<p>i'm trying to start my scholarship search (class of 2012) and i'm kind of overwhelmed. There's so many scholarship search engines on the web, but I'm trying to find some that are actually worthwhile. are there also other ways to find scholarships that i may not know about?</p>
<p>thanks! i just need some general tips on how to start this search.</p>
<p>What are you looking for? Are you just looking for a few extra bucks to help you with some of the costs (like for books) for the first year of college?</p>
<p>Or are you looking for a good amount of money to help you pay for EACH year of college?</p>
<p>Private scholarships are often for smallish amounts and only for freshman year. So, they usually “disappear” after your freshman year is over.</p>
<p>So, if you need scholarships to help you pay for all 4 years of college, then you need to apply to the COLLEGES that give them for your stats. Those are typically for amounts that are given each of your 4 years…as long as you have good grades.</p>
<p>Check with your high school guidance office. They should have a list of local/regional/statewide scholarships.</p>
<p>So once I choose my college, then I can figure out what scholarships there are for that SPECIFIC college. That’s where I’ll get most of my majority $$ from? Is that how people get their full rides? and also the financial aid aspect when i try applying? </p>
<p>do you actually have to apply to those college ones or do they just sort of give it to you if you’re qualified?</p>
<p>It varies depending on the college. </p>
<p>Personally, I’ve always felt that scholarship search engines are a waste of time. If you’re just looking for a little bit of money, then that’s fine but if you’re looking for a full-ride the best way to get that is by applying to the school’s fin aid office. The first step is to fill out the FAFSA.</p>
<p>and for class of 2012 i can’t do that until … jan 1st?</p>
<p>What kinds of scholarships are you looking for? </p>
<p>There are 2 kinds of financial aid: merit and need-based. Your best awards of both kinds will usually come from the colleges themselves and not outside scholarships.</p>
<p>Merit is for superior achievement/accomplishments usually without any consideration of need. If you have high stats (like NMF) there are a number of colleges which will give you merit aid to induce to enroll there.</p>
<p>Need-based aid is based upon your parents’ income and assets. Your family will fill out the FAFSA (and the CSS Profile if the school requires it). I strongly suggest you and your parent run a couple of FAFSA calculators to get an idea of how much your family will be expected to contribute to your education. FAFSA will give an EFC (Expected Family Contribution) which is MINIMUM amount your family will be expected to pay for college.</p>
<p><a href=“https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1[/url]”>https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1</a></p>
<p>If you can post your stats (GPA, difficulty of your curricula, SAT/ACT scores, state of residency), EFC and intended major, the posters here might be able to suggest some schools for you.</p>
<p>Schools:
<p>General Info:</p>
<p>Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian
State: WA
Major: Something related to pre-med.
GPA: 4.0, Class Rank 1/430
SAT (retaking it in october, i took this one in jan. and it wasn’t too great): 1900, predicting around 2000-2100 after retake.
CR: 680 Math: 630 Writing: 590
SAT Subject: US History: 780, Chemistry: 700
AP: one 5 and 3 4s, taking 3 more APs next year.
