Finding scholarships - Marylhurst Univ 201100119 2
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FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS Susan M. Shogren Financial Aid Professional and Training Consultant
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Transcript of Finding scholarships - Marylhurst Univ 201100119 2
FINDING SCHOLARSHIPSSusan M. Shogren
Financial Aid Professional and Training Consultant
Overview
Begin with the end in mind
Your scholarship profile
Application strategies
Searching for scholarships
Questions
Begin with the end in mind
Where would your scholarship come from?
Foundations and other nonprofits
Community organizations
Private donors
Colleges
State agencies
Federal government
OSAC (www.GetCollegeFunds.org)
Sample OSAC Scholarship #306
Sample OSAC Scholarship #242
Create your own scholarship!
How much will you give each student?
What criteria will they have to meet?
How will they have to apply?
Activity
Your scholarship profile
Assess your assets
Academic strength
Specialized talents
Involvement in activities
Community service
Leadership
Life lessons
Financial need
Heritage
Interests
Talents
Experiences
Realizations
Plans
What’s unique about you?
Application Strategies
Essay = opportunity
Demonstrate that you’re their best investment
Boil your primary point down to one sentence
Expand on key points with specific examples
Use an outline to provide structure
Share at least one breakout idea
Create a story, not a laundry list
Write thoughtfully, not stream of consciousness
Speak to your passion and it will shine through!
What do they want from you?
Application
Resume
Activities chart
Academic transcript
Test scores
Work samples
Essays
Letters of
recommendation
FAFSA or financial
need statement
Interview
What NOT to do
Miss the application deadline
Fail to follow the instructions
Provide more than they ask for
Exaggerate or lie
Forget to proofread
Recycle carelessly
Seem too casual
Have an unprofessional web-presence
Searching for scholarships
Research your opportunities
Financial Aid Office staff
Academic department
Employers
Local organizations
State agencies
Online resources
Proceed with caution
Use only free sources
Protect your personal identifiers
Watch out for scams and data mining
If you’re not sure, research it further
If you’re still not sure, don’t apply
Resources
Federal …………………… www.studentaid.ed.gov
State …………………… www.GetCollegeFunds.org
Local ………………………… www.nela.net/centers
or www.thecollegeplace.com
Independent ………………………… www.finaid.org
Free search service ………… www.FastWeb.com
Persistence pays off
“It’s always better to spend time on one
quality application than to throw out five
that aren’t so great.”
Be a scholarship detective
Don’t throw back the little ones
Consider this a long-term project
Be sure to say “thank you”
Questions and Discussion
What else would you like to know?
Are you inclined to modify the scholarship you
created?
