Tag Archives: scholarships

Scholarship Friday: Scholarships You Will Love

 

scholarships you love
photo courtesy of Zinch

Roses are red,

Violets are blue

Check out these scholarships

And snag some college funds too!

Zinch gathered together a short list of scholarships with deadlines in February and March. Sign up for an account and you can access all the pertinent scholarship information and apply through their site. And here’s a plus–if you win the scholarship Zinch will match your award up to $1000. I can’t think of a better reason to use their scholarship match and application service.

Check out Zinch’s list of Scholarships You’re Sure to Love

Scholarship Friday: ScholarshipOpportunity.org

 

scholarshipopportunity.orgScholarshipOpportunity.org is another resource available for parents and students to find scholarships. What makes them unique is they have created guides that have scholarships separated into categories.

The Scholarship Guides

According to their site, the “Scholarship Opportunities” series features scholarships available for all students as well as those specifically for minority and under-represented students. They have sorted out the scams and tracked down the legitimate scholarships, internships, and fellowships, saving you months of research. Their books will help you find the scholarships you’re eligible for, so you can get your college degree without drowning in student-loan debt. Their series includes:

  • How to Find Scholarship Opportunities Online
  • Scholarship Opportunities for Non-Traditional Students
  • Scholarship Opportunities for STEM Majors
  • Scholarship Opportunities for Students with Disabilities
  • Scholarship Opportunities for First Generation Students
  • Scholarship Opportunities for Minority Students
  • Scholarship Opportunities for LGBTQ Students
  • Scholarship Opportunities for Veterans and Their Families
  • Scholarship Opportunities for Women
  • Scholarship Opportunities for Everyone

Each guide is available for undergraduates, graduates, and internships and fellowships.

Their publications are available for you to download in a variety of formats (Amazon Kindle, mobile devices, and computers). The Scholarship Opportunity series of books are interactive, filled with links to hundreds of scholarships and their online applications.

The Blog

They also have a blog that helps take the guesswork out of applying for scholarships by giving you tips and tricks to help you find and land scholarship opportunities that can save you money and cut student loan debt.

Each Tuesday they review scholarship sites to help you navigate effectively to find the real scholarships without joining the military. They discuss great sites and sites they think are a waste of your precious time.

On Thursday, they feature specific scholarships, highlighting detailed information on eligibility criteria, award amounts, required documents, contact information, and a link to the online application. These blog posts will give you a glimpse of the rich resources that their books offer.

Scholarship Friday: Tips from the Scholarship Mom

 

scholarship mom

A few years ago I was introduced to Monica Matthews, the Scholarship Mom. Her story is unique and she created a short book, How to Win College Scholarships, to introduce parents to the method she used to win scholarships for her kids. If you don’t have the book, get it.

Today, however, I want to introduce you to her Scholarship Mom Tips on Smart College Visit. Every week she shares a short tip to help parents with the scholarship process. They are easy to read and easily applicable to the scholarship search.

Follow Smart College Visit on Twitter (@collegevisit) and Monica Matthews (@AidScholarship) for weekly links and tips.

Scholarship Friday: Scholarships for C Students

 

A few days ago I listened to a How to Pay for College HQ podcast (you can listen to it yourself by following this link: http://www.howtopayforcollegehq.com/8/) hosted by Celest Horton with guest Felicia Hatcher.

scholarships for c studentsCan you imagine being told by your High School Guidance Counselor that you will never make it to college and to just give up and look into vocational schools? That is what happened to Felecia Hatcher, but she didn’t let it stop her.

Felecia Hatcher was recently named one of the Top 10 Superstar Entrepreneurs under 30 by Allbusiness.com and honored at the White House for the Empact 100′s Top 100 Entrepreneurs under 30. In her book, The C Students Guide to Scholarships, she talks about how she found scholarships to pay for her entire college education.

 

Taking excerpts from the transcript about scholarships for C students, read below:

Slow Start in High School?

Are you student that was not focused for the first few years of school and your GPA is under a 3.0? Don’t fret as there are ways to differentiate yourself so that you can find college scholarships.

  • There are college scholarships that don’t require your GPA in order to apply or the GPA requirement is low.
  • Focus on being a well rounded student who is active in community service, clubs or activities that you are passionate about.
  • What are your strengths (writing, math, speaking, etc.)? Use those strengths to your advantage to separate yourself from the potential pool of applicants.
  • Key aspect is to concentrate on LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS because the pool of applicants is much smaller.

Go Local, Go Local, Go Local

Where to look?

