<p>Okay, so my parents keep telling me that all my cousins got lots of scholarships because they kept applying to many different scholarships. I know applying to many different scholarships helps, but i don't understand how you could possibly win any of these scholarship money. Isn't each scholarship a competition?</p>
<p>also, i don’t know where to start. i heard you get a scholarship if you have a 30+ on the ACT and other cool scholarships based on your ethnicity and stuff. and good recommendations? I’m a completely clueless… I’ve searched for good scholarship sites but they keep asking for a basic payment(?)</p>
<p>Try fastweb - it’s free and you can enter a profile, I think, to help narrow the results. But I believe you’ll still have to sort through many that will be specific to certain institutions. We found that state/local scholarships were much better in terms of the number of apps vs. number of awards. Of course, merit aid from your intended college will usually be the best scholarship! Good luck!</p>
<p>Also speak to your GC. Usually they are aware of state and local scholarships and the deadlines.</p>
<p>thanks a lot. i noticed that the really competitive scholarships were at the national level!</p>
<p>Most students who get merit scholarship get them by applying to colleges that give such scholarship.</p>
<p>Typically the best scholarships are awarded by colleges that give merit money. Usually those scholarships are for 4 years as long as you maintain your grades.</p>
<p>Many private scholarships are one time only scholarships that will only help you during your freshman year. Many aren’t worth the time spent chasing them.</p>
<p>Your parents may be a bit a naive about how much and how many private scholarships your relatives received. Private scholarships tend to be quite small and often only pay for books or other smallish college expenses. Also, due the economy, many of those scholarships have either been reduced or eliminatated.</p>
<p>What are your stats - GPA - ACT - SAT (including SAT breakdown)? Are you a junior or senior?</p>
<p>Well, I come from a unique background (if you check out my threads, you’ll see), so my GPA is pretty darn low. GPA: 3.1 UW, ACT: 30, SAT: 2100 (Math:750, Writing: 650, 700)
and I’m a senior in high school</p>
<p>What is your weighted GPA?</p>
<p>Do your parents understand that all things aren’t equal? Your relatives likely had GPAs that were in the 3.5-4.0+ range. Most scholarships (of a decent size) require at least a GPA of 3.5. There might be a few for 3.3 GPAs. Your ACT and SAT are high enough, but schools have GPA minimums, too, for scholarship awards. And, certainly, private scholarships will also look at your GPA. </p>
<p>You need to make your parents understand that your GPA is not the same as your cousins, and therefore you likely won’t get much in scholarships (if anything). It’s unrealistic for them to think that just because your cousins got scholarships that you’ll get them, too. </p>
<p>I have one son who got an NMF scholarship and another son who didn’t. It would be crazy for me to expect my younger son to get the same level of scholarship when his stats weren’t the same. It might be “wishful thinking” on my part because I might want my younger son to get the same financial help that such a scholarship would offer, but I would be silly to expect that.</p>
<p>However, if your weighted GPA can boost it to 3.5, there probably are scholarships for you. </p>
<p>BTW…how much do you think your cousins each got? Were any of the scholarships from schools? If some were from private sources, were they “one time” scholarships?</p>
<p>HOw much will your parents pay each year for your education? If they won’t pay much, then it’s doubtful any scholarship will be enough.</p>
<p>Isn’t each scholarship a competition?</p>
<p>Virtually all private scholarships are competitions. Some are not worth applying for unless your stats are stellar. Many have hundreds/thousands of applications for only a few awards (so, for those applying is a waste of time w/o stellar stats).</p>
<p>Some colleges award merit by stats, some award by competition. Since your GPA is low, your best bet are colleges that award by stat that only require a 3.0 GPA along with a strong SAT/ACT. However, if your weighted GPA is higher (and listed on your transcript), then your chances are even better.</p>
<p>Forget fastweb; most of those scholarships are tiny compared to the cost of college, even if you win them. They’re alot of work, and they’re mostly only good for one year.</p>
<p>The significant money is at the colleges. Look for schools for whom you’d be an attractive applicant, and then submit a dynamite application. You are more than a GPA and a test score. Do you have an interesting EC? A compelling community service? Can you write a fantastic essay? </p>
<p>BTW, you’re going to file FAFSA, right?</p>
<p>Your best bet is to map out a game plan.</p>
<p>You want to form a list of potential scholarships - anything that looks relevant and applicable. Look everywhere, your high school, colleges, local businesses, local organizations, your workplace, online, etc. I’m a bit biased, but [AidScholar</a> - Find Your Scholarship Fast.](<a href=“http://aidscholar.com%5DAidScholar”>http://aidscholar.com) is good online resource.</p>
<p>After you have your list, rank the scholarships by amount, your chance at winning, and deadline. This way you have an ordered list to work through.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>*Forget fastweb; most of those scholarships are tiny compared to the cost of college, even if you win them. They’re alot of work, and they’re mostly only good for one year.</p>
<p>The significant money is at the colleges. Look for schools for whom you’d be an attractive applicant, and then submit a dynamite application. You are more than a GPA and a test score. Do you have an interesting EC? A compelling community service? Can you write a fantastic essay? </p>
<p>BTW, you’re going to file FAFSA, right? *</p>
<p>Exactly. Schools are - by far - the best resource for multi-year big merit scholarships. The scholarships are often automatically renewed as long as you maintain your grades. 
