Presented by: Shani Allison, Frenae Smith

1. Presented by:
Frenae Smith
&
Shani Allison
SCHOLARSHIPS &
FINANCIAL AID

2. Financial Aid – is money used to help pay for college tuition and room &
board
Variety of financial aid tools available to students
 Scholarships
 Need-based awards
 Work-study employment
 Student loans
 Private loans
FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid
FAFSA is your starting point to apply for many student financial aid
programs
FINANCIAL AID

3.  Grants—student aid funds that do not have to be repaid (other conditions
apply)
 Work-Study—a part-time work program to earn money while you are in school
 Federal Loans—student aid funds that you must repay with interest
 Types of federal student loans:
 Perkins
 Direct Stafford
 Direct PLUS (graduate and professional degree student borrowers)
 Direct PLUS (parent borrowers)
 Direct Loan Consolidation
FINANCIAL STUDENT AID PROGRAMS

4. Prepared to provide extensive information about:
 Family income & income taxes from the previous year
 Assets
 Family size
 The number of family members attending college
By law, the FAFSA cannot be submitted before January 1
Gather the paperwork and fill out the FAFSA in December
Student aid is generally awarded on a first-come, first-served basis
FINANCIAL AID

5. FAFSA form should be submitted by February 15
 Each state varies on the due date
Parents need to do taxes early – ideally by February 1st
 Parents can estimate taxes to fill out the FAFSA form earlier than filing taxes,
but can change figures later after filing
 Don’t let tax filing hold up filling out the FAFSA on time
Qualify for State Grants – released by March 15th
Parents & students should apply for FAFSA Pin Numbers separately to
speed the process up
FINANCIAL AID

6. If you are married and file separately then file the FAFSA form with the
parent with the lowest income
Student must be status – FULL time always
List as many schools as possible
Sign up for loans and work study
FINANCIAL AID

7. FINANCIAL AID

8. Get free information and help from:
 School counselor
 Financial aid office at the college/university
 Career school you plan to attend
 U.S. Department of Education at www.fafsa.gov (online chat is also
available), or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
Visit the Financial Aid office of the colleges you tour
Speak with an advisor to learn what the college can do for you to help
with tuition
FINANCIAL AID RECOMMENDATIONS

9. Learn the college deadlines for filing aid
Book Recommendation - "A Road to Success: The College Preparatory &
Planning Guide“ - www.aroadtosuccessthebook.com
FINANCIAL AID RECOMMENDATIONS

10. “Prepare for the college
scholarship search early. Do not
wait until your senior year.”
(www.scholarshipworkshop.com)
SCHOLARSHIPS

11. “Start early and work diligently
and it will pay off. “
(www.scholarships.com)
SCHOLARSHIPS

12. Are a form of gift aid, which means that they do not require either
repayment or work
Most scholarships are based on:
 Academic achievement
 Leadership
 Community service/Volunteer work
 Special talents
 Financial need
SCHOLARSHIPS

13.  Scholarships internal to the university or college
 Local & Regional
 Not found as easily through an Internet search
 May be easier to win because the applicant pool is smaller
 National
 Harder to win due to greater competition
Use a combination of resources to find as many scholarships to apply for
as possible
SCHOLARSHIP CATEGORIES

14. Community Organizations
High school guidance counselors office
Private Organizations/agencies
Private Donors
Your parent’s companies/employers
Local Library
Academic units – college & universities
Internet/search Web sites
Church
Family Military Affiliations
SCHOLARSHIPS RESOURCES

15. Never too early to find college scholarships
Look at scholarship requirements and familiarize yourself with the
requirements that will be required to complete the application process
Know FAFA form deadline
Discuss with parents financial situation for college
 College tuition cost is on the rise
 “College is a choice now a days”
 “College may become a luxury for the few”
SCHOLARSHIPS

16. Decide on a college major because some scholarships are geared to
specific majors
Start and maintain good grades in high school
Frequently requested documents include:
 Transcripts
 Financial aid forms
 SAT and ACT scores
 Copies of tax returns
 Résumés
 Letters of recommendation
 Develop relationships with teachers, work supervisor, etc.
 Photographs
SCHOLARSHIPS

17. Know scholarship deadlines and due dates
Work on Community Service/Volunteer Work
 Track hours
 Retain list of projects and outcomes
Compile Awards List
Join school Clubs/organizations
Athletic talent and activity
SCHOLARSHIPS

18.  Use social media to get information on scholarships
 Interact with other students for information
 Spend hours on the computer going through websites of scholarships
 Check in with the school guidance counselor for information about
scholarships but don't depend on them to do the work for you
 Reach out to your parents to check their company scholarship for employee
children and any organizations that they belong to
SCHOLARSHIP

19. Follow the guidelines; do not provide extra documents
Type the application form
Don't use fancy fonts! - stick with standard business fonts like Times New
Roman or Arial
Legibility and neatness are extremely important!!!
 Your application can be eliminated if it cannot be easily read
SCHOLARSHIPS

20. Put your name on every page of the application
Make copies of the application form so that you can create a working
draft
Use that draft to complete the final application form
Answer every question
SCHOLARSHIPS

