Scholarships

<p>I have seriosuly spent the last week looking for scholoraships on fast web, and I couldn't find any one that the deadline hasnt been passed. I am an upcoming junior and I want to start early by getting schloraships.I just enter an essay contest, but I also need more help finding essay contests for high school students..please help me</p>

<p>GC office.</p>

<p>I tried in my junior year, but I couldn't find anything either. They will be a lot you can do as a senior. Relax :)</p>

<p>PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! do not wait until your senior year to begin the scholarship search. Although the majority of scholarships are for seniors, if you know about them early in your high school career you have time to position yourself to meet the eligibilities required. Improve GPA, add a leadership role, community service or develop "a hook" that sets you apart from the typical high schooler.</p>

<p>Your HS Career Center/GC is the first stop. Look there for local scholarships - business supported, fraternal organizations (such as Elks and Masons), churches, local sororities. If you don't see anything concerning these organizations in the GCs office you can find your local chapters listed online with contact #'s.</p>

<p>The next stop is your local library. In the Reference Section will be an assortment of books dealing specifically with scholarships - hundreds of them. Each entry will list eligibility requirements, deadlines, awards, etc. Along with general reference scholarships you may find books specifically for minorities, women and persons with disabilities. Don't get discouraged during this step. The majority of these scholarships WILL NOT apply to you. BUT - some will!</p>

<p>NEXT - Search online by keyword searches. Examples: Italian scholarship, chess scholarship, first generation scholarship, etc. Enter ANYTHING that applies to you. Club memberships, hobbies, expected major (just a note - nursing scholarships are almost exclusively for Soph and above) search ANYTHING that applies to you and even your parents (military service). </p>

<p>NEXT! Have your parents check with their workplace to see if there is an employee dependent scholarship offered. Many larger companies do offer this as a benefit to their employees.</p>

<p>Something to keep in mind. If a scholarship says, " nomination required " ask for a nomination!!!!!!!!!!! Go to your teacher, preacher, GC with all of the information about the scholarship, why you feel you are qualified and what you need for them to do for you. Give them AT LEAST 3 weeks notice if possible to complete their part. Thank them if they come thru for you. </p>

<p>Fast Web and other large searches are great, but keep in mind how many people have access to these scholarship applications. For example, The Coca Cola scholarship has had over 100,000 applications submitted every year for the last couple of years! I would never say don't apply, but for the national scholarships you better have the grades, the ECs and especially whatever "hook" the particular scholarship is looking for! </p>

<p>Read eligibility requirements carefully. Be realistic about whether you qualify. </p>

<p>Many/most applications require some type of personal statement and/or essay. You can put together a couple of general essays and use these over and over again lengthening or shortening, adding specific points to fit into the requirement. This will save hours of work by not having to start from scratch each time if you plan to apply for many awards. </p>

<p>As you can see and probably were aware - this is a lot of work. But, then again, if you spend one hour on an application and you win a "small award" of $500 that's an amazing hourly rate! Try to find a job that pays that well!</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!!</p>

<p>something else to keep in mind... outside scholarships can not always be used to decrease efc. for example in my school scholarships can only be used to decrease your efc if your efc is 0, or if you want to decrease your federal work study or federal loans. otherwise your outside scholarships will simply decrease your institutional grants. so don't go too crazy looking for scholarships if your school has a 100% need fin aid policy.</p>

<p>It is true that schools generally use outside scholarship awards to reduce your loans and/or work study amounts before your EFC contribution is reduced. (If your EFC is 0 it doesn't need to be reduced. It's already 0! ) This does not mean you can't still work to earn additional funds and having loans reduced is all good! If you receive an outside scholarship, that is less money you have to borrow and eventually pay back.</p>

<p>It has become much less common in recent years for school sponsored grants/scholarships to be reduced before loans due to outside scholarships (leaving you no further ahead than before you received the outside funds). It is also possible to negotiate using your outside awards to reduce your EFC with the financial aid department of your school. D just had an outside scholarship added to her package and it came directly off the EFC not the loan or the school merit award. Yes, the loan still all needs to be paid back eventually, but the immediate funds needed are reduced. </p>

<p>By all means check your university/colleges' financial aid policy concerning outside funds. </p>

<p>Also, check out scholarships that are paid directly to the student. These are often local contests or scholarships.</p>

<p>Yes, I'm a rising Jr. Looking for money. Thanks for the advice coptermom. I've been looking, but not seriously. There are a few black scholarships that are due in August, so I better hurry up and work on them. Its just hard because they are asking for things like "how does rap effect society" or "Why is Jamie Foxx great"? And I personally don't know anything.</p>

<p>I didn't think of using Jr. year as a prep for scholarships. I'll work hard to make more As so I can raise my rank. I am too busy to go for a leadership position. The best I can do is Cpt. of Ac Dec or Soccer team. For now, I'm studying really hard for PSATs!!</p>

<p>I have been contacting Utulsa about its scholarship policy. If I happen to win National Achievement/Merit, what happens to outside scholarships? I haven't gotten a reply! I'm hoping that's because its SUMMER time and not because they are ignoring a seriously prospective student. :x</p>

<p>burnsk8er</p>

<p>Good luck on your NMS quest! To receive the NMS at Tulsa you must designate it as your first choice school on your PSAT form. (this is true of most schools). According to Tulsa's website, receiving the NMS will earn you full tuition, room and board. If you do bring in additional outside funds, you may be able to use them for computer purchase, travel allowances. If all of your expenses are covered by the NMS and you bring in additional funds, your NMS award will most likely be reduced. You will not be allowed additional profit (you won't walk away with a refund or cash from the overage). The best you can do is walk away owing nothing.
What a great situation to be in!!! Good Luck!!!</p>

<p>Leadership - I think this term is often misunderstood. Leadership doesn't necessarily mean class president or captain of a sports team. It could be overseeing a project or organizing a special event in a club or community service activity you are already involved in. Or if you are a student whose after school job takes the place of traditional EC's (and a job IS considered an extra curricular by schools), look to see if there may be a special project you can coordinate at work. These are all leadership.</p>