Minority Scholarships... Sometimes it pays to be in the minority
Monday, December 10, 2007
When you are searching for scholarships, it's important to consider all the ways you may be eligible for scholarship money. Are you majoring in accounting? There are scholarships for that. Considering a career in journalism? There are scholarships for that. One area where there are a number of scholarship award opportunities is for minority students. Minority scholarships may target African-American students, Hispanic students, Asian-American students, Native American students, or all of the above.
To help you get started on your scholarship search, we've highlighted a number of scholarship awards aimed at minority students.
Gates Millennium Scholars Program
Bill Gates gave $1 billion to start this incredible scholarship program. It's open to all minority students and will basically fund college so you can graduate debt-free. This scholarship isn't for all minority students, though... you need to have significant financial need to be eligible and good grades (3.3 GPA or higher).
Don't wait too long to apply. The Gates Millennium Scholarship has a fairly substantial application process, which even requires you to be nominated and to get recommendations.
More info: Gates Millennium Scholarship
Ron Brown Scholarship
The Ron Brown Scholarship seeks to identify African-American high school seniors who will be the leaders of tomorrow and make contributions to society. There are no restrictions on a recipient's major or school choices. This isn't just a scholarship, though... even if $10,000 a year for 4 years is a lot of money. The Ron Brown Scholarship Program makes a big effort to build a network of program alumni that encourages mentorship and collaboration. Again, academic achievement is an important factor in winning this scholarship.
More info: Ron Brown Scholarship
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
If you are Hispanic, you should make sure not to miss the deadline for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. The Fund has worked with a number of companies to create scholarships for Hispanic high school, college, and community college students. What's great is that a number of programs also feed into internship programs... so you not only get scholarship money for college, you can get great work experience as well.
More info: Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Hispanic College Fund Scholarship Program
Another great scholarship program for Hispanic students is the Hispanic College Fund Scholarship Program. They've partnered with top-notch companies including Google, Lockheed Martin, and Hilton to provide these scholarship opportunities and to help Hispanic students gain access to careers in business, finance, engineering and the sciences. In 2006, they gave away $2.4 million to more than 600 students.
More info: Hispanic College Fund Scholarship Program
Accenture Undergraduate Scholarships
Accenture has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center to fund scholarships for Native American students. These scholarships are awarded to the very brightest American Indian and Alaska Native students who are attaining a professional, teaching, social services, high technology or business degree.
More info: Accenture Undergraduate Scholarships
APIASF Scholarships
For Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) could be a great place to start your scholarship efforts. Founded in 2003, the organization has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to hundreds of college-bound students.
More info: APIASF Scholarships
More Minority Scholarships
These are just a few of the great award opportunities out there for minority students. Try searching for scholarships on College Toolkit to uncover additional award opportunities.
Labels: african american, asian american, hispanic, minority, native american, scholarship search, scholarships
Scholarship Etiquette - Application Request Letters, Thank You Notes, and More
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Every interaction you have with a scholarship committee is an opportunity to impress or a chance to show just how little you care. How do you want to present yourself to potential scholarship judges? Make sure you put your best foot forward during the scholarship application process. Not only may it help you set yourself apart and demonstrate your merits as a quality scholarship candidate, but it's also good practice for down the road when you are applying for jobs and cultivating professional relationships. Good scholarship etiquette does not take a lot of time and may help you win scholarships.
The Scholarship Application Request Letter
It's likely your first interaction with the organization offering the scholarship... it's your scholarship application request letter. This letter does not need to be fancy. You should not spend hours crafting a scholarship application request letter, but taking a minute or two may help you avoid some pitfalls.
First off, make sure you get the name of the organization right! We ran our own scholarship here at CollegeToolkit.com and received countless letters thanking us for the opportunity to apply for a scholarship and requesting an application... many had a major problem, though. They were requesting an application for a different scholarship. Sure, most organizations will ignore it, send you an application, and forget about your error. But there may be a few who consider it a sign that you are not genuinely interested in their scholarship.
Second, we don't recommend using form letters from scholarship search sites, where the first line says something like... "While using the scholarship search features on [insert scholarship search engine name here], I learned about your award opportunity." These types of letters make it sound like this is the 1,000th letter you've sent off and that you may not have even read the eligibility requirements for the scholarship. (They also increase the likelihood that you will make mistake #1 above and include the wrong organization name.)
Finally, if you are requesting an organization send you a hard copy of the scholarship application form, it's often a good idea to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. (You might want to check and make sure the scholarship does not have an online application form before doing so.)
