Scholarships and Aid.

Hey! So I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and I am attending school on Long Island majoring in Musical Theatre next year that is about 45,000 a year. On top of that I have a few for the Conservatory I will be attending in the city. I come from the upper middle class but I am in the same situation as a lot of young people where I just cannot afford it. I need as much as I can get and my parents are willing to pay a lot but I still need a ton since Fafsa has estimated a small amount and the school gives away barely any scholarships. If anyone has any advice, guidance, or ideas for scholarships I could apply for that would be so helpful! Thank you!

If you can’t afford it, what is plan B? Are you asking if there is a financial aid fairy who is going to give you more in institutional aid than the school estimates that it will give you? Are you asking if you should attend a cheaper school which you and your parents can afford?

Don’t you know the answers to these questions already?

@blossom I’m asking for advice on how I can afford this particular school. I will be attending and the price is just too much right now. I was asking if anyone knew of how scholarships I could apply for or how I can get grants and merit aid.

Why aren’t you looking at Wright State? Great in-state MT program. You would have to audition.

The primary source of scholarship money comes from the college itself. Hence my question. You may want to email a Dean in the MT program to see if there are departmental scholarships you might qualify for. But if you didn’t get merit aid from the college, and you don’t qualify for need based aid, I’m not sure what question you are asking the group here. We don’t what college you are attending so don’t know if there are performance awards you can apply for.

Can you get $500 here and $750 there from local groups in your city? How the heck should we know- ask your guidance counselor. But you are late in the game for the big national scholarships, and if the school is unaffordable (I’m assuming you will work this summer and get a job during the year to cover your expenses) filling in with a couple of low-end awards from the garden club or the realtors association isn’t going to make a dent.

Hence my question.

What is plan B and have you calculated the costs of traveling back and forth to NYC to your conservatory???

Since most outside scholarships are for the first year, the real question is even if you find scholarships for this tear what about next year? Many focus on affording the first year but have no plan for years 2-4. Are you prepared to transfer next year to a school that you can afford?

I think the disconnect here is a common mind set that if the EFC is too high, there are other FA or merit scholarships out there “somewhere”. But the school itself is the source of all that. So if you got little financial aid and no merit $, that is simply the end. Unaffordable.

I’m sorry, but there just isn’t another layer of FA out there. See if your department gives merit, but otherwise, you’ll just be looking at pennies.

So…how much do you need? $400 or $40,000?

It sounds like you have chosen an unaffordable college.

OP- we want to help. But there’s nothing you’ve posted that suggests that you can afford this college (although when you say you need a ton of aid I don’t know what that is).

if you want help getting the cost down to 10K per year that’s not happening. I’ll save you time and aggravation. If you want tips on crafting scholarship applications to local organizations that can get you a few thousand dollars this year (but you won’t be eligible next year- so watch out- and the cost at your college is likely to go up) then we can help you. If you want suggestions of the types of summer jobs that a talented performer can get over the summer (I’m assuming you’ve already applied to Kings Island) then we can help.

What we cannot do is make an unaffordable college affordable. If your parents earn too much for need based aid, and you didn’t get merit aid from the college (or don’t know if you’re going to get some- in which case, post which college and your stats and we can likely tell you if you are in the running or not) then I’m sorry to tell you that unless you earn a boatload of money this summer, you cannot afford this college.

Like I asked upthread- what is plan B? Are you taking out loans for this college and if so, how much?

Molloy College looks to be the school. The cost to attend this year is about $42,000 plus. I do not think that includes the cap fees.

So to the OP…how will this bill be paid. You (the student) can borrow $5500 for your freshman year. Will your parents take out additional loans, or cosign loans for you?

Cosign loans for each year?

There are hundreds of thousands of students in your situation. You need a lot of money for 4 years.

**The best scholarships are given out in your freshman year, by your university. **

$$$$ Merit scholarships are given to students with the best stats and grades.

$$$Need-based aid is given to students whose parents earn, at best, minimum wage.
Then the university money runs out.

If you didn’t receive a decent aid package when you were admitted, that’s all you will get. There is no pot of gold that will rescue you.

So how is it done by everyone else? Families save money for a very long time, they drive old cars, don’t take vacations, don’t go out to eat, make their own house repairs and they have their children work every summer. Their children apply for any and every $500 scholarship that comes along, but since there are several hundred students applying for that money as well, the chances are not great. Then, some parents take out small loans.

I don’t know of any private scholarships that will pay out $160K after the fact. @blossom has asked: What is plan B?

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need as much as I can get and my parents are willing to pay a lot but I still need a ton since Fafsa has estimated a small amount and the school gives away barely any scholarships.


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“still need a ton”… how much is “a ton”?

Sounds like the only federal aid (after filling out FAFSA) is a $5500 loan.

How much will your parents pay each year?

There isn’t an outside source for “still need a ton,” so when the bill is due in a few months, how will it get paid?

Okay this was more of telling you I am attending the school and want more money and if there was any way of getting anything else. There is money out there and I know that, so simply I’m asking if anyone knew of HOW. I isn’t need advice on a plan b. Just other ways Tibet money aside from the fafsa amount I will get. Thanks

Get a job???

I have three jobs @3scoutsmom

There really isn’t much in the category of “other ways.” You can ask @CourtneyThurston who has had great success at scholarships. She has a website about the subject.

Then use the money from your jobs to supplement the FA your school gives you.

You can Google around for local scholarships, try your local civic groups, your credit union, clubs you or your parents belong to, but these types of scholarships are usually small one time deals.

With three jobs you should have a good bit saved to help with college, you should see if any of your employers offers scholarships, I know our local Wal-Mart and Mc Donalds offer scholarships to employees.

How much are your parents willing to pay? What do you need your net cost (not including loans) to be? Unless your parents write a check to cover the balance after aid is applied the school won’t allow you to enroll, so make sure you have funding sources for all 4 years lined up before you register. Did your parents say they’ll pay even if you don’t get any more aid?

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There is money out there and I know that, so simply I’m asking if anyone knew of HOW.


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It’s not that simple. there isn’t simply “money out there.”

Courtney Thurston has a unique STEM background and accomplishments. Her experience is 1 in a million and someone nonSTEM w/o hooks is not going to get such money.

Courtney was also high need, and many of her awards had a need component