Hello:
As a rising Senior, I am starting to look into applying for scholarships. I am interested in Virginia schools, UVA, GMU. Especially the GMU Honors/University Scholars Full Ride.
Do sites like Zinch, Fastweb, Scholarships.com really work?
Stats:
4.33 GPA + 32 ACT
Thanks!
no, they’re typically a waste of time.
Besides, if you notice, many of their “awards” are for small amounts and only for one year.
If you need money, apply to SCHOOLS that give merit for your stats.
What is your resident state?
What’s your PSAT score?
I’m sure hoping that the OP is a Virginia resident with the school’s he has listed.
UVA meets full financial need. Does your family have financial need?
Yep. In state VA.
SAT - 1890.
Has anyone had experience with the GMU University scholars admissions and what their criteria may be? I know it fluctuates
George Mason doesn’t give much merit aid:
No harm in trying for a big scholarship there, and you would be near the top of the applicant pool, but you also need to identify more realistic options.
Hmm. Interesting. Now, how much do NTA (Non teen activities) play a role in admissions and standing out?
What do you mean by Non-teen activities? Here is the GMU Common Data Set. https://irr2.gmu.edu/cds/cds_new/sec_action.cfm?year=2014-15&sec_id=C You can see that ECs are only considered for admission.
Activities that make an individual stand out from an applicant pool
Personally, the fastweb et al sites worked for me. But don’t buy into the “we’ll automatically find scholarships you’re eligible for!” line. Sort by nearest deadline and go through yourself to see what you’re eligible for (if you’re going to apply to outside scholarships at all).
In any case, they are not something to count on.
@CourtneyThurston seconded. There are some fairly large money scholarships listed on those sites.
My D did apply to a few scholarships that are also listed on Fastweb but you may find them at other places too. It is just a database of all sorts of scholarships, large and small, local and nation wide. She applied to a few and received one locally. I would suggest you to talk to your GC and see if there is any local scholarships that they are usually a lot less competitive. Nevertheless, most of the external scholarships are small and non-renewable. In addition, any scholarship money will offset your need.
Re: post 11. Yes there are some large amounts of money on the list mentioned. And of course you can’t get the money if you don’t apply. BUT, these are competitive for good reason. One should not just assume that they will garner these awards for sure…because many kids apply for multiple awards and don’t receive any of them.