<p>Is it worth going onto Fastweb or collegeboard's scholarship search and attempting to apply to every scholarship program? Is it worth writing countless essays and going to interviews and paying some application fees in order to "maybe" get a scholarship? Let me (as well as some others who are interested in this) know from past experiences, statistics etc.</p>
<p>From my experience, no.</p>
<p>I've applied to over 10 that I found from FastWeb. I haven't won anything. I'm your typical Harvard acceptee, in that I have high stats, uber involvement, great rec's, pretty good writing skills, etc. Who knows what they want. Maybe I don't have anything that sets me apart (national level stuff.) I'm not getting anything locally either. because my community is full of redneck racists. What're you gonna do? LOL</p>
<p>It worth it, I applied to...alot...and you win some, you lose some, but it worth it.</p>
<p>from the people that i know who applied on fastweb...</p>
<p>for every 10 scholarships you apply for....you will get 1.</p>
<p>i much rather prefer local scholarships..rotary club, etc.</p>
<p>Yeah - local scholarships have better chances for winning. I applied to about 13 scholarships in all - 7 from fastweb and 6 local ones. Hoping for at least a couple to pull through.</p>
<p>Definately worth it...how long would it take you to earn $1000+? Just weigh the time factor involved/odds associated with each one. Obviously, the fewer applicants, such as local/regional applications,the better your chances. Also check to see which ones use financial considerations.You will find most local/area scholarships through your GC or research online. Some of the state/national applications may be worth it if you can distinguish yourself from the masses.
Also remember that many of the essay topics are repetitive and can be great practice for college admissions applications, Honors program applications, Department applications,etc. Just put in a few hours researching and prioritize your list. Even if you only win one $1000 scholarship, won't it be worth it?</p>
<p>scholarships are definately worth it, not just for the monetary value but for the award itself. example...if you can grab some local rotary club scholarships that's already a green light that your are committed to community service. if you can get a scholarship in computers, it shows you are computer savvy. you win a essay scholarship, than bam colleges know your a good writer.</p>
<p>Even if you win just one out of twelve for $2,000 the pay per hour of work is absurdly high. You will be making insane hourly figures that will probably rival what your parents earn per hour (even if you win only one scholarship out of a total of twelve you entered).</p>
<p>I've won a few locally etc., wait until next year so you can start applying to undergrad only scholarships too, because a lot of the ones on fastweb are for undergrads only</p>
<p>I don't think its worth it. If you're an average student, you probably won't win anything. Apply to local scholarships only and get a job is what i say.</p>
<p>The problem with Fastweb is that the hits we got correlated poorly with our data imput. It took a LONG time to sort through them, and in the final analysis very few were a good fit.</p>
<p>I think it's worth it, but it is a lot of trouble & time. </p>
<p>My D (&I) used Fastweb as well as searches of the web on Google. I also looked at other highschool and college financial aid sites. Applied to around 75 or 80 so far. This includes Nat'l, Regional (including state), local & school. So far, she has won 5 Nat'l, 7 Regional, 8 local and 2 school. More school TBA next week. Her total of these so far is $35,970. (She also has some from her college.) </p>
<p>If you have something to distinguish yourself and someone to help you, it is doable. But, I did spend a lot of hours helping to organize, proofread, print, mail, organize, buy cartridges, search, organize, etc. Plan on spending some $ for mailing, especially if you run late and need to send it priority or overnight. It would be hard to do by yourself if you are very active in ec's, sports, and like to sleep! </p>
<p>after a while, some of the essays were reusable. But, each one needed a re-write to answer the specific criteria. Lists of community service, awards, etc were likewise reusable with some tweaking. </p>
<p>If I can help anymore, let me know.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Congrats to you and your daughter, metermaid. That's an amazing amount of scholarship awards! I am in awe of anyone who has time to submit 80 top quality applications.</p>
<p>Wow - that is awesome! I applaud you and your daughter's efforts. I applied to around 15 and that was time consuming enough - congratulations on all your scholarship aid!</p>
<p>Are these scholarships on time deals or renewable annually?</p>
<p>i've done the fastweb/collegeboard thing, but it wasn't worth it. every scholarship i got was local. even the sammy award from mcdonalds was technically local too.</p>
<p>metermaid ---- WOW! </p>
<p>Anyway, yes, it is worth it. I went to fastweb and looked for a few 1,000 to 2,000 dollars scholarships whose applications were similar to college applications, i.e. one personal essay, extracurriculars, community service, grades requested. Since I'm pretty much a well-rounded person, I didn't look for special interest scholarships, just community service and leadership based ones. I only applied to several 1,000 - 2,000 dollar ones because I figured they were uncompetitive enough for me to actually win them. I've a couple now. My guidance counselor also nominated me for several statewide (grade based) and local (community service ones), which are also 1,000 to 2,000. I'll probably win a few of them. The generic community service/ leadership scholarships are common enough that once you write a couple of applications, you can start to recycle essays. You could probably also use your college essays for scholarships.</p>
<p>We have had a very positive experience with Fast Web, but it does require time, effort and organization. D and I worked out a system where I would input all the demographic info. and she wrote all her essays and responses. I maintained a file on the computer listing every scholarship she had applied for, the date it needed to be postmarked (- 1 week for a little wiggle room, the date the scholarship application was sent and the date we were told the scholarship recipients would be informed. D. kept all her essays, applications etc on her laptop in a file. She received a $90,000 (four year tuition scholarship) from Hollins (whew . . . wiping sweat from brow, after stressing on how to pay for two kids in college - lol!) and so far $9000 in scholarships from Target, Best Buy, the FFA, the local Elks and our state's horse show association. We are still waiting on a few, and then we need to wait for Senior Night to find out about the local scholarships from the high school. D. worked really hard to get those scholarships, but we wouldn't have known about many of them had it not been for Fastweb.
So, in short - definitely worth it!!</p>
<p>Local Scholarships are worth the time and effort. I won almost $3000 in local scholarships.</p>
<p>Agreed. Locals are the way to go...worked for us!</p>