org/funding/aid/faidalpha.php)
[External</a> Scholarship Opportunities](<a href=“External Scholarships | Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships | UCI”>External Scholarships | Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships | UCI)</p>
<p>cslesle, Thanks for the resources</p>
<p>labelness, a waste of time! No sense in any kid slaving over any essay for $1,000, when the college will reduce their grant money by $1,000. Outside scholarships benefit the college not the student! </p>
<p>Scholarships for books only have benefited our kids, did not affect our FA packages.
Cost of their books is outrageous, too! Now the colleges are into renting books etc, which may be a cost savings.</p>
<p>Scholarships often replace loans. D had almost her entire Perkins loan replaced with scholarships she won, so they are not necessarily a waste of time.</p>
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<p>I would call the school/schools that your DD is interested in and inquire as to how the outside scholarships will be treated. You can call the FA office of each school directly.</p>
<p>Son has had a bunch of $1,000 scholarships from various organizations. The tax credits help out too. These small scholarships won’t make much of a dent in full-pay schools unless the student is exceptional about running them down.</p>
<p>The problem is that OP’s D only received approx. 4k in need based aid from the school that meets 100% demonstrated need where she was accepted ED. The School determined that the family can afford to pay so she has a hugh EFC. </p>
<p>All of the outside scholarships in the world is not going to change that as they usually have the followign pecking order:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>they fill the gap between the cost of attendance and demonstrated need for schools that do not mee 100% demonstrated need.</p></li>
<li><p>At schools that give institutional aid, they first reduce the self help component; student loans and work study.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>3.Then they reduce the institutional aid given by the school.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Some schools will allow you to use your outside scholarship for the one time purchase of a computer.</p></li>
<li><p>Very very few schools will use outside scholarships to reduce the EFC. OP would have to first get scholarships to cover all of the institutional aid.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The Rotary Club that awarded me a scholarship just deposited their cheque to my bank account to avoid the problems already mentioned. I used the money to buy books and a few supplies so my family doesn’t have to worry about buying any of those things.</p>
<p>For other scholarships that were sent directly to my school, at first my work-study was reduced, so then I asked the Financial Aid office if they could just replace my loans instead. Thankfully, they did and all is happy.</p>
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Uhhh…I think I’ll un-read that.</p>
<p>ref #18, I think you need to list all outside scholarship(s) on your CSS profile. Where they deposit it might not make any difference.</p>