<p>Hello,
I am a 2nd semester sophomore biology student at a very good state school. I have a 4.0 GPA and several extracurriculars including undergraduate research and leadership positions. I am a white female with no special circumstances. My family is somewhat wealthy so I wouldn't qualify for need-based scholarships. I was wondering which scholarships I can apply for. I want to apply for them as soon as possible because I'll probably lose my 4.0 GPA after this semester. I am having trouble finding scholarships that are not need-based.</p>
<p>My son was in a simlar situation…he did manage to win a 10,000 scholarship for life science students attending a college or university in Pennsylvania. He also applied for the Barry Goldwater scholarship but was not a winner. Those are the big two that he found. It is rare to find merit based scholarships. </p>
<p>Most state universities also offer merit based incentives for top students as well.</p>
<p>You can search to see if the state in which you attend college has a statewide biosciences organization such as MassBio or PaBio for instance. They may sponsor a scholarship.</p>
<p>I don’t know the nature of your research, but you can look for scholarships sponsored by the major societies in your area of study. For instance, my son is researching biomaterials and is applying for a scholarship through the Society for Biomaterials.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>