 |
While there are numerous outside scholarships available,
finding those scholarships takes time and effort. Students
looking for scholarships should use two search strategies.
The first strategy for finding scholarships available
throughout the country is to utilize the many free scholarship
searches on the World Wide Web. The following list provides
Internet links for some of these free scholarship searches:
- Fastweb
A free financial aid and scholarship search engine
for parents, students, and providers. Search for scholarships
based on many criteria.
- EDU
Sponsored by U.S. News and World Report,
this site provides an article index, best values schools,
scholarship search, award comparisons, college cost
prediction, loan repayment calculator, deciphering
your award letter, ask advisors, federal aid, and
newsletter.
- Expan
Sponsored by the College Board Association, this site
helps locate scholarships, loans, internships, and
other financial aid programs from non-college sources
that match education level, talents, and background.
A student-provided profile is compared against a database
of 2,000 financial aid opportunities.
The second strategy for finding available scholarships
is to research local opportunities. Because small, local
organizations usually do not publicize their scholarships
on the Internet, the competition for their scholarship
dollars is often less vigorous. Finding local organizations
that offer scholarships can take a lot of work, but the
effort usually pays off! The following list provides tips
to help students find local scholarships:
- Check with the high school guidance counselor and
the college financial aid office. Both offices are
often familiar with local agencies which have awarded
scholarships to students in the past, and these offices
should be able to give students contact information
for local scholarship providers.
- Contact local service clubs, such as Kiwanis, Rotary,
Women's Leagues, Elks, etc., to see if they offer
scholarships for college.
- Students who have special talents should check with
organizations related to that talent. For example,
students who excel in public speaking may want to
check with local Toastmaster clubs to see if scholarships
are offered.
- Students who plan to major in a certain field of
study should check with professional organizations
related to that field of study. Many professional
organizations offer scholarships to assist students
with earning degrees. To find professional organizations,
students could check the local phone directory, check
with the college academic department, or do a general
web search. The
University of Waterloo Library has a website that
students can search by subject to find professional
organizations with web pages. While not all of the
organizations offer scholarships, it could be a starting
point for a scholarship search.
Important Points to Remember
Do not waste money on scholarship searches that charge
a fee. Often these searches use the same Internet databases
students may use without charge. If a scholarship seems
too good to be true, it probably is! Learn to recognize
and avoid common
scholarship scams. Remember, you should not have to
pay money to win a scholarship! |
|