Private scholarships are often very small and are not renewable. The few that are renewable often require more essays, etc, and you won’t have time to go thru all that each year as a college student. :)</p>
<p>If your parents don’t believe you, show them this thread (or email it to them). Sometimes parents hear “bits and pieces” from others about scholarships that their children rec’d, but arent given the details (that the scholarships were small, or they were only good for one year, or that they barely made a dent in college costs). </p>
<p>What is your **weighted **GPA? If it’s 3.5 or higher, you do have a chance at some school scholarships.</p>
<p>But, how much $$ are you looking for? </p>
<p>Do you plan on:
- attending an in-state public and commuting? or living in a dorm?
- attending a private school (in your state or elsewhere?)
- attending an OOS public</p>
<p>Is any geographical location ok?</p>
<p>What will your likely major be?</p>
<p>What is your home state? (are you a citizen/green card holder?)</p>
<p>How much will your parents be contributing each year towards your education?</p>
<p>Time is running out. Many scholarship deadlines are either approaching or have passed. You’ll need to act quickly.</p>
<p>Our school doesn’t weigh… but if this helps i’ve taken 4 AP courses total, and each AP course gets an extra 0.02 GPa boost (i dont know if this is weighed). </p>
<p>I plan on attending an in-state/large public college. I live in Michigan so I’m aiming for MSU or UMich.
My major is either going to be English Literature or Pre-Med (most likely E.L)
My parents will most likely be contributing around $15,000 each year
We are all U.S citizens too by the way…
I’m also applying FAFSA but I heard you start applying January</p>
<p>And again thanks a lot for all these considerate comments… I’ll be talking to my counselor about merit scholarships, fast web, etc.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Those extra AP points should help. Were these classes taken before senior year? Some schools won’t consider your senior year grades for admission. Do the MI schools consider senior grades?</p>
<p>You submit the FAFSA after Jan 1st, but does UMich or MSU require anything FA-related to be submitted beforehand (I have no idea - just asking to make sure nothing is over-looked. )</p>
<p>Since you’re a US citizen, you’ll certain qualify for whatever aid you’re entitled to, but keep in mind that (typically) when families make a good living, much of the financial aid is student loans. Fed Grants and such are usually only given to students whose family incomes are lowish. </p>
<p>Have you tried using an EFC calculator to see what your families EFC will be? (This will determine what your “need” will be. If that amount is higher than the $15k that your parents will be giving you, that will be a problem. [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml)</p>
<p>BTW…what is pre-med EL? </p>
<p>No offense intended about your intention of possibly majoring in English Lit, but if you have to take out student loans for your education, you need to consider your what your earning power will be after you graduate when you have to pay back any loans. If you end up borrowing - say $50k total, your monthly payments will be $575 for 10 years. A person needs to be earning about $70k per year to comfortably make those payments.</p>
<p>E.L means English Literature. I really don’t know what else I’d be doing besides English Lit… I understand become an English Professor requries extensive studying and lower pay compared to other jobs, but I’m terrible at science–I’m only good at math (math ACT score ranges between 34-35, numerous math awards since as long as I can remember)</p>
<p>You should be aware that the odds of becoming a lit prof right now are terrible. The MLA (professional organization for English and modern language Ph.D.s/professionals) is reporting that this is the worst year since 1974 in terms of the number of positions available and that the number of positions listed this year declined by 42%- and that’s on top of a 34% decline last year! Attendees at the MLA and AHA 2009 conferences are reporting there are 150-400 applicants for each opening posted!</p>
<p>The plain fact is that English graduate departments are turning out far more doctoral graduates than can be absorbed into the academic job market–and that they have been doing it for years (if not decades). Many fresh out of school Ph.D.s end up as adjunct professors–which is not only very low paying, but also offers zero job security. (It’s non tenure track.)</p>
<p>I am not trying to discourage you from pursuing an English degree (I have two myself–undergrad and graduate), but you need to realistic and especially be sure not to incur any kind of substantial debt if you want to pursue an academic English/American Lit career. </p>
<p>And, you do know that pre-med is <em>all</em> science courses: bio, chem, physics…if you’re “bad” at science, you may want to rethink that.</p>
<p>yeah, I understand engineering is part math and science (maybe not bio or chem), so I’m considering mathematical engineering. It sounds right for me so far,</p>