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Free money for college

Advice from four experts on applying for scholarships

[January 4, 2011]

Now, more than ever, scholarships make sense.

With unemployment high and college costs soaring, Americans in 2010 owed more on student loans than on credit cards for the first time since record-keeping started. The education debt of $830 billion was expected to grow by another $100 billion by the end of the current school year, according to FinAid.org, a respected source for free information about financing college.

Debt can leave college graduates facing decades of monthly payments. It prompts some to put off marriage, parenthood, homeownership and other milestones.

That’s why scholarships are so great. But free money doesn’t come easily. Applying is hard work and the competition is tough for merit-based scholarships – those given to students who excel at academics, athletics or other skills colleges want.

And while we’ve all heard of quirky scholarships, it takes a lot of research to locate those that might be a good fit for students with unique talents (such as knitting or surfing) or special circumstances (such as being short, tall or left-handed).
 
“We know nationally that $100 million a year is left on the table in scholarship funds,” mostly because qualifying students didn’t know to apply, said Mary Beth Lambert, spokeswoman for the Washington Scholarship Coalition.

With prime time for scholarships just around the corner (most deadlines are in February, March and April), STCU sought tips from Lambert and three other experts:

• Gayle Jones, continuing education specialist for Educational Talent Search Project, a University of Idaho program that works with Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls teens.
• Janet Popham, career center counselor at Spokane’s Lewis and Clark High School.
• Nancy Arnhold, guidance counselor at (Spokane) Valley Christian School and keeper of the VCS Counselor’s Corner blog.

Together, these four women have helped hundreds of people obtain scholarships. Here’s their advice:

Get organized. Keep good records of your accomplishments and volunteer hours throughout high school. Don’t overlook out-of-school experiences. A lawn-mowing business is entrepreneurialism; babysitting demonstrates leadership; playing the piano at a senior center is community service. Seniors, it helps if you’ve written (and had edited by trusted adults) generic essays that can be modified to fit the specific requirements on college and scholarship applications.

Seniors and parents, complete the FAFSA now. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is used by federal and state governments, as well as colleges, to determine eligibility for loans and some scholarships. Complete the form this month or next at fafsa.ed.gov. Watch for notices about free local workshops and webinars if you need help.

Don’t waste money. Never pay anyone to help you find scholarships or complete the FAFSA, and don’t believe offers claiming to provide scholarship information you can’t get anywhere else.

Start with the colleges. They all offer need-based and merit-based scholarships. Ask whether you need to complete a scholarship application, or if you’re automatically eligible simply by applying for college.

Cast a wide net. Check weekly with your guidance counselor for new scholarships. Ask relatives whether their employers or clubs offer scholarships for family members. Dedicate an hour a week to searching online sources, such as fastweb.com and (for Washington residents) theWashBoard.org. 

Apply early. Some scholarships are first come, first served.

Go local. While the payoff is typically less than for national scholarships, you have much better odds of being selected. “Those $50, $500 and $1,000 scholarships add up,” said Popham. “They can pay for books,” adds Arnhold.

Read the qualifications. A good scholarship application takes hours, so don’t waste time applying for those you don’t fit. If it’s for red-headed tuba players, don’t apply if you’re a brunette flutist. Pay particular attention to minimum grade-point requirements.

Answer every question. Many applications are rejected because of skipped questions or inadequate responses.

Don’t be modest. It’s not bragging to note your achievements on scholarship applications.

Don’t wait for scholarships to find you. You’ll need to search out scholarships, even if you’re valedictorian, class president, team captain, volunteer of the year and a musical prodigy.