Hannah
I graduated this summer from high school but won't attend college until next fall. I took a break year to work on scholarships and save money. How do I find scholarships?
I live in Montana but plan on moving to Wyoming in January, but I'm going to college online at Liberty University which is in Virginia. #scholarship #college #money #financial-aid
4 answers
Charles Emmons
Charles’s Answer
Hi Hannah,
There are two prongs to getting scholarships or grants
1) Reach out. Activities that you or you family participate in (were you a scout? Is Dad a member of the local Masonic Lodge? Do you regularly attend a church?) will often have scholarships available. Ask. Find someone in a leadership position, or go on the internet, and ask. The worst they can do is say no.
2) Research. Go to the library (or go to your old high school counselor) and start looking through "The Ultimate Scholarship Book" or Petersons "Scholarship Grants and Prizes", or whichever books they have. Go on the internet. I see a couple links that are Wyoming specific
College money can be based on what you do, what you want to do, where you live, your heritage, your accomplishments, or your need. Don't be afraid to apply. Some may require essays or ask you to come visit (I have a friend whose daughter sent a letter to the local Rotary Club (she didn't have "an in", but there was a sign coming in to town, so she took a shot) asking about grants. The 3 applicants (yes, only 3 that year in a town of 120,000 people) were asked to come to a club meeting to talk about what they plan to do at college. The two who showed up each received $1500)
Take notes. Lots of notes. You took a year off, so treat this seriously - spend time every day working it. And put yourself out there. Join a club. Volunteer. Be someone that whatever group you are courting will want to fund - tone, diction, manners, dress. This is very much like the interviewing process you will do after college, so take it seriously if you want to succeed.
Charles recommends the following next steps:
Rachel Vaupel
Rachel’s Answer
The "prize money" type of scholarship is usually a sweepstakes or one-time award. The amount can vary, but you'll often see these types in smaller amounts ($500-2000). These scholarships often will ask you to write an essay, submit a video, or fill out demographic information. Big companies like Pepsi will host them, but smaller organizations like Elks Lodge or Rotary chapters will often have funds available, too.
The "recurrent funding" type of scholarship is usually a source of funding that can be renewed. At my university, there was a General Fund where any student from any major could apply for financial assistance. Most of these awards were based off of GPA, ACT/SAT scores, financial need, or a mixture of all three. We also had departmental scholarships where a person could apply for funding within their particular field of study. These scholarships tended to be easier to obtain than General Fund scholarships because there were fewer applicants, but that can totally vary based on your school.
The biggest questions you need to ask yourself are: What types of community service have I performed? What are my major career goals? Why should someone assist me in getting an education? Scholarship donors are much more likely to give you financial aid if they know you intend to use your education to better your community. Think of it this way: they are investing money in YOU. If you can show that you are a solid investment, then they will probably be willing to help you get through school.
Other options for funding include Pell grants (if you're over 24 or married), student loans, 529 Savings Plans, and state government grants. Check your field of study and see if your state offers any special grants for people in your major. It's also worthwhile to explore if there are scholarships being offered based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, religion, etc.
Bottom line: always assume you have a chance at winning whichever scholarship you apply for. Apply for everything and let someone else be the one to tell you no. Often, students can get scholarships because others simply didn't apply.
Terri R
Terri’s Answer
Clarissa Escamilla
Clarissa’s Answer
Most schools also have their own scholarships once you apply, they have merit-based (for being a good student) and needs-based (for low income). The schools admissions or academic advisor will be able to help you find them.
I found that lots of people applied for the big scholarships ($2000+) but not many people applied for the smaller ones, so they were easier to get.