1. Where to look for additional outside help to pay for school Tips from College Board.com with additional supplements

2. Where to begin Apply for FAFSA Apply for CSS Profile (some schools) Apply to schools Speak to financial aid officers at your schools

3. Sample Questions to Ask a Financial Aid Officer From collegeboard.com These are good questions to ask in order to determine how much outside help to seek. Examples: Average total cost? Priority deadline for financial aid? Offer need-based and merit-based financial aid?

4. How to Begin Your Outside Scholarship Search Recognize that most financial aid comes from: 1. college grants 2. federal loan programs

5. It take times… Searching for scholarships takes time and energy, but remember: It's free money. If you spend five hours applying for scholarships and receive only one $500 scholarship, that's the same as earning $100 an hour! ~Sallie Mae Foundation

6. How to Begin Your Outside Scholarship Search (continued) If you decide to search for outside scholarships: 1. It will be a timely process 2. Personalize and narrow your search – Do I meet the criteria for this scholarship? 3. Look at local scholarships 4. Research employers (both yours and your parents) and membership organizations 5. Use recently publishes scholarship books 6. Use online scholarship search engines * 7. Look at ISAC scholarships 8. Research institutional scholarships 9. Make an organized list of where you are applying

7. Narrow Your Search Basic narrowing points include: School year, citizenship, state of residence, religion, ethnic background, disability, military status, employer and membership organizations Other questions to narrow your search include: What do I want to study? What kind of career do I want to pursue?

8. Good Questions to Ask What is the application process? Submission form Interview What materials are required? FAFSA and/or CSS Profile information Transcripts Essays Recommendations Is the scholarship renewable?

9. Look Locally Scholarships for students from your high school Chicago scholarships Cook County scholarships Illinois scholarships

10. Your Job (and your parents’ too) Large companies have scholarships and tuition programs for employee’s children Tell your parents to ask the Human Resources Office Look at your own job for possible scholarship opportunities Fast food chains Department stores Grocery stores

11. Membership Organizations Many membership organizations offer scholarships Include: Alumni clubs Professional organizations Community service organizations Religious organizations Sorority and Fraternity organizations

12. Good Books Each year, new books are published with scholarship listings. Go to your local bookstore or library to find these books. Make sure the publication date is recent, to be sure the scholarships are still available.

13. Books recommended by the Sallie Mae Fund How to Get Money for College, by Woodburn Press How to Get Money for College Cash for College, by NASFAA Cash for College How to Pay for College: A Practical Guide for Families, by Gen and Kelly Tanabe How to Pay for College: A Practical Guide for Families The A's and B's of Academic Scholarships, by Anna Leider and Anna Schimke The Black Student's Guide to Scholarships The Scholarship Book, by National Scholarship Research Service The Scholarship Advisor, by Christopher Vuturo Winning Scholarships for College: An Insider's Guide Peterson's College Money Handbook Paying for College without Going for Broke, by Kalman Chany and Geoff Martz Peterson's Winning Money for College

14. Books scholarship books to browse

15. Illinois Scholarship Programs from ISAC Scholarships administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission Depends on the amounts allocation the Illinois General Assembly and Governor every year

16. Good & Free Scholarship Search Engines to Try CollegeBoard.com Petersons.com WhatsNextIllinois.com ScholarshipExperts.com FindTuition.com PrincetonReview.com

18. Can narrow the search Profile includes school information to narrow it Student can provide additional information

19. Scholarship finder Make a profile to refine your search

20. Sign up for free Fill out an extensive profile to narrow your search when you first log in List scholarships by deadline dates

22. Scholarship search is currently being updated, so unavailable for now

23. Gates Millennium