<p>There's really no good scholarships out there. They're either in such insignificant amounts ($500) that they really wouldn't help that much especially when tuition and room and board at all the colleges I'm looking at is $50,000, or the probably of winning them is so small there's no point in even bothering. Oh and then there's all the scholarship programs that I don't qualify for (I'm Asian and plus I'm not 18 yet) and the ones whose deadline dates have already passed. How am I going to pay for college? Someone please help me!</p>
<p>Apply for every single scholarship you can, they will add up. Sorry if that’s unhelpful…I’m in the same boat 
and that’s what I’m doing. Good luck! Also, the $50K schools will normally give out more money.</p>
<p>Yeah I know but I probably won’t qualify for much financial aid, but the thing is my family’s income only recently increased (my mom just got a job last year) and so we don’t have any money saved up for college.</p>
<p>And it’s so much work applying to all those $500 scholarships! It really doesn’t seem worth it, especially since they don’t add up to that much money anyways.</p>
<p>Your best chance at money is from the schools themselves, and the gov’t if you qualify for need-based aid.</p>
<p>Outside scholarships --with a few outstanding exceptions-- can fill a small hole here and there but mostly aren’t going to solve big money issues. Every little bit helps, of course, but realistically it’s a rare occurance when they make possible what was before impossible.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks! :)</p>
<p>It’s just all very frustrating that what’s stopping us from attending these great schools isn’t that we can’t get admitted to them, but because we don’t have to money to afford them. It sucks being “middle class.” I mean I am grateful for what I have, but that doesn’t solve the problem, does it?</p>
<p>^There are pages and pages on the subject in Election and Politics.</p>
<p>Most colleges are pretty great and you will get out of that experience what you put in. Having one kid in a tip top LAC and one at a flagship state univ, I can tell you that one is not getting a better education than the other. Your college experience and your life beyond it will be what you make of it. It’s about you, not about College X or College Y.</p>
<p>Yes, my father is a professor, so I understand that the education you get at all colleges is equal. But I want the college experience. I don’t want to go to a big school (if it was the honors program then that would be a different story). Yeah I can get free tuition and guaranteed acceptance at Lehigh, but does any kid really want to stay at home for college?</p>
<p>“It’s just all very frustrating that what’s stopping us from attending these great schools isn’t that we can’t get admitted to them, but because we don’t have to money to afford them. It sucks being “middle class.” I mean I am grateful for what I have, but that doesn’t solve the problem, does it?”</p>
<p>Adjusting your dreams and expectations would solve the problem. I love my VW Beetle and my house even though I don’t have a Jaguar or a mansion. I adjusted my dreams to my finances.</p>
<p>Where do you guys go for these $500 scholarships? Can anyone recommend a good search?</p>
<p>I’m really not trying to be critical and kick you when you feel down, but are you a high school senior? If so, you probably started thinking about college a year ago, and certainly throughout the summer and fall. Did you only just now begin to think about the many issues of financial aid and how to pay for college? Did you not plan for all those deadline dates? Do you have an idea of what your top chioce, 50k/yr. schools are likely to offer someone with your EFC? Did you explore and pursue other options, like ROTC?</p>
<p>Here’s a different parent persepctive. Many, many of those scholarships are one-time. What happens sophomore year, junior year, senior year? Most of those scholarships are as rentof2 says are great fillers. Great for offseting some loan dollars. But they are not going to fund or sustain an expensive education for the entire four years. That said, we did ask ours to apply for a couple realistic scholarships. S1 did get some small ones that we were thrilled he received and I expect we’ll feel the same way about S2. Look at your local community foundations. Look at the companies and industries your parents work for. Look at your part-time job company if you work for a chain. You may be surprised at the low hanging fruit you can tap.</p>
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<p>Since you would get free tuition, would your parents let you stay in the dorm and not expect you to come home every weekend? You get the college experience without racking up a bunch of student loans, which is a pretty good deal.</p>
<p>My dad is a professor at Lehigh, so that’s an automatic $5000 per year.</p>
<p>No, I still have to pay for room and board at Lehigh, so I have to live at home. Plus the kids at Lehigh are really preppy and I hate it there. I’m looking at schools more like Chicago and Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Do you guys think I should apply to Penn State Schreyers? The Deadline date is March 1, I believe.</p>
<p>Tuition: $14400
Room and Board: $8800</p>
<p>Schreyers Scholarship: $3500 (some people get even more, like $5000, $7000, $10000, or even $25000)
Lehigh Scholarship: $5000</p>
<p>Plus Penn State is like 4 hours away from home!</p>
<p>If your dad is a prof and your mom works, then it’s unlikely you’ll get the aid you need.</p>
<p>So, if you don’t want to go to Lehigh, you’ll need to quickly apply to Penn St or wherever if it’s not too late.</p>
<p>Will your parents pay the whole cost of Penn St? Have they said how much they’ll pay each year? If not, you need to ask.</p>