<p>I know that there are a lot of merit scholarships out there, but there are VERY few for kids who DO NOT demonstrate financial need.</p>
<p>This is killing me.</p>
<p>Beering Scholarship at Purdue University.</p>
<p>Let me clarify.</p>
<p>there are scholarships out there like Ron Brown, KFC, etc that are very selective, and can thus be considered "merit scholarships." However, the only caveat is that the applicant must also qualify for aid. </p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>I'm not talking about merit scholarships given by schools.</p>
<p>You lost me somewhere along the path??? You seem to want merit money w/o the merit component. </p>
<p>Win a talent contest maybe? Writing contest? There are ways to win cash w/o showing your GPA.</p>
<p>It seems you are from MD so do some searching for special programs in your state.</p>
<p>Let me clarify again. I wanted to make this a bit more general, but I see this is causing some issues regarding understanding the point of my question. So I'll tell you my tale:</p>
<p>I was accepted to Yale this year, but I received $0 aid. Therefore, I am not looking for scholarships given by any universities because I am not applying anywhere else. I also cannot receive any money from Yale, so my best bet for being able to afford college is looking for scholarships that DO NOT look at financial need. However scholarships like this seem to be lacking. The Coca-Cola Scholarship exemplifies the "merit scholarship" in its purest form. They select people based on qualifications alone and are not affiliated with any college/university. Are there any more scholarships similar to this?</p>
<p>Gates Millennium Scholars. Robert C. Byrd.</p>
<p>
[quote]
** The Coca-Cola Scholarship exemplifies the "merit scholarship" in its purest form.
[/quote]
**
Wow is all I can say.
[quote]
APPLICANTS MUST BE:
CURRENT high school (or home-schooled) seniors attending school in the US.
US Citizens; US Nationals; US Permanent Residents; Temporary Residents (in a legalization program); Refugees; Asylees; Cuban-Haitian Entrants; or Humanitarian Paroles.
Seniors anticipating completetion of a high school diploma during the academic year in which application is made.
Seniors planning to pursue a degree at an accredited US postsecondary institution.
Seniors carrying a minimum 3.0 GPA at the end of their junior year of high school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Why are you becoming angry with me!?</p>
<p>and why did you quote what I said that way :(.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Gates Millennium Scholars.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I looked into this, but this is another scholarship that requires that applicants demonstrate financial need in addition to outstanding accomplishments.</p>
<p>I am not angry and I quoted you to make your point clear. I still do not understand your question but I feel certain others on CC can offer you answers. Goodluck in your search for money. Congrats on your acceptance to Yale.</p>
<p>"I was accepted to Yale this year, but I received $0 aid. Therefore, I am not looking for scholarships given by any universities because I am not applying anywhere else. I also cannot receive any money from Yale, so my best bet for being able to afford college is looking for scholarships that DO NOT look at financial need."</p>
<p>There are not going to be a lot of these. That is because most scholarship organizations want to help out poor-but-smart kids whose parents can't afford the colleges the kids get into. </p>
<p>You however did get into a college that believes that you and your family can pay full freight. As in something in the range of $50k a year. So the first question that you and your family have to answer is how close you can come to that figure. Just exactly how much scholarship money do you absolutely need to come up with to close the gap between what Yale costs, and what you and your family can pay? And, is this a one year thing, or will you need to have at least that much money in scholarships for all four years?</p>
<p>Did you apply for the Ron Brown this year? It is a great organization, and I believe the money can be deferred to grad school if you don't need it undergrad. D made it to the finalist round last year, 5600 applied, 63 made it to finalist, then 20 received it. If you have applied and make it to the finalist stage, the CEO of the organization will call you to interview you (without notice :( ) so be prepared. Sorry, I don't know of other scholarships for you. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Edit: My D was a Questbridge Match and also a Gates Scholar, but was applying for the Ron Brown for post bac reasons.</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are not going to be a lot of these. That is because most scholarship organizations want to help out poor-but-smart kids whose parents can't afford the colleges the kids get into.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I realize this and I totally sympathize. My parents (dad especially, who came from a horrible school in Compton, Los Angelos received a full scholarship to Wharton) benefited such programs as these. However, it makes me sad that the only people who qualify for some scholarships are the same kids who are now getting full tuition from such schools as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. which means no love from the kids who are in the awkward middle class bracket.</p>
<p>
[quote]