  • High School Counselor or College Financial Aid Officer,
  • Student Clubs and Organizations,
  • Businesses (Local, Your Employer or Your Parents Employer),
  • Military Service (You, Your Parents’ or Grandparents’ Service),
  • Community Organizations  (American Legion, Association of Junior Leagues, Elks Lodge, Lions Club, Kiwanis International, Knights of Colmbus, Optimist International Club, Rotary Club, YMCA, etc.) You might be able to think of more than I did off the top of my head so keep brain storming.
  • Church
  • Unions
  • Local Professional Sports Teams
  • Local Newspaper

If you haven’t subscribed to Celest’s podcasts, you are missing out on some great college financing information. Her guests are knowledgeable and eagerly share their expertise to help parents pay for college and stay out of debt.

Scholarship Friday: Scholarships with January deadlines

 

scholarships with january deadlinesThe New Year has begun and what better way to kick it off to a good start than applying to scholarships. Here are just a few sites listing scholarships with January deadlines:

About.com list of scholarships with January deadlines

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/grantsandscholarships/tp/college-scholarships-january.htm

Cappex list of scholarships with January deadlines

http://www.cappex.com/blog/scholarships/27-scholarships-with-deadlines-in-january/

Top 10 scholarships for African American Students

http://atlantadailyworld.com/2014/01/01/top-10-scholarships-for-african-american-students-with-january-2014-deadlines/

Extensive list of scholarships for individual colleges (starting with January deadlines)

http://www.scholarshipplus.com/wake/deadline.cfm

Scholarships with January deadlines from Scholarship360.org

http://www.scholarships360.org/discover/page/2/?search_query&orderby=Due&tax_category&tax_post_tag[0]=high-school-students-2&wpas=1

Zinch scholarships with January deadlines (login to see all 173 matches)

http://www.zinch.com/scholarships

Scholarships with application deadlines in January from saltmoney.org

https://blog.saltmoney.org/scholarship-application-deadlines-january-2014/

Don’t forget to check out the colleges you’re applying to (or have already applied to) for any scholarships with January deadlines. And while you’re at it, investigate spring deadlines as well. It’s never too early to start applying!

Scholarship Friday: CollegeWhale.com

 

college whale

According to CollegeWhale.com they have made the scholarship search simple. Most students would disagree but they claim to do this by creating the

Easiest Scholarship Search Ever

No sign up, no registration, and no personal information required. The CollegeWhale.com Easiest Scholarship Search Ever gives you fast and easy access to one of the largest online scholarship databases. Get matched with hundreds of scholarships in just a few simple clicks. Scholarship money for college made simple, period.

It’s a good place to start, but there is much more to searching than answering a few simple questions. Check out the site and peruse their information about financing college and managing college expenses. It will be worth your while.

Scholarship Friday: Scholarships for special groups

 

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This week I would like to do a recap of some previous posts about college scholarships for special groups. If your college-bound teen fits into any of these groups these posts should help you find scholarships.

college scholarshipsScholarships for military dependents

Are you or your spouse in the military? Do you have a family member that was a veteran of a foreign war? If so, there are scholarships available in these specific categories.

Follow this link for all the information related to these scholarships.

Scholarships for homeschoolers

More than 2 million students per year are home schooled in the United States and the numbers increase every year. While there’s a lot of sacrifice going into providing that first rate education one thing homeschoolers don’t have to sacrifice is a college education.

While most scholarships don’t specifically exclude homeschoolers from applying, more and more are specifically including and even encouraging homeschoolers to apply. This may have something to do with the widely publicized studies revealing that homeschoolers have consistently scored higher on college entrance exams than their public school counterparts for the last eight years.

Follow this link for some options for homeschoolers.

Scholarships for the learning disabled

If you have a college-bound teen who is learning disabled, you will be happy to know that there are specific scholarships set aside for these type of students.

Follow this link to discover scholarships for learning disabled students.

Scholarships: JROTC and FFA

Searching for scholarships can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to look; or in this case, how to plan. Sometimes planning for scholarship opportunities takes a little foresight and preparation, but the benefits and the rewards definitely pay off. JROTC (Junior ROTC) and FFA (Future Farmers of America) provide scholarships.

Follow this link to learn about scholarships for these two groups.

Scholarships for families touched by cancer

Families dealing with cancer have astronomical medical expenses, often continuing after the patient is cured and in remission. Today’s post offers some organizations that offer scholarships to cancer survivors and their families.

Follow this link for an extensive list of available scholarships.

