Financial Aid: Not the Only Option
Written By Ryan Mason, Financial Aid Assistant
Imagine getting paid $500 for an hour’s work right in your own home. This is a great way to look at scholarships and the application processes behind them because most scholarships can range from $250 to awards over $5000! Just a few hours can bring a hard-working student the opportunity to use a scholarship to pay for tuition that might otherwise be covered with a loan. When the time spent on obtaining a scholarship is compared with the potential monetary return it is easy to see why a savvy student will put in the hours.
Finding a Scholarship
The web is not the only place to find a scholarship. There are many institutions in your own community that provide scholarships. If you work for a regional or national company, then it is wise to ask at work. The company website for your work or your parent’s work is a great place to look for scholarship opportunities and employee education benefits. Even if the company is not very large, sometimes a trust is set up to support the people who work within the company or their children.
Another great place to search for scholarships is through community organizations. Any community organization could potentially have a scholarship set up; the Chamber of Commerce, your local library, places of worship, Elk Clubs, Knights of Columbus, Shriners, etc. Ask around in your community or go to your local library and pick up a list of local scholarships at the reference desk. This is a fun activity to do with a friend!
The internet is still a wonderful tool for searching pretty much anything. It is typically safe, fast, and you can search from home. Using standard search engines like Google or Yahoo can yield some results, but perhaps the best way to search for a scholarship using the internet is to use one of the many scholarship websites available. Here are a few websites that Herzing University suggests:
www.fastweb.com – A scholarship search engine. Also provides tips regarding application completion and other financial resources.
www.petersons.com/finaid – Another search engine that also includes excellent tips for finding funding for school.
www.sholarships.com – Search schools, scholarships, and other potential sources of aid.
www.schoolsoup.com – This website will help you develop a profile so that it can match scholarships to your unique characteristics. This website also updates very often which keeps newly posted scholarships in site.
One thing to note about these websites is that you may need to join the website or put in some personal information. These sites are generally secure and trusted by most schools. However, if a website asks you for credit card information or your social security number it would not be wise to pass along such information. Be wary of websites that charge a fee to use their site or to help you apply for scholarships. There are plenty of reliable websites that will provide the same service for free! If a website claims it will generate letters of reference or essays automatically, it is probably a hoax.
Increase your Chances
Be sure to search using unique identifiers that will narrow down your results. This means including your state in the searches, your college, you ethnicity, your heritage, or your religion if you have one. The identifiers will bring up scholarships that may be better suited to you. The more specific a scholarship is, the smaller the applicant pool, and often that means your chances of receiving an award may increase.
Applying for scholarships can be hard work. To increase your odds in obtaining a scholarship you can do a few things:
- Join an academic club or a professional fraternity. Many fraternities are academic based or based on a field of study. These clubs and fraternities usually have scholarships for their members. Also, academic clubs and fraternities look great on your scholarship application.
- Get involved with ethnic or religious organizations to which you have an affiliation. Many organizations that match your interests and background have scholarships available to their members.
- Ask your parents, relatives and friends about organizations that they belong. If there is an organization that you are unaware of then you cannot find out about the resources available to you.
In case you didn’t know, Herzing University also offers scholarships for students that meet certain criteria. Check your university catalog for more information on the types of awards that are available, the criteria for eligibility, and how to apply. The entire catalog is available online at: http://www.herzingonline.edu/catalog
Never Give Up
Searching for a scholarship takes time, effort, and the right attitude. If you do not succeed in obtaining a scholarship prior to starting school it does not mean you cannot continue to apply. There are scholarships available to students with all different characteristics. You can be a freshman or a senior and still apply for scholarships.
The individuals who are awarded will be the ones that take the time to apply and think through their answers on the application. This may require writing a statement about oneself or writing an essay. Think about the answers that are put to paper, make sure your application looks presentable, and get help from someone you trust.
Lastly, believe that you can obtain a scholarship and that you deserve it. Herzing University has a belief in all its students. We hope that you can use the knowledge and abilities you have gained here at Herzing to acquire the rewards that you so much deserve.