Want a little help? Check out our Sample Scholarship Application Request Letter.
Scholarship Thank-You Notes
If you are fortunate enough to win a scholarship, don't forget that some foundation, some person, or some college has generously provided the funding for your scholarship award. As we've stated before, the beauty of scholarships is that they are essentially free money for your education. The organization offering the scholarship is not looking for anything back from you... except maybe a thank-you. So take this opportunity and give them the thanks they deserve. It won't take you a lot of time and may help make someone's day (That good feeling may encourage a donor to give more money toward scholarships down the line).
We recommend either typing up your thank-you letter on a word-processing program or penning a hand-written note on nice stationary (assuming your hand-writing is legible). It may sound old fashioned, but a hard copy note signed by you will feel much more personal than an e-mail.
A few things you want to include in your letter:
- The name of the donor(s) behind the scholarship. If there are multiple donors, you should send a letter to each, if possible.
- The name of the person being honored, if the scholarship is a memorial scholarship (e.g., Ron Brown Scholarship). It is often good to make reference to the ideals of this person (presumably the person did some good stuff to have a scholarship named after them).
- A little about your future plans. The scholarship committee wants to know they gave their money to someone who is going places and making a positive contribution. If you are about to be a freshmen, tell them where you are going to school and what you plan on studying. Are you going to be a teacher and tutor local students? Do you plan on volunteering at a local hospital near campus while you study pre-med?
Try and be prompt sending off your thank-you letter. Don't wait six months before you send them a letter. Also, if it's a renewable scholarship, we recommend sending a short thank-you note every year, keeping the scholarship committee up to date on how you are progressing at school and reaching your goals.
Take a look at our Sample Scholarship Thank-You Letter if you need some guidance.
Don't Forget All the People that Helped You with the Scholarship Process
You might also want to consider thank-you notes (or a verbal thank-you, at the very least) for all the school counselors, advisors, and teachers that helped you with your scholarship applications. Whether they edited scholarship essays, sent off transcripts, or helped uncover relevant scholarship awards, it is a good idea for you to show that their time and effort was appreciated.
A Little Kindness Never Hurts
It doesn't take a lot to express that you are genuinely interested in a scholarship and are genuinely thankful for winning a scholarship. It won't cost you more than the price of a stamp, an envelope, and a sheet of paper. And it's a good skill to start developing for later in life. So what's stopping you... show some scholarship etiquette.
Labels: applications, etiquette, letters, scholarships, thank you
Don't Let the Small Scholarships Get Away
Monday, October 15, 2007
We did a survey a while back about the smallest scholarship amount that our users would apply for. What we found surprised us a little. More than a quarter of respondents wouldn't apply for a scholarship worth less than $5,000, and more than two-thirds wouldn't apply for a scholarship worth only $100.
Hey, we hope you all win your share of $5,000+ scholarships. We, at CollegeToolkit.com, chipped in, offering own $10,000 scholarship. Unfortunately, there aren't as many of those out there as we'd like to see. So why turn your nose up at that $100 book scholarship?
First off, any money you win in scholarships likely means less money you have to take out in education loans or pay out of pocket for college. Sure, it can be a lot of work to apply for a scholarship. Let's break it down, though. Let's say you spend 5 hours to apply for a $500 scholarship. If you win, that equates to $100 an hour. I doubt you'd be able to find a job that pays you $100 an hour... especially if you don't have a college degree. Spending 5 hours to win $100 is still a good deal (that's $20 an hour).
Secondly, the smaller scholarships tend to be much less competitive. Just like you, most high school students are enamored with the idea of winning one big $10,000 scholarship, often neglecting to apply for that $100 scholarship. We wanted to find out for ourselves just how competitive some of the large national scholarships are... so we called one up and asked. The Coca Cola Scholars Foundation awards 250 scholarships every year and each award ranges from $10,000 to $20,000. In total, they are giving away $3 million this year in scholarships. Don't get me wrong... that's a lot of money. However, they told us they receive over 100,000 applicants a year, meaning that fewer than 1 in 400 applicants actually wins a Coca Cola Scholarship. That's 0.25 percent of applicants. Compare that with Harvard, which received 22,955 applicants for its Class of 2011 and accepted 2,058, just under 9 percent.
Finally, winning a scholarship isn't just about the money. It's a great achievement and looks really good on your resume. This is especially true when you apply for that internship after your freshman year and are a little short on work experience. When you win a scholarship, the scholarship committee is identifying you as a student with promise. Organizations want to give their money to students who will take advantage of the opportunities that come with the entire college experience.
