News flash: Scholarships aren’t just for geeks and jocks. While many awards are based on academic merit and athletic ability, there are also scholarships aimed at specific national or ethnic backgrounds, geographic locations, religious affiliations, musical and artistic talents, family military history and community service.
“We see more opportunities than students take advantage of. I get calls from community organizations saying that a deadline is looming and no one has yet applied for the money they clearly want to give away,” said Allison Leja, scholarship coordinator and counselor at Northview High School in Johns Creek.
Leja realizes that many students are overwhelmed with school work, extracurricular activities and jobs, but she advises them to apply for scholarships anyway.
“It’s definitely worth it,” she said. “Even small awards can add up and help when you’re trying to pay for college.”
Krishna Mehta, a recent graduate of Northview High School, always thought scholarship searches would be hard work.
“I was surprised at how easy to find they are,” she said.
Mehta applied for scholarships sponsored by Emory Johns Creek Hospital (where she has volunteered) and others posted by Burger King, Lowe’s and community organizations.
“I went on the College Board Scholarship site, filled in my information and they sent me a list,” she said. “I also used the scholarship site from the school’s counseling office.”
Mehta credits her mother, though, for encouraging her to apply for Georgia State University’s Presidential Scholarship, after she was accepted into the school’s honors program.
“My mom got her nursing degree from Georgia State,” said Mehta, who met the criteria, filled out the application and was called for an interview. “I met so many candidates with great qualities at the reception afterwards, that I didn’t expect to win. So I was very excited when they called me a week later and told me I’d won.”
The Presidential Scholarship pays tuition, room and board for four years, a monthly stipend for expenses, access to an assistantship and a $2,500 allowance for studying abroad.
Mehta plans to take prenursing and premed courses this fall.
“There are so many types of scholarships out there. Just look for them and apply,” Mehta said. “It could really pay off.”
Here are 10 steps to get your slice of the scholarship pie.
1. Start in your high school counselor’s office.
“We post scholarships on a page of our school’s website and update it weekly,” Leja said.
The site describes the sponsoring organization, criteria, deadline and sometimes links to the application. Your school is more likely to list local scholarships.
2. Search free scholarship websites.
Some of the most informative ones are http://scholarships.com, http://fastweb.com, http://gacollege411.org, http://finaid.org/scholarships and http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search.
3. Contact the financial aid offices at your prospective colleges.
Ask officials about scholarships and grants. Be aware that many scholarship deadlines are earlier than school application deadlines.
4. Local churches, civic and arts organizations, and your parents’ employers may offer scholarships.
You might have the best chance getting an award from these groups because they might be the least publicized scholarships.
5. Start early.
“We start talking to students about scholarships in the ninth grade, and encourage our students to apply for special programs that could help them later,” Leja said. “There are essay contests that come with a money reward, and summer leadership, academic or other opportunities for students.”
Showing leadership roles, volunteer experience, internships or community service not only build character, but make you more competitive in the scholarship arena. Meeting some criteria requires early planning. The National Merit Scholarship program, for instance, requires students to have taken the PSAT test by their third year in high school.
6. Get organized.
“Your counselor can help, but finding and applying for scholarships is a self-initiated process,” Leja said.
Getting serious the summer before your senior year will give you more time to write essays and to compile the required information. Keep a folder for each scholarship and a calendar with deadlines.
7. Read directions and pay attention to details.
Some scholarships have essays and short-answer questions. Others also require transcripts or letters of reference. Some have to be mailed by the guidance office and others you send yourself.
8. Don’t wait until the last minute to write essays.
“You want to make sure that you are answering the question or covering the topic in a way that grabs the reader’s attention,” Leja said. “Correct grammar and spelling are important. Writing early gives you time for a friend or teacher to look it over, make suggestions for improvement and catch mistakes.”
9. Don’t miss deadlines.
You could be leaving money on the table.
10. Apply if you meet the criteria.
You can’t win scholarships if you don’t apply, and the more you go through the process, the easier it gets.
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