Students with a specific ethnic background
Time to look through your family tree. To celebrate their history and culture, some ethnic organizations are willing to give you money for school. This helps increase the number of minorities on campuses and also encourages students to go into professions they might have ignored or otherwise overlooked. Many groups are represented, including such organizations as the Sons of Norway and the National Italian American Foundation. Look for information regarding your heritage.
Students with hobbies
And your friends tried to say you were wasting your time! Not so. Scholarships are out there for young people who have serious hobbies. Of course, you have to show that you don’t just pursue this hobby on rainy weekend afternoons, but that you are involved on a regular basis. You also want to prove dedication to this hobby by showing a consistent effort to improve the skills it takes to be good at what you do. Perhaps your hobby has even led you to awards and honors or to the creation of your own business.
WHERE TO FIND SCHOLARSHIPS
For most students, the hunt for scholarships is a short one. Many start with a scholarship book or head to the Internet. Unfortunately, most students end their search after exhausting these two sources.
Big mistake!
Books and the Internet are only the tip of the iceberg, and neither comes close to listing all the available scholarships. If you do your own detective work and canvass the community, you will uncover additional awards. Keep in mind that local scholarships may have smaller overall awards, but the chances of your winning them are much higher. Here’s where to begin:
High school. The first stop in your scholarship hunt should be the high school counseling office. When an organization establishes a new scholarship (awards are created every year), high schools are the first places to get a notice. Over the years, most counseling offices have assembled a long list of scholarships. Don’t reinvent the wheel if the counselor has already collected the information. Also remember that some high schools give out a set number of scholarships to their students each year and often less than that apply. In other words, all you would have to do to get the scholarship is fill out the papers!
Prospective colleges. Contact the financial aid office at every school you are interested in attending. Not only do the colleges themselves offer scholarships, but their financial aid offices also maintain lists of outside opportunities.
Civic and community organizations. Every community is home to dozens of civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Elks Club and VFW. Part of their mission is to support the community by awarding scholarships.
Businesses big and small. Many businesses such as newspapers, shopping malls, supermarkets and retailers offer scholarships to local students. For example, every Wal-Mart and Target store awards scholarships to students in the community. To find these opportunities, contact the manager at these businesses. You can get a list of businesses from the chamber of commerce or in the reference section of the public library.
Parent’s employers/union. If your parents work for a large company, have them ask the human resources department about scholarships. If they are limited to the children of employees, there may be little competition for these awards. Also, if your parents are a member of a union, have them ask the union representative about scholarships.
Professional or trade associations. From accounting to zoology, every profession has its own associations, and many of these professional associations use scholarships to encourage students to enter the field. Start by looking at groups related to your future career.
Religious organizations. Your church or temple may offer scholarships to support members. If your local church does not have a scholarship program, check with the national headquarters.
Ethnic and cultural organizations. To promote a certain culture, develop leaders or encourage members to pursue higher education, many ethnic organizations sponsor scholarships.
State and local governments. Make those tax dollars work for you by taking advantage of financial aid from state and local governments. Each state has a higher education agency that provides information on financial aid, and many administer state-based grant and loan programs. Closer to home, your county or city government may have awards for students in the community.
Private foundations and charities. As part of their mission to help the community, private foundations and charities often offer scholarships. To find these scholarships, visit your library and ask the reference librarian for a directory of local charities and foundations.
Friends and family. The more people who know you are looking for scholarships, the better. Friends and family members can be invaluable scholarship scouts as they go about their daily business. Scholarship opportunities have been uncovered on supermarket bulletin boards, standing in line at a bank, even on a bottle of aspirin. You never know where a scholarship will be publicized and who can help you to find it.
The Internet. Thousands of scholarships are just a click away. Websites such as College Answer (www.collegeanswer.com) make it easy to find scholarships free-of-charge. Although the Internet is a valuable resource, it is not a magic solution. Remember to use all the resources available to you.
Reprinted with permission from Sallie Mae How to Pay for College by Gen and Kelly Tanabe.
Discuss how this hobby has affected your life and what skills it has taught you. Be sure to include letters of recommendation from people who have seen what you are capable of. Do you spend hours doing graphic design on your computer? Have you sold some of your original logos to local companies? The Rhythm and Hues Studios might have money for you. Is photography all you can think about? Have you had your own displays at local stores? Do people call you to take pictures at their weddings or parties? Have your shots already popped up in the community newspaper? Talk to the National Press Photographers Foundation. Whatever your hobby, it’s worth doing a little research to see if there are organizations with scholarships and awards for students just like you!
Students with parents who have generous employers
Check out your mom and/or dad’s places of employment. It is not uncommon for businesses and corporations to include in their employee package some scholarship money for workers’ children. Ask your parents to read through their employee handbooks again or just ask some questions. Who knows what hidden benefits your parent will find?
I hope you’re convinced by now that just as colleges will happily take students with less-than-stellar grades and test scores, so will they just as happily take students who do not come from the wealthiest families. Financial aid is a huge part of college admissions and one that often means you can get that education you once told yourself was way out of reach. It’s time to start an all-new conversation with yourself. Try something along these lines: “Hey, colleges really DO like me, and my family really CAN afford it now. So, what am I waiting for?” There you go.
Where Not to Find Scholarships
Watch out for scams. You already know this but it bears repeating: if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Avoid any scholarship that asks you for payment, promises scholarships that NO ONE else has access to or asks for too much personal information like your Social Security number or bank account information.