We're not saying you shouldn't go for that Coca Cola Scholars Award. You should if you believe you have a shot at it. Just don't miss your chance to scoop up those $100, $250, and $500 scholarships along the way.
Labels: Coca Cola scholarship, scholarship search, scholarships
Decoding Financial Aid: Making Sense of All the Financial Aid Jargon
Friday, October 12, 2007
If you've started down the path of figuring out how to pay for college, you've probably been bombarded with words like EFC, COA, Unmet Need, and more. Is the assortment of financial aid acronyms and terms making your head spin? Well, hopefully we can help shed some light on all the alphabet soup of financial aid lingo and show you how all these financial aid terms fits together.
First, let's start off with the least enjoyable aspect of the college process... paying the bill. The COA, or Cost of Attendance, represents the total amount it will cost you to attend college. This number is expressed as a yearly figure. The COA includes:
- Tuition and fees
- On-campus room and board or a housing and food allowance for off-campus students
- Allowances for books, supplies, transportation, and loan fees
In addition to the above, cost of attendance may include the following (if applicable):
- Dependent care (this may be for students who have children)
- Costs related to a disability
- Miscellaneous expenses, including an allowance for the rental or purchase of a personal computer
- Reasonable costs for eligible study-abroad programs
Fortunately, most students and parents are not expected to pay the entire Cost of Attendance right away out of their own pockets. The federal government uses the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and many schools use the CSS Profile to determine the Expected Family Contribution (or EFC). The EFC is basically an assessment of how much money you and your family can contribute toward paying for college. The FAFSA and CSS Profile take into account your income and assets and, if you are a dependent, the income and assets of your parent(s).
Your financial need is the difference between the COA and the EFC. It's the help that you need to fill the gap between what you can afford and what college actually costs.
| | Cost of Attendance |
| — | Expected Family Contribution |
 |
| | Financial Need |
This brings us to financial aid. Financial aid is typically focused on addressing your financial need, helping you and your family bridge this gap between the cost of going to college and your family's ability to pay.
Financial aid can be broken down into 3 main categories.
- Scholarships / Grants
Scholarships are the most attractive form of financial aid. Scholarships are essentially financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Scholarships are sometimes referred to as gift-based aid. - Loans
Loans are basically financial aid which must be repaid with interest over a period of time. Loans help you spread the cost of college over a more manageable time frame. Government sponsored loans, which include Perkins, Stafford, and PLUS loans, are typically the lowest cost loans for you and your parents. - Employment / Work Study
Work study is financial aid which requires you to work while attending school to contribute toward the cost of education. While, yes, it does requires you to work, work study or other employment may offer additional benefits to you over other forms of financial aid. You will likely develop improved time-management skills and build up good experience for your resume.
Now that leads us to the last term we're going to cover... Unmet Need. This is the leftover portion of your financial need after your financial aid package is factored in.
| | Financial Need |
| — | Financial Aid |
|
| | Unmet Need |
Some schools will try to cover all your financial need leaving you with no unmet need. A few colleges that make this effort include Harvard, Bucknell, and Franklin and Marshall. However, the financial realities of most colleges make it difficult for them to meet all your financial need. In this case, you might need to resort to private loans to cover your unmet need. We recommend that you consider all available options, including searching for scholarships and getting a part-time job, before you take on significant student loan debt. Remember, loans aren't free. You'll have to pay this money back (with interest) when you graduate.
We hope we've helped bring a little clarity to the jumble of terms you're running across as you look into ways to finance your college education.
Labels: COA, EFC, financial aid, financial need, scholarships, student loans, unmet need
Scholarship Spotlight: Gates Millennium Scholars Program
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Gates Millennium Scholarship Program listing
The Games Millennium Scholars Program is one of the largest scholarship programs available. This scholarship was initially created through a one billion dollar grant (yes, you read that right, $1 billion!) from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The scholarship program's goal is to help minority students with significant financial need gain access to higher education.
The eligibility criteria for this scholarship are extremely broad, but the application process is definitely one of the more rigorous ones for a scholarship. Don't let that scare you off, though, since they give out thousands of scholarships every year, paying your entire tuition bill.
The great thing about the Gates Millennium Scholarship is that it essentially provides you with a free education. It covers all unmet need and self-help funding (that means you won't have any loans or work-study aid). You essentially get to go to college for free. It is renewable for up to five years for an undergraduate degree in any discipline, and up to six years for graduate study in specific fields. The Gates Millennium Scholarship could potentially pay for you to get both a bachelors and PhD. How incredible is that?
