<p>I'm hoping to get some merit scholarships for when I start university next year. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should look into? I do not qualify for anything need based, but it would really be great if I could get some sort of break of tuition, books, room and board, etc. By scholarships I mean programs or grants (not necessarily though a university) that will give me money for college. Things I can apply for on the internet. I am a girl from California with a 3.67 UW and 2000 SAT. I'm asking this because I don't really have one specific talent or niche and my grades aren't exceptional...Is there anything out there for me? Is it too late? </p>
<p>Hey there I have similar stats and yes I have been getting a couple of merit scholarships upto 25k! So apply wisely, and look into which colleges offer aid. Good luck!</p>
<p>You should also consider schools that have a low cost of attendance. Sometimes these schools can be more affordable than expensive schools with merit. Sorry I don’t have any specific suggestions to offer, but I’m sure others will come along with some info.</p>
<p>If you apply to colleges where you are in the top 10% (possibly even top 25%) of the applicant pool stats-wise, and those colleges are known to give a decent amount of merit aid then you should have a good chance at a ‘tuition discount’. In Calif, I know several students offered merit aid at University of Redlands, for instance. However, at a private college, you may still end up paying more than you would for a UC or CSU.</p>
<p>Usually money you get from a college in merit will be for 4 years, but check. Outside scholarships are usually only for smaller amounts like $1,000 and for one year. You can give a try look in books of scholarships for left handed people, descendants of Swedes and all sorts of one off things you might find you qualify for. Some employers have scholarships for employees kids. Some community civic groups give them.</p>
<p>This student is a senior. It’s too late to really apply to schools that would have given her merit for her stats.</p>
<p>Right now, she’s looking for 3rd party awards. Those are harder to get and often have a “need” component.</p>
<p>Shk…are your parents saying that they can’t afford to pay for college and that you need to find scholarships to help pay? IF so, this way isn’t going to work. You’re not likely going to get merit for four years. Ask your GC if there are any local scholarships, but those will also be small and only for frosh year.</p>
<p>For Fall 2014, the short answer is “yes”.
There may be small “outside” scholarships still available here and there (scholarships not administered by the colleges themselves). Check with any community, professional, or religious associations where your family might have connections. However, for F 2014, it is very late to try to identify and apply to colleges where you’d have a shot at institutional merit grants (awards administered by the colleges themselves.) </p>
<p>Keep in mind that merit aid by definition is for exceptional students. So you need to identify colleges where your qualifications would be considered exceptional. Your grades and scores are well above national averages, so that should not be too hard. If you can raise your scores a bit, all the better. </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids is correct, I’m looking for third party scholarships. I do not plan to apply to any more universities. I know I don’t qualify for big money, I’m hoping to apply for some small sums of money (even a few hundred dollars) to help pay for books and stuff. Anyone have any suggestions about that? </p>
<p>I’ve applied like crazy for small outside scholarships. The key is to search google for scholarships with specific qualifications. For instance, google “scholarships for [major]” or “scholarships for [state] resident”</p>
<p>I don’t know if any of these apply to you, but I’ve found a lot for these categories:
• Children of veterans
• Children with deceased parent
• Female engineering major
• Extensive community service</p>
<p>Some other categories you may want to try
• Documented disability or illness
• Parent’s employers
• Political Affiliation</p>
<p>You may also want to try googling the name of specific companies in the field you want to enter to see if they offer anything. </p>
<p>Be creative in your search - there are a lot of scholarships out there. Don’t skip over the small $250 - $1,000 scholarships either, they can really add up. </p>
<p>Make sure to search on the website of your intended college, they often have a list of departmental scholarships and some private scholarships. </p>
I have similar stats and yes I have been getting a couple of merit scholarships upto 25k! So apply wisely, and look into which colleges offer aid. Good luck!</p>