Scholarships proven to be worth the effort

 

Coming out of college with little or no debt is always a good way to start off your career.  One of the best ways to do this is through scholarships, or as some like to call it, ”free money.” 

Room and board, books, and the rising cost of tuition are all important financial considerations when it comes to furthering your education.  So why aren’t more students cashing in on this free money?

It could be the extent of the application process, the time it takes to go after some of the money and the response time to find out if you actually received it.  Some students prefer to take other routes altogether.  Virginia Commonwealth University Senior Michelle Ariza applied for several scholarships before joining the Army Reserve to help her pay for college.

“I joined mainly for college.  Getting out of high school, there was not very much financial opportunities, or would you say resources, to carry over to school.  So what I had to do was join the military for the school benefits.”

Although the military may be the choice of some, everyone is not a fan of taking this route.  The National Scholarship Office at 701 West Broad Street is a place where students can get help with applying for scholarships, get questions answered, and get that extra encouragement they may sometimes need.

Another common excuse for the low scholarship recipient rate is that some simply do not know where to find this “free money.”  VCU’s National Scholarship Coordinator, Jeff Wing, is trying to change that.

“I’m responsible for advertising and promoting the different scholarships and national scholarship programs and to identify potential candidates and encourage them to apply.  I do some recruiting and work with them if they decide to apply work on the application.”

Wing’s work paid off recently when four students won National Goldwater Scholarships, which recognizes students who are studying research in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering.

One of the Goldwater recipients, Allison De Groot, says it wasn’t easy.

“I am glad and it was a lot of work.  I know there were times when I was saying this is too much and so confusing trying to write these essays and put yourself into it in a few paragraphs and try to explain your life goals and we are only 18 and 19.”

Along with the school’s scholarship programs and various websites, others are trying to pitch in to help in the effort to expand the scholarship recipient list.  More than 200 people came out on April 10th to donate to the 2008 Scholarship Walk-a-Thon to raise money to contribute to well-deserving students seeking money for school. 

Event coordinator Marquita Aguilar comments that the event was about more than just raising money.

“It let the community know that there are things that go on here and they are more than willing to come and help and get involved with a child continuing their education and furthering themselves and achieving that goal.  The community is all for that and our staff here that you see on a regular basis are here more than at home so we are like family.”

This event alone raked in a grand total of $11,600 to help finance some students in need of a little monetary assistance.

So what are some ways to build the encouragement of going for this money that is waiting to be given away?  Goldwater Scholarship recipient Mary Bird says to just stick with it.

“Don’t count yourself out and don’t automatically assume that you won’t get it.  It’s one of those things that comes with time if you put in the work and you are a good student and you really feel passionate about it.  That shows to the committee.”

Helpful Tips for “getting the green”: 

• Take initiative and apply for the scholarship you want
• Follow all deadlines set by the scholarship providers
• Always make copies of all your completed applications before submitting them

(Courtesy of: http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-Getting-A-Scholarship&id=527279)

Top 5 sites to find scholarships:

1. Fastweb: http://www.fastweb.com

2. Scholarship Experts: http://www.scholarshipexperts.com

3. College Board: http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

4. Next Student: http://www.nextstudent.com/scholarship_search/scholarship_search.asp

5. Free Scholarship Guide: http://www.freescholarshipguide.com/?af=CJ_newlink2