Who can win the Gates Millennium Scholarship?
The scholarship is available to minority students. More specifically, you must belong to one of the following minority groups:
- African-American
- American Indian / Alaska Native
- Asian Pacific Islander American
- Hispanic American
Scholarship applicants must be a citizen, national, or legal resident of the United States.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship program is targeted at students with a lot of academic potential. As a result, you must have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher (on a 4.0 scale). GED students are eligible to apply for the scholarship as well.
The scholarship is for minority students who will be first-time freshmen. If you are already in college, you are not eligible for the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
The scholarship program is intended to help students meet their full potential. As a result, the scholarship committee is looking for students who will have a real impact and take full advantage of this full-tuition scholarship. Scholarship applicants should be able to demonstrate leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship program is a need-based scholarship. In order to qualify for the scholarship, you must meet the federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship is meant to be used for full-time study at a U.S. college or university.
The Scholarship Application Process for the Gates Millennium Scholarship
The application process is a little bit different for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. You don't just apply for the scholarship. You actually need someone to nominate you for the Gates Millennium Scholarship as well. In order for someone to nominate you for the scholarship, they must be an educator. Some examples include principals, teachers, guidance counselors, or higher education representatives. You cannot be related to the person who nominates you for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. The nominator should be familiar with your academic achievements.
Ah... but the process doesn't stop there. You also need a recommender. Your recommender serves a specific purpose in the selection process for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. The recommender should have knowledge about your community service and leadership activities. Your recommender can be the same person as your nominator, if he or she can speak about your leadership qualities.
So to recap, here's what you need to do to apply for the Gates Millennium Scholarship program:
- Complete the Nominee Personal Information Form
- Select a Nominator and have them complete the Nominator Form
- Select a Recommender and have them complete the Recommender Form
If you are selected as a finalist for the Gates Millennium Scholarship, you will likely be asked to submit additional information, including official transcripts, a college or university admission letter, student aid report, and financial aid award details.
Facts & Figures about the Gates Millennium Scholars Program for 2006
- 12,000+ Application Received
- 1,000 Gates Scholars Selected
- 822 different high schools represented among the recipients
- 47 states represented
- 331 different colleges and universities attended
Source: Gates Millennium Scholars Annual Report 2006-07
Labels: gates millennium, scholarship spotlight, scholarships
Effective Strategies for Winning Scholarships
Monday, October 8, 2007
Looking to get your share of the scholarship pie? Wondering how you can improve your chances of winning some scholarship money for college? We share a few tips that can help you with your scholarship search efforts.
Start Early
Applying for scholarships will likely require a significant investment of time. In addition to filling out a scholarship application form, you often have to write essays, secure recommendations, and provide financial information to apply for a scholarship. The earlier you start, the less stressful the scholarship application experience will likely be. You can avoid feeling rushed and eliminate careless mistakes on your scholarship application.
Getting an early start on your scholarship search also ensures that you won't miss any great opportunities to win some money. Not all scholarship deadlines fall after the college admissions deadlines. There are a number of scholarship awards given away in the fall of the academic year. There are even some scholarships for sophomores and juniors in high school.
Stay Organized
Each scholarship has its own eligibility criteria, its own application form, and its own deadline. It can be confusing to keep everything in order. It is a good idea to start a folder dedicated to scholarships. First, in your scholarship folder, you should keep a list of all the scholarships you qualify for... that means scholarships for which you meet all eligibility criteria. You should also save application forms for these scholarships in the folder. It's also a good idea to save "A" papers, 1st place ribbons, and other documentation of your accomplishments throughout high school and college. These will help you when you need to list out activities and awards. You might also be able to adapt a really great paper for school to use as the basis for a strong scholarship essay.
Having all this information in one place can be a huge timesaver when it comes time to actually apply for scholarships. It may also help you avoid careless mistakes on scholarship applications.
Focus Your Efforts
You should concentrate on completing quality scholarship applications not on applying for as many scholarships as you can in the shortest amount of time. You want to target scholarships for which you are well-qualified and have the greatest opportunity for winning. In other words, you want to give yourself the best chance of winning the scholarships you are most likely to win.
Labels: scholarship search, scholarships, tips
The Search for Scholarships
Friday, October 5, 2007
So I'm sure you are fully aware that college isn't cheap... in fact, college is one of the biggest expenses you are likely to encounter during your entire life. If you are like most college students, you are trying to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses and student loan burden. This is where scholarships can come into play. Scholarships are your source of "free money"... that is, money you don't have to pay back.