Running Start: Doing calculus at the local community college.</p>
<p>ECs:
<p>Work Experience: Summer before junior year I worked at a golf course caddying.</p>
<p>Planning on visiting Cali later this summer - I’m positive about applying to UW but also looking for some out of state possibilities …</p>
<p>EFC: not sure yet, my parents are in the 60K - 90K range though.</p>
<p>Take the UCs off your list since you’re OOS …unless your parents will pay the $50k per year for you to go there. UCs don’t give aid to OOS students…and your parents’ income is too high for free federal aid.</p>
<p>I don’t think your stats are high enough for merit from a Claremont college. I don’t think they give much merit away…and when they do, it’s for really high test scores. </p>
<p>Your parents’ EFC will be based on income and savings/investments. So, your EFC could be $25k per year or more.</p>
<p>But, again, many schools don’t meet need, and even if your EFC were $25k, a UC isn’t going to give $25k to meet its $50k cost. </p>
<p>*Personally, I’ve always felt that scholarship search engines are a waste of time. If you’re just looking for a little bit of money, then that’s fine but if you’re looking for a full-ride the best way to get that is by applying to the school’s fin aid office. The first step is to fill out the FAFSA. *</p>
<p>True that search engines aren’t likely going to net you sizable scholarships.</p>
<p>The family’s income is likely too high to get a free ride as the result of filling out FAFSA. </p>
<p>Why is the income spread $30k??? </p>
<p>Ask your parents how much they will pay each year. </p>
<p>The best chance this student likely has is if he scores a bit better on the SAT and ACT (take BOTH)…and get a good sized merit scholarship from the schools that give them.</p>
<p>my mom + dad income is like 72K i think.</p>
<p>EFC calculator showed about 10-13K expected EFC</p>
<p>Well you should be proud of yourself for already searching up scholarships to help pay for your college fee! I have been on a scholarship frenzy after discovering my school will not pay for all my tuition and have applied to roughly 10-12 scholarships so far (won a 4k one so far). My recommendation would be to check your counselor/higher ed center to see if they have any local scholarships for you. Local ones tend to be more easier if you are already a stellar student.</p>
<p>Second, look for exclusive scholarships like only Minority, only 1st generation student, only … These will + your chance. </p>
<p>Thirdly, make an account on all mainstream scholarship websites like Scholarships, *****, Fastweb, etc… They may sometimes repeat the same things, but they do have 3-5 different ones.</p>
<p>Fourthly, apply early! Do not wait till end of the school year to apply! I missed so many good scholarship opps just because I didn’t apply to them early on thinking I’m set financially wise :p</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>The $10K EFC seems low for a $72K income. Rule of thumb–EFC is around 25-30% of a family’s pre tax income.</p>
<p>UW is a very good bio med school and excellent school to have a your in-state option.</p>
<p>Next question–are you willing to look beyond the West Coast?</p>
<p>i wasn’t really planning on it … 
any other suggestions on the west coast …?</p>
<p>*my mom + dad income is like 72K i think.</p>
<p>EFC calculator showed about 10-13K expected EFC *</p>
<p>Did you include savings/assets?</p>
<p>Have your parents said how much they’ll spend?</p>
<p>And, since most schools do not meet need, will your parents pay more than their EFC? If so, how much will they pay?</p>
<p>Quick question … if I just go to UW which is probably around 10-13K, does that mean that I have to pay all of it?</p>
<p>Yes, although if you file a FAFSA, you will be offered federal loan (Stafford), probably unsubsidized.</p>
<p>BTW, UW just announced it’s raising instate tuition by 20% for the coming year.</p>
<p>[Local</a> News | UW regents approve biggest-ever tuition increase | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015470722_uwtuition01m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015470722_uwtuition01m.html)</p>
<p>And if you’re not planning on living at home, you’ll need to add in the costs for room & board, transportation–about another $11-12K above tuition & fees.</p>
<p><a href=“http://admit.washington.edu/Paying/Freshman/Budget[/url]”>http://admit.washington.edu/Paying/Freshman/Budget</a></p>
<p>hm… do you have any other suggestions for schools to apply to then around the west coast?</p>
<p>*Quick question … if I just go to UW which is probably around 10-13K, does that mean that I have to pay all of it? *</p>
<p>Yes…since your EFC is at (or higher) than that amount.</p>
<p>However, you can take out a 5500 unsub federal student loan to help pay for it.</p>
<p>And…like mentioned above…you will have more costs if you don’t commute. Since your family is not low income, I wouldn’t expect you to get much more aid…since free aid for state schools is often only for low income students. Your EFC is well above the Pell limits for Pell Grants. </p>
<p>CR: 680 Math: 630</p>
<p>If you can increase these scores (and take the ACT), you will be better positioned for merit scholarships at various schools. </p>
<p>*do you have any other suggestions for schools to apply to then around the west coast? *</p>
<p>If your goal is to pay less than what you would pay at UWash, then you’d need much higher scores for West Coast schools that are ranked well. </p>
<p>You’d have to consider schools in the Southwest or Southeast to find schools that will less expensive than UWash with good merit. </p>
<p>Have you asked how much your parents will pay each year? If not, do so. That information and your stats will determine where you should apply.</p>
<p>Community college for two years, living at home, working, saving money. Then transfer to either UW or to one of the slightly less expensive state alternatives. </p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC App</p>
<p>why the ACT and SAT? I’m studying this summer for the SAT.</p>