2. Tonight’s Topics The facts on scholarships Getting over your scholarship hurdles How scholarships are awarded Creating a personal assessment Searching for scholarships Applying for scholarships

4. The Facts on Scholarships A scholarship is a sum of money awarded to eligible students to assist with paying for college. The money is applied to tuition and/or living expenses, and it does not need to be repaid.

5. The Facts on Scholarships Scholarships are available to every student for many reasons: –Sports –Community and volunteer service –Academics –After-school or summer jobs –Special interest (hobbies, club membership, activities, etc.)

6. The Facts on Scholarships Billions of dollars in scholarship money is available Only about 7 percent of college students take advantage of scholarships from private sources as a way to help pay for college Each year more than $100 million in scholarship money goes unawarded

8. Getting Over Your Scholarship Hurdles Hurdle #1: “What if I don’t qualify?” Solution: There are scholarships available for everyone.

9. Hurdle #2: “Where do I find them?” Solution: There are resources everywhere to help you search, like the Internet and the library. Getting Over Your Scholarship Hurdles

10. Hurdle #3: “How do I begin completing the application?” Solution: A personal assessment will guide you through each application. Getting Over Your Scholarship Hurdles

11. Hurdle #4 “What if I don’t have enough time?” Solution Spend two hours creating a personal assessment and use it for several scholarship applications. If you receive $10,000 in awards, you’ve just made $5,000 per hour. Getting Over Your Scholarship Hurdles

13. How Scholarships are Awarded Scholarships are made for you! There are many available from many different organizations. You have the qualities these organizations are looking to reward!

14. How Scholarships are Awarded Scholarships are awarded by: Foundations Corporations and labor unions Churches, clubs, and groups Individuals Government Colleges

15. How Scholarships are Awarded Scholarships are awarded because of: Intended major Where you live or your high school Race, ethnicity or religion Type of college Physical ability, disability, or disease diagnosis Your job

16. How Scholarships are Awarded Scholarships reward your character traits: Talents Ambitions Responsibilities Honesty Goals Leadership skills

18. Creating a Personal Assessment What’s a personal assessment? Summarizes your best qualities Lists what you do and what you’ve done What are the benefits? Serves as an outline when writing essays Improves your applications and saves you time when applying

19. Creating a Personal Assessment Begin creating your personal assessment with a list of the basics: What you do: Your activities, interests, and leadership skills What you want to do: The college you want to attend, the career you want to have

20. Creating a Personal Assessment After the facts, think more broadly: Your character Accomplishments Experiences – the good and the bad Goals and ambitions

21. Creating a Personal Assessment The Personal Assessment Worksheet gives you a way to start. Create it any way you want, just be honest and reflective Create it early and keep it updated – you can use it again and again!

23. Searching for Scholarships Where to look? Who to ask? The Internet Books Colleges’ Financial Aid Departments Your parents, teachers, employers, club leaders, coaches Me! Your high school counselor

24. Searching for Scholarships Find them online: Fastaid.com Petersons.com CollegeBoard.com Fastweb.com And many, many others!

25. Searching for Scholarships At the library you can find scholarships in books. These are just a few of the books you might find: How to Go to College Almost for Free Free $ for College for Dummies The Scholarship Book Websites’ printed books –College Board Scholarship Handbook –Peterson's Scholarships, Grants & Prizes

26. Searching for Scholarships Be Aware of Scholarship Scams Don’t apply if there’s a fee Be skeptical of a phone call Look out for strange contact information Be careful of endorsements Watch out for “Guarantees” Protect your personal information

27. Searching for Scholarships For more information about avoiding scams, contact: Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center H-240, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20580 Website: www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

29. Applying for Scholarships Scholarship applications ask you to broadly describe your interests, activities, and talents, for example: “Describe how you contribute to your community and what you have learned from your experiences.” “Describe an academic challenge you have faced, and how you have overcome it.”

30. Applying for Scholarships Scholarships want to know about you! What makes you who you are What you think and believe What you’ve accomplished How you handled setbacks

31. Applying for Scholarships Tips for completing your applications: Follow the directions Proofread your essay Ask a parent, teacher or friend to proofread your application If applying via email, make sure the email address used is appropriate (i.e., don’t use hotgirl2004@email.com)

32. Applying for Scholarships Timeline for applying: Start looking up to one year before you actually need the funding Apply for scholarships during your senior year of high school Continue to search and apply for scholarships every year you attend college

33. Questions? Thanks for attending Scholarships 101!