Need suggestions for college scholarship resources

[panther]

My son will be a high school senior this year, and we're looking for colleges for him now.

Do any of you have good resources for starting the search for college scholarships? Any tips that you'd pass on to help those of us embarking on this for the first time?

If you've found any books, websites, etc. that have been helpful, or if you have any "do's and don't's," I would love to hear them.

Thanks!

[kevinsgirl]

I think I got something like 9 scholarships to totally pay for my degree...and then some.

I used fastweb online to get some applications.

I retook the ACT several times to increase my scores so I could qualify for the entry scholarships at my school.

I worked as a student worker for the dean's office, so I always knew the deadlines of all the scholarships...and I applied to pretty much every single one.

So my recommendations are:

Look up fastweb online and apply like crazy...the Walmart one is pretty easy to get. I got it, my brother, sister, and a friend all got it. The key is to go to apply at a Walmart in a more out of the way area.

Research all the scholarships at where your son wants to go to school.

Apply for everything. You can easily do it in your spare time and if you get one scholarship for every ten applications, you've more than paid for the time it took to fill out the applications.

Keep a master file with copies of all your scholarship applications. Most applications ask pretty much the same questions, so having most of those answers on hand will make filling out the paperwork a breeze.

Really encourage your son to make really high grades his freshman year. That was a huge leg up for me because so many of my classmates let the grades go a little freshman year. There are lots of degree specific scholarships that you can't apply for until you've been at the school for at least a year. Having a super high GPA that first year is what will help him get those scholarships!

[jacie]

It would also be helpful to know whether you qualify for financial need-based aid. Have you fillled out your FAFSA yet? You will have to do that no matter what, so find it online and get started.

If you don't qualify for aid, I've found there to be few academic scholarships available that don't have a need-based component. You have the National Merit Scholarships, of course, which are based on your PSAT scores. My daughter ended up at the University of Miami, which is one of the few schools that have an extensive academic scholarship program that is not need-based. They go pretty much strictly by your GPA and SAT score. The scholarships start at 100%, then 75%, then 50% and then 25%. You can probably get more info on their website for the scores required for each stage.

daughter received 75% tuition, but the remainder of the tuition was covered by the State of Florida's Bright Futures scholarship program and by the Florida Resident Access Grant, which is available to any Flrorida resident who attends a private university in the state. So we ended paying only for her room and board. Great deal, but you have to not mind the heat in Miami.

Smaller and/or newer schools are more likely to offer purely academic scholarships, because they are trying to raise the GPA and test scores of their incoming freshman so as to improve their reputation and ranking in the US News and World Report college rankings. Also, what about athletic scholarships? Quite a few go unfilled at some of these smaller schools, especially for girls. Since Title 9 became law, a lot of athletic scholarship have become available for girls because the schools have to maintain parity with the boys athletic scholarships. Sports to think about are swimming, tennis, golf and soccer. I went to community college with a volleyball tuition waiver.

Beware of taking out a lot of loans, especially for an undergraduate degree. The schools really push them and make you think of it as a financial aid award. The interest rates aren't all that great, and it a a great burden for most graduates to have to repay.

[kevinsgirl]

I second the FAFSA application!

[jerseygirl12491]

Don't you love forums? I was thinking about putting this question up myself and then I came across this. Going into 11th grade but I worry about things, mainly how to pay for college. Thank you kevinsgirl and jacie, and I think I speak for panther also when I thank you for the wonderful advice

[kevinsgirl]

You're welcome, girl! Best of luck with your college applications and stuff!