 

Scholarship Friday: Frame My Future Scholarship

 

Every student loves scholarships that don’t require and essay, and Diploma Frame has come up with a scholarship that asks students to “frame their future”. No essay, just a photo, collage, poem, drawing, painting and more. Use your creativity to communicate just exactly how you would see your future. It’s that simple. Finalists will be chosen and move on to the public voting phase

frame my future scholarship

The 2014 Frame My Future Scholarship Contest is currently accepting applications. The prizes are as follows:

  • 1 Grand Prize Winner – $1,000 scholarship, $1,000 donation check to winner’s 2014 attended college/university, and a commemorative Frame My Future frame
  • 4 Scholarship Winners – $1,000 scholarship and commemorative Frame My Future frame
  • 19 Finalists – commemorative Frame My Future frame
  • 36 Honorable Mentions – Frame My Future certificate

To apply, you must create an original creative image (a photograph, collage, poem, drawing, etc.). 24 Finalists will be chosen to move on to a one-month public voting phase. Church Hill Classics will select 22 of the Finalists based on the judging criteria, and two of the Finalists will be selected based on Fan Favorite criteria.

Eligibility

Applicant eligibility is fairly broad. To apply, you must be:

  • Attending a US college or university full-time for the 2014-2015 academic year (including community college, undergraduate or graduate school)
  • A legal US resident

Application and deadline

You can apply online. The deadline is March 5, 2014. Best of luck!

Scholarships Friday: Scholarships360.org

 

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scholarships360When someone asks me about doing scholarship searches, I always tell them about Scholarships360.org. It’s not a search engine, per se, but it is an excellent resource that keeps you informed about recent available scholarships. On their site you can look at scholarships for high school, college, and graduate students. There is also a list of merit scholarships from top universities.

Scholarships360 has been connecting students to scholarship opportunities large and small since December 2010. In addition to profiling scholarship programs, they give students the tools they need to become successful applicants, offer resources aimed at demystifying the financial aid system, and examine innovative ways of funding a college education.

What do I like most about Scholarships360.org?

This resource isn’t a comprehensive search site, but it does have a wealth of scholarship information available. You may have to sift through them and determine your eligibility, but they publish a daily scholarship update in each category. I have found unusual scholarships on their site. Additionally, you can sign up for a daily email from them giving you the daily scholarship information. Just click on the mail icon in the top right hand corner of the site (or click here)–it’s that simple. Follow them on Twitter as well (@Scholarships360) for daily tweets.

If it’s not a search engine, why bother?

As with all college prep activities, maximizing your information and taking advantage of all available resources increases your chances of acceptance. The same is true for scholarships–leave no stone unturned in your search. Adding Scholarships360.org to your scholarship arsenal helps you unearth large and small scholarship opportunities by simply opening a daily email. What could be simpler than that?

 

Scholarships Friday: Cancer survivors and families

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing! Or subscribe to my blog on the left and get email updates.

cancer survivorsFamilies dealing with cancer have astronomical medical expenses, often continuing after the patient is cured and in remission. Today’s post offers some organizations that offer scholarships to cancer survivors and their families. Since searching for these specific scholarships is often time consuming, I always recommend families register on a scholarship search site like Zinch or Cappex which usually ask specific questions that relate to scholarship criteria.

http://www.cappex.com/page/scholarships/details.jsp?scholarshipID=3792

http://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/cancer-scholarships/

http://www.uwhealthkids.org/pediatric-cancer/college-scholarship-opportunities-for-cancer-survivors/35357

http://www.beyondthecure.org/scholarships

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/cancer.phtml

http://ulmanfund.org/gethelp/support-programs-resources/scholarships/

http://www.collegiatecancer.org/application.html

http://inheritanceofhope.org/scholarships

http://www.patientadvocate.org/index.php?p=69

http://www.ped-onc.org/scholarships/

http://www.mdanderson.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer/cap-scholarship-program/index.html

http://cancerforcollege.org/CFC_Application.html

http://www.thescf.org/Application-Page.html

http://www.g-scholarship.info/2013/02/20132014-american-cancer-society-rock.html

http://www.cancerresourcemama.com/scholarships/diagnosis-specific-scholarships/breast-cancer-scholarships/

http://www.run4projectpurple.org/ways-we-help/scholarships/

http://www.thenccs.org/#

http://www.bobsfund.org/scholarships.php

http://angelonmyshoulder.org/programs/scholarships/

Articles about cancer-related scholarships with additional links

http://www.brighthub.com/education/college/articles/127080.aspx

http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/cancer-students.htm

http://www.melfoundation.org/#/scholarships

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2012/10/18/dont-let-cancer-stop-you-from-earning-a-college-education

Speaking from a family who has been touched by cancer, I understand the medical expenses and the strain it puts on family finances. If you know of any other scholarship opportunities, please post them in the comment section on this blog for the benefit of others.