Use the People you Love and Know

A great source of scholarships is corporations, non profits, and organizations. Make sure that you talk to your relatives and close friends and ask to find out if the businesses that they work for offer scholarships or grants. Many companies do offer scholarships and grants to relatives of employees.

Also many non-profits and organizations such as the Lions Club offer scholarships and grants to their members children and relatives. Again, the key is asking and finding out what is available.

If you are afraid to ask or do not want to bother your relative, do a little research. Go to the web site related to the company or organization and search on it to see if they list any information about the scholarships and grants that they might offer. Once you find one that you want to apply for make sure to check the deadline dates. That is one of the most importnant things to do early on.

If the deadline has not passed, then get the application and start the process. Since a lot of these scholarships are for a very limited group of applicants they can be much easier to get then other 'national' scholarships and grants where everyone can apply. When you apply make sure that you are genuine and unique.

After you get awarded a scholarship or grant make sure to send thank you letters to the organization and your relative who sponsored you for the award.

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Next Step

Next,

Now that you are familiar with the finacial aid office on campus, apply for on campus scholarships. Usually a lot of schools will have a one applicaiton option for this. Go to the web site for your school, or go to the office and get the paper version of the applicaiton.

When filling out the application, make yourself stand out. Think of ways to differentiate yourself from your fellow students. Do you have a special skill that sets you apart from your classmates? Maybe you are the first person in your family to go to college (this is getting old though), or are you a big volunteer in your community? Whatever it is make sure to push it in your application. You want your situation to stand out as the outstanding student to fund. Make sure as well that you have goals that are stated clearly and concisely. Do not just ramble, have a purpose in mind and follow through.

Have a professional friend review your application. Do you have any spelling or grammar errors? Does the application flow, did you forget any key elements? Reviewing of the application is critical. I can not tell you how many times I read applicaitons for scholarships that have simple easy to correct errors. Even if you have to pay a graduate student to proof it, that is a good investment.

After you complete the applicaiton make sure to keep a copy for your records. That way when other applications come out for private schoarships you can reuse a lot of the information and thoughts that you included on your previous applications. You could even come up with a basic template of information that you update regularly.

Make sure to also check the due dates. Most due dates are non-negotiable and may be the breaking point for your success.

Good Luck! Til the next installment, and please post if you have any comments or questions about scholarships. After being on the financial aid committee at our college, I figured that I may as well share some of the 'secrets' on how to get some extra money for college!

First Place to Try

If you are currently enrolled at a college go to the financial aid office and make them work for their salary. They are their to help you to get financial aid. Most state financial aid offices will require that you also fill out the Free Application for Federal Student AidFAFSA, you can usually do in online now, that is actually the preferred way. Make sure you know the deadlines for your specific college. Also followup and fix any mistakes as soon as they notify you.
After you fill out the FAFSA then the school is sent the information about you electronically, depending on the costs of the school and a multitude of other factors they will present you with your possible offers usually through the financial aid office at your school. So again make sure that you are constantly on the doorstep at the financial aid office. Many colleges also have this information on the student's electronic profile. Check to see if your college offers this. That way you can check periodically online to find out your financial aid status.

Have you got a tip to share?

Have you got a great tip to share about navigating the financial aid nightmare? Please share your great information so that we can come up with a great blog full of wonderful resources that will help everyone! Thanks!

Welcome!

This blog will list information on how to finance your education. From free money from scholarships and other resources to loans for your parents. This blog will help you to navigate the maze of how to pay for your college education.