Presented by:Frenae Smith &Shani Allison

SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AID

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

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

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

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

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

FINANCIAL AID

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

Learn the college deadlines for filing aid

Book Recommendation - "A Road to Success: The College Preparatory & Planning Guide“ - www.aroadtosuccessthebook.com

FINANCIAL AID RECOMMENDATIONS

“Prepare for the college scholarship search early. Do

not wait until your senior year.”

(www.scholarshipworkshop.com)

SCHOLARSHIPS

“Start early and work diligently and it will pay off.

“ (www.scholarships.com)

SCHOLARSHIPS

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

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

Community OrganizationsHigh school guidance counselors officePrivate Organizations/agenciesPrivate Donors Your parent’s companies/employersLocal LibraryAcademic units – college & universities Internet/search Web sitesChurchFamily Military Affiliations

SCHOLARSHIPS RESOURCES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can We Clarify Anything?

High School Resume example

Freshmen year Resume example

BACK-UP SLIDES