Scholarships: Tips and Strategies for Finding and Being Competitive for Winning Them Tania Rachkoskie NACAC
Real Deal or No Deal • Are you the next American idol? Write and submit an original song with lyrics and music. • Win a contest as an athlete with an amazing milk mustache. • February 1865 was the only month in history not to have a full moon. Take a test on random and useless facts.
Real Deal or No Deal • Are you the next American idol? Write and submit an original song with lyrics and music. – John Lennon Scholarship • Win a contest as an athlete with an amazing milk mustache. – Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year Award • February 1865 was the only month in history not to have a full moon. Take a test on random and useless facts. – Common Knowledge Scholarship
WELCOME Session Objectives Upon completion of this session participants should be able to: create a scholarship guide that includes scholarship opportunities for any specific student match students to appropriate scholarship resources and opportunities based on their needs and interests develop and implement post-secondary lessons focused on scholarships
Welcome! • Scholarship Lingo • Institutional Awards • Tips and Tricks • Outside Scholarships • Questions
Money Talk • Need Aware • Gapping • Net tuition revenue • Need Blind • Discount rate • Meeting full demonstrated • Ability to Pay vs. need Willingness to Pay
Ability and Willingness to Pay for Private College, by AGI, 2016 (4727 cases reviewed) $100,000 $90,000 $80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $- $9,088 $31,698 $50,627 $78,457 $111,919 $134,077 $172,791 $177,571 $238,976 $325,366 ability to pay per year willingness to pay per year Data care of Moody’s Investments, 2016
Private institutions piped nearly half of every dollar charged in tuition and fees back into scholarships and grants for freshmen.
Institution-Specific Scholarships • Why universities give scholarships • What does it mean to be meritorious? • Merit is in the eye of the beholder. ☺ • Application-based programs • Honors Programs, Fellowships, etc. • Merit aid vs. financial aid
Institution-Specific Scholarships • Guaranteed scholarships with publicized criteria • General scholarship pools “automatically considered by applying to the school”
Behind the Scenes Tips and Tricks • Early Decision Programs & Merit Aid • Admissible vs. Meritorious • Financial Literacy- Big Awards at Schools with Big Sticker Prices
Behind the Scenes Tips and Tricks • Test Optional Programs and Merit Aid • Bartering & Negotiating • Applying for aid or scholarships as demonstrated interest
Telling Questions to Ask • What’s your total financial aid budget? • What percent of your aid budget is used for merit-based aid? • What were your average aid packages for last year’s incoming class? • If I receive an outside scholarship after I receive my initial award, what happens?
Reflection • What are some of the challenges you face when helping your students find and/or complete scholarships? • What do you currently do at your school to help students find and complete scholarships?
Finding Scholarships & Creating a Scholarship Guide
Lots of Information Available
You Don’t Have to Start From Scratch!
You Don’t Have to Start From Scratch!
Creating a Student Friendly Guide • Visit the individual scholarship websites to verify that the scholarship is still offered • Gather critical information students need to know about each scholarship • Deadline • Requirements (e.g., citizenship, GPA, standardized test scores, etc.) • Organize the information in a way that works for you and your students
Creating a Student Friendly Guide Name of Minimum Website Important Dates Application Requirements Award Amount Scholarship Requirements • Coca-Cola http://coca-colascholars.org/ Deadline: October 3.0 GPA (unweighted) Requires you to list: $20,000 • • Scholars 31 st , 2014 Grades 150 awards • Scholarship School and community activities • Employment No essays or additional materials are required • • Elks National http://www.elks.org/ENF/scholars/mvs.cfm Deadline: ACT score 2 first place: $50,000 • • Foundation – December 5, 2014 Transcript 2 second place: • Most Valuable Essay $40,000 • Student 2 third place: $30,000 • Competition 14 finalists: $20,000 • 480 runner ups: $4,000 • • Print and http://www.printing.org/pgsfapplication Application Pursuing a career in ACT score (photocopy Average scholarship = Graphics opens: November graphic acceptable) $2,000 • • Scholarship 1 st , 2014 communications, Official transcript $5,000 scholarships • Information printing technology, 2 Reference Forms also awarded Deadline: April 1 st , • printing management Photocopy of course of 2015 or publishing intended study Scholarships are renewable
Creating a Student Friendly Guide 100 BMA Scholarship George M. Pullman Educational Foundation Scholarship (up to $5,000 per year!) • • Requirements: Requirements: o o GPA = 2.5+ GPA = 3.0+ unweighted o o Completed 50 hours of community service in the last 12 months, You must be eligible to complete FAFSA • or will complete 50 hours after being awarded Website: https://www.pullmanfoundation.org/become/eligible/ • o Leadership involvement (position in a club or organization, Not open to DREAMers • captain of a team, etc.) DUE: February 10, 2015 • What you need to turn in to complete the application: o Completed application Buick Achievers Scholarship Program (good fit for those interested in automotive) • o 500 word essay that answers these 2 questions : Requirements: 1. Why do you need financial assistance in the form of a o Plan to major in one of the following: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, scholarship? Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, or Designs o 2. How would a scholarship specifically benefit you during Be interested in pursuing a career in the automotive or related industries • your college enrollment? Website: http://www.buickachievers.com/ • o Official Academic Transcript Not open to DREAMers • o Verification of Financial Need Letter (need two letters, can be DUE: February 27, 2015 from a teacher or counselor) o Recommendation Letter ( one letter from a teacher, counselor, One Million Degrees Scholarship • coach, etc.) Requirements: • o Website: http://www.100blackmen.org/education.aspx GPA = 2.0+ • Open to DREAMers: YES o Planning to enroll at one of the following community colleges: Malcolm X, • DUE: February 28, 2015 Richard J. Daley, Harold Washington, Wright, Olive-Harvey, Kennedy-King, Truman, Prairie State, or South Suburban o File FAFSA • Website: http://www.onemilliondegrees.org/ • Not open to DREAMers • DUE: February 28, 2015
Matching Students to Scholarship Opportunities
Meet Esmeralda Esmeralda is a senior at a public high school who is eligible to receive free or reduced lunch. She is a US Citizen, identifies as Latina, and will be a first generation college student. Esmeralda has a 3.3 GPA, volunteers at church, and has been an active member of Senior Committee where students plan senior activities. She is extremely passionate about pursuing a career as a Special Education teacher because she loves helping her younger brother who has a learning disability. She would prefer to attend a 4 year university, but she is worried that she won’t be able to afford it so she has come to you for advice on scholarships. • What are the important things to consider as you help Esmeralda find a scholarship? • Are there any scholarships or organizations that come to mind?
Scholarships and Organizations to look into for Esmeralda • Burger King Scholars • Elks National Foundation Scholarship Programs • Hispanic Scholarship Fund • TheDream.US National Scholarship
Meet Willie Willie is a senior at a public high school who is eligible to receive free or reduced lunch. He is a US Citizen and identifies as African American. Willie has a 2.0 GPA and is on the basketball team at school. He tends to goof around a lot in class and many teachers question his motivation for coming to school. He has come to your office privately to disclose that he wants to attend college and would like to hear about some scholarships that could help him pay for it. • What are the important things to consider as you help Willie find a scholarship? • Are there any scholarships or organizations that come to mind?
Scholarships and Organizations to look into for Willie • 100 Black Men of America, Inc. • Black Excel • HBCU Network • United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
Scholarship Lessons & Activities
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