So your next question is probably "Where can I find scholarships?" Unfortunately, most scholarships won't just fall into your lap, but that doesn't mean there isn't scholarship money out there for you.
Scholarship Search Stop #1: Colleges
The first place to search for scholarships is by checking with the college you are attending (or hope to attend). Often times, the admissions application itself serves as the scholarship application. In some cases, schools have a separate scholarship application you may need to fill out. You also want to check with the various departments because they may have their own major-specific scholarships as well. If you're lucky, your school could even have scholarships you automatically win based on your SAT, ACT, or GPA. Some schools use scholarships like this to attract top-notch students who might otherwise go elsewhere.
Scholarship Search Stop #2: Local Organizations
Okay, so now you are off and running with your scholarship search. Where to next? Check for scholarships that are focused on your geographic area. Stop in at your counselor's office and see if there is a list of scholarships for students at your school. If you have a community foundation in your area, they often have scholarship programs for local students. Other community organizations that often fund scholarships include Lion's Clubs and Kiwanis Clubs.
Scholarship Search Stop #3: Member Organizations
Now you've really gotten the ball rolling and are looking for the next stop on your scholarship search... it's membership organizations. Often times, clubs, unions, or other membership organizations offer scholarships to both their members and children of their members. If your parents are part of a professional organization like the Society for Manufacturing Engineers or an AFL-CIO union, ask them to inquire about scholarships. Do you work for a large corporation like McDonald's? Did you know they offer scholarships? Your parents' employers may offer tuition assistance programs as well.
Scholarship Search Stop #4: Internet and Scholarship Search Engines
Finally, you shouldn't forget to use the internet and scholarship search engines like College Toolkit to help you track down scholarship opportunities. Scholarship search engines typically require about 5 minutes of up-front effort completing a scholarship profile to help you find a personalized list of scholarships.
So there it is. You now have a roadmap for your scholarship search. Good luck! I hope you track down lots of free money!
Labels: financial aid, scholarship search, scholarships
Common Scholarship Application Mistakes
Filling out scholarship applications is no one's idea of a good time. I'd rank it up there with studying for a Calculus final as things I'd rather not be doing on a Sunday afternoon. However, if you want to get some extra money to help pay for college, it's a necessary evil.
If you are going to spend the time applying for scholarships, the least you can do is make sure you turn in a quality application. Otherwise, you're probably wasting your time trying to win the scholarship.
I've been involved in several scholarship programs and here are a few tips to help you avoid common mistakes on scholarships applications.
Don't submit your application until you have had someone else proofread it
You want to put your best foot forward for the scholarship committee. They don't want to award the scholarship to someone who doesn't take the time to make sure their essay doesn't have a zillion typos or who misspells the name of the scholarship five times. Before you turn in your scholarship application, it's a good idea to ask a parent, a teacher, or a counselor to take a look at any essays. Even if you are a top-notch writer and proofreader, it often helps to have a fresh set of eyes look over your scholarship application.
Make sure you answer the questions being asked
The scholarship committee has selected the questions on the application for a reason. There are certain qualities they want from their scholarship recipients. If they ask you to write about an experience where you overcame an obstacle, don't write your scholarship essay about how your dad is your hero. It's easy for a scholarship committee to tell when you wrote an essay for a class and just copied and pasted it into the application form, ignoring what the question is really asking.
Read the directions carefully
Don't assume that every scholarship application is the same. Each scholarship has its own deadlines and its own requirements. Slow down and take a minute to read the directions on the scholarship application. If they want all materials submitted by March 31, chances are that you are wasting your time submitting a scholarship application on May 1. If you're unsure about something, contact the organization offering the scholarship. A little time upfront can often save you lots of time and help you avoid headaches down the road.
Double-Check to make sure you are submitting all required materials
Most scholarships get more qualified applicants than they can award money to. It's often a tough process picking who should win a scholarship award. One way to make it easier for the scholarship committee is to turn in an incomplete application. While some organizations may be nice enough to track you down and ask you to submit any missing information, I wouldn't count on it.
Only apply if you qualify
It sounds so obvious yet I've seen so many scholarship applications where a student simply ignored the eligibility criteria. You may really want to win that $10,000 scholarship, but if you don't qualify, you're wasting your time by applying. Focus on scholarships where you have a chance to win rather than hoping that the committee won't notice you are a college freshman not a high school senior.
Scholarships can be a great way to bring down the cost of college so don't ruin your chances by being making these common mistakes.
Labels: applications, common mistakes, financial aid, scholarships