Scholarships

[Anonymous]

My DS is a Junior. Please share any information about different types of Scholarships, and how to achieve them. Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

The best merit scholarships come from the college and last for 4 years. Each school’s website will list what is available. If your rude to his high stats, you basically want your child to stand out so they should look at lower ranked schools.

[Anonymous]

Each school has different merit schlorships and different criteria OP. It's definitely not one-size-fits-all thing.

[Anonymous]

DS got a scholarship at a school out west for being from DC. Colleges want to market that they have students from all states, territories, and as many countries as they can, so applying to schools in places unlikely to get a lot of applicants from your state/location sometimes can get you a scholarship. Also helps if your stats raise the bar there.

[Anonymous]

There are lists of schools that give good merit did (often second tier liberal arts schools). You will find them by searching in this forum or Google.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are lists of schools that give good merit did (often second tier liberal arts schools). You will find them by searching in this forum or Google.

And many are top level private universities as well (and OOS publics). Don't think if your student got good merit = they are attending a second tier anything.

[Anonymous]

Also, it's important to keep in mind how much you still have to pay even after scholarship money. Privates costing 70k+, a 20k/year is helpful but still not enough for most families

[Anonymous]

I think OP may be asking about scholarships offered by non-school organizations.

The school counselors should have a list of them, OP. There's usually a bunch of national ones and local community ones. Not all of them are need-based, either (but most of them are)

For example, my dd got a $2,500 scholarship from a local civic organization last year. It wasn't need-based.

A local softball association offers a big scholarship in honor of a former player who died of meningitis. That might be more need-based, though.

There's a whole list of them on my dd's hs's web site organized by month applications are due. I'd spend some time on the school counseling site for your child's HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP may be asking about scholarships offered by non-school organizations.

Yes, some kids are successful with these, but they seem pretty random, and since OP said her kid is a junior, I think people were trying to aim her towards focusing first on school-specific financial aid, to make sure OP's kid applies to the right places. It would be hard for OP's kid to cobble together 35K in random scholarships from community organizations, but that's the sort of merit aid some places give. Better to apply to that kind of school, get the 35K in merit aid, and then apply for smaller scholarships that might or might not come through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think OP may be asking about scholarships offered by non-school organizations.

Yes, some kids are successful with these, but they seem pretty random, and since OP said her kid is a junior, I think people were trying to aim her towards focusing first on school-specific financial aid, to make sure OP's kid applies to the right places. It would be hard for OP's kid to cobble together 35K in random scholarships from community organizations, but that's the sort of merit aid some places give. Better to apply to that kind of school, get the 35K in merit aid, and then apply for smaller scholarships that might or might not come through.

You can start trying to rack some of them up early. Usually a few hundred here and a thousand here. Our neighborhood association has one, our pool has one, our local rec sports association has one, our church has a few... Usually they require at least an essay and they aren't very widely publicized so if you know to enter you have a good chance of winning.

[Anonymous]

I have begun keeping a list over the past couple of years that the school counselor and other websites have provided.

What I have found is - a lot of work for little pay off.
Everyone says focus on local scholarships but a lot of the local scholarships require and essay, references for $500, $1000, $1500. That's fine if you are only applying for one or two scholarships. But if you really need them to help pay for school, focus only on those that offer a least $5K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think OP may be asking about scholarships offered by non-school organizations.

Yes, some kids are successful with these, but they seem pretty random, and since OP said her kid is a junior, I think people were trying to aim her towards focusing first on school-specific financial aid, to make sure OP's kid applies to the right places. It would be hard for OP's kid to cobble together 35K in random scholarships from community organizations, but that's the sort of merit aid some places give. Better to apply to that kind of school, get the 35K in merit aid, and then apply for smaller scholarships that might or might not come through.

You can start trying to rack some of them up early. Usually a few hundred here and a thousand here. Our neighborhood association has one, our pool has one, our local rec sports association has one, our church has a few... Usually they require at least an essay and they aren't very widely publicized so if you know to enter you have a good chance of winning.

Those ones are not enough (availability and amount). Big money comes from the school itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a Junior. Please share any information about different types of Scholarships, and how to achieve them. Thank you in advance.

National Merit Scholarship is one route. Another is to pick colleges where merit scholarships are given and you are out of their league good. Getting scholarships is only difficult if you are going for elite colleges. Easiest scholarships without good stats are need based, if you are eligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a Junior. Please share any information about different types of Scholarships, and how to achieve them. Thank you in advance.

National Merit Scholarship is one route. Another is to pick colleges where merit scholarships are given and you are out of their league good. Getting scholarships is only difficult if you are going for elite colleges. Easiest scholarships without good stats are need based, if you are eligible.

The national merit process is already happening for juniors, based on the PSAT they took this fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think OP may be asking about scholarships offered by non-school organizations.

Yes, some kids are successful with these, but they seem pretty random, and since OP said her kid is a junior, I think people were trying to aim her towards focusing first on school-specific financial aid, to make sure OP's kid applies to the right places. It would be hard for OP's kid to cobble together 35K in random scholarships from community organizations, but that's the sort of merit aid some places give. Better to apply to that kind of school, get the 35K in merit aid, and then apply for smaller scholarships that might or might not come through.

You can start trying to rack some of them up early. Usually a few hundred here and a thousand here. Our neighborhood association has one, our pool has one, our local rec sports association has one, our church has a few... Usually they require at least an essay and they aren't very widely publicized so if you know to enter you have a good chance of winning.

Those ones are not enough (availability and amount). Big money comes from the school itself.

You can string together a decent amount if you are aggressive enough about it.