So the first question that you and your family have to answer is how close you can come to that figure.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My family is middle class and although we will not be out on the streets because of tuition, there will be some strain as I have 2 siblings and my family essentially supports the rest of my extended family. Also, my dad started his own real estate business which is not doing to well right now and probably won't be for a while (the economy! sigh...). Basically, not to create a sob-story (because our situation doesn't at all merit one), we can afford some of the cost, but not 50 grand a year.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Did you apply for the Ron Brown this year?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes I did apply for it and I would love to receive this scholarship. Not only for the money (which is AMAZING), but also because it's such an honor to be named a RB scholar... all of those kids who got it are so outstanding.</p>
<p>Did you just start looking now? I think the deadlines for some have past, but there are plenty of non-need based scholarships</p>
<p>Some of the bigger ones that I can think of that my son applied for last year</p>
<p>AXA achievement scholarship
AXA community service scholarship
Prudential spirit of community scholarship
Simon Mall Scholarship
BP scholarship
Best Buy kids who care
Commerce bank american dream scholarship
Lowes scholarship
ELKS??? (some percentage of this may be based on need, but I think it's a small percentage)</p>
<p>My son applied to about 40 scholarships last year but he started looking the summer before his senior year. He ended up with $8200, but his stats were not good enough to get into Yale, so you would have a better chance.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone!</p>
<p>Here are a few you may want to research farther. I don't believe these are financial need based, but I could be wrong. </p>
<p>AXA Achievement
MENSA Foundation
Best Buy
Toyota Scholars
Kohls's Kids Who Care
Elks Most Valuable Student (deadline may have passed???)</p>
<p>Also, if your or your parents are a member of a union, then look into whether your union offers scholarships. Many do not ask for financial info - well, at least the ones that I applied to as a high school senior didn't. </p>
<p>Of course, there are always the scholarships that require you to write an essay, such as Ayn Rand Essay Contest, TextbookX.ccm </p>
<p>Finally, something to keep in mind ... a lot of non-need based scholarship (including many that I listed above) require much more than just good grades/test scores. They look for your involvement in community service project(s)/activity; something that stands out above all other strong students who likely are also applying.</p>
<p>FYI the elks deadline was january 9th.</p>
<p>Just a word of caution for those that do not qualify for need based aid and think they will pay for college (or even most their college education) with outside merit scholarships. I have never heard of a student who has managed to pay for 4 years of OOS or private college education with these types of scholarships. Why not? Other posters can correct me if I am off base, but this is what you are up against:</p>
<ol>
<li> Outside scholarships are small relative to your total college bill. Yes, it is possible you can ‘win’ several different awards, but enough to total $35,000 to $50,000??? And that amount is just the first year. What happens in year 2?</li>
<li> Most outside scholarships are a one time award and not renewable over 4 years. </li>
<li> Even fewer outside merit scholarships are available to students in their 2, 3 and 4th years of college.</li>
<li> And, as discussed in this thread, merit scholarship awards also often have a need component so there are not as many out there as you might have hoped. </li>
</ol>
<p>Which is why parents on the CC forums stress applying to colleges where your stats will make you competitive for the merit aid offered by the school. This kind of merit aid can be a much larger chunk of money and has the added benefit of usually being renewable for 4 years with minimum GPA requirements. If you do not qualify for need based aid you really need to think of outside scholarships as a supplement, not the base, in paying for college. </p>
<p>Yes, there a few, huge merit scholarships for outstanding performance at something like Intel that are the exception, but there are very few exceptions. The reality is you are not going to get the amount of merit only money you need for an OOS or private college by writing and essay and maybe sitting for an interview. Instate public? Maybe.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive;
Full tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 - $41,000 depending on prior educational experience (may be prorated depending on award length)
Paid summer internships
Health Insurance
Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
Mentoring
Employment placement after graduation
[/quote]
</p>
<p>eating food, I understand where you are coming from since this is the situation we had. It is very frustrating doing research on merit scholarships and then discovering that most of them are merit + financial need.</p>
<p>We discovered there are local scholarships that do not take financial need into account. These were distributed by our high school, so I suggest you visit the guidance office at your HS. My daughter also found a couple of other scholarships that didn't ask about financial need -- they tended to be very specific (for journalists or nurses or teachers, for example, sometimes given by companies or trade organizations). Also, some states have student assistance organizations that give out grants -- our state has a booklet itemizing all of these. None of these will cover the entire cost of tuition, by any stretch, but the scholarships my daughter got, plus the unsubsidized Stafford loans, are helping take the bite out of the college bill.</p>
<p>Is Ron Brown only for African Americans?</p>