21.  Its more than your SAT scores:
 Scholarship programs look at
 Community activities
 Leadership
 Presentation of your application package
 Scholarship interview tips
 Special or unusual talents or skills
 Essays
 Check, check, and recheck for typos
 Simple errors on scholarship applications will remove you from the
competition
 Make a complete copy of the application before you submit it
SCHOLARSHIPS

22. Not following directions
Not paying attention to the deadline and missing it
Not typing your application or sending in a sloppy application
Forgetting to spell check and to proofread after you spell check
Not including information such as a transcript or recommendation
Not answering the essay question or another question asked.
SCHOLARSHIPS COMMON MISTAKES

23. What you can do in preparation:
 Achieve good grades
 Volunteer for community service projects
 Get involve with school activities
 Research colleges/universities
 Research majors
HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMEN

24. What you can do in preparation:
 Research local & national scholarships available
 Research high school specific scholarships offer
 Prep for SATs & ACT tests
 Develop a timeline/calendar to log scholarship deadlines
 Scholarship name
 Due Date
 Back up due date (six weeks ahead)
 Requirements of scholarship (application, transcript, essay, references)
 Maintain or improve grades
HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE

25. What you can do in preparation:
 Write generic essays (250 -500 words)
 Ex. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
 Compile a list of essays you are eligible for
 Prepare a resume of your life
 This can be given to those who are selected to write letters of recommendation
 Maintain or improve grades
HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR

26.  Your life, challenges or obstacles you’ve overcome, a risk you have taken,
family, etc. and how it influenced the person you are today
 Something in the news domestically or internationally and how it relates your
career decision, college selection, you as a person, etc.
 Who you are ~ hobbies, sports, accomplishments, etc. and the value it would
add to others. You may want to have both a written essay and a video profile
of who you are. Be creative, but keep it professional.
 Describe a fiction character, historical figure or a creative work (art, music,
technology, etc.) that’s had an influence on you
SCHOLARSHIPS ESSAY TOPICS

27. What you can do in preparation:
 Write several DRAFT essays that can be tweaked for any purpose (250 – 500
words)
 Request letters of recommendation (at least 3) from your strongest
cheerleaders (Teachers, Coaches, Counselors, Administrators, Community
Leaders, etc.) prepped and ready to submit with applications
 Fill out applications ahead of time
 Work hard in August, September and October
 Some scholarships are due in September & October
 Need access to computer & internet
 Most applications are online submittals
 Apply to scholarships for your list of targeted schools
 Maintain good grades
HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR

28.  Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Award (http://www.jackierobinson.org/)
 Provides scholarships of up to $7,500 annually to minority high school students
showing leadership potential and demonstrating financial need to attend an
accredited 4-year college or university of their choice
 Eligibility
 To be eligible for a Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship, an applicant must:
 Be a graduating, minority high school senior;
 Plan to attend an accredited and approved four–year institution within the United States;
 Show leadership potential;
 Demonstrate a dedication to community service;
 Present evidence of financial need;
 Be a United States citizen;
 A minimum SAT score of 1,000 combined on the math and critical reading sections or a composite
ACT score of 22; and
 Not possess a degree from a 2 or 4–year College when applying for the scholarship.
EXAMPLE

29. JRF Application Components:
 A completed and submitted online application
 One (1) letter of recommendation submitted online only
 SAT or ACT scores sent to the Foundation directly from the testing agencies
 The Foundation’s college codes are: SAT 4248/ACT: 6570
 You will need to have a copy of your SAT or ACT scores and your latest high
school transcript in order to complete the questions on the online application
EXAMPLE

30. Build a file on scholarship information & copies of your applications
 It can be physical such as files in a file container
 Scan in physical copies of packets and store electronically
 It can be electronic such as a word document file on your computer
 Back up electronic copy file on a flash drive or external hard drive
Develop a year round calendar
Do your research before your senior year in high school
Make sure your application is professional and compelling!!!
SCHOLARSHIP RECOMMENDATIONS

31. Work on general essay topics
Develop leadership experience
Volunteer in the community
Know the process is ongoing
Do not ignore scholarships that may be local or those for small amounts
 Scholarship amounts, even as small as $50, can add up
SCHOLARSHIP RECOMENDATIONS

32. Make a copy of the letter of recommendation before submitting the
scholarship packet
Send thank you notes to the people who wrote letters of recommendation
SCHOLARSHIP RECOMMENDATIONS

33.  www.scholarships.com
 http://www.psu.edu/studentaid/scholarships/private.shtml?reload
 http://www.blackexcel.org/200-Scholarships.html
 http://www.scholarshiphelp.org/preparing_application.htm
 http://www.scholarshipworkshop.com/the-scholarship-toolbox/scholarship-
tips.html
 http://www.collegeanswer.com/counselor/content/college101/fafsa.jsp
 http://www.celestialsent.com/?p=6
 http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/funding.jsp#02
 http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/college-planning/financial-
aid/college-financial-aid1.htm
RESOURCES

35. Can We Clarify Anything?

36. High School Resume example
Freshmen year Resume example
BACK-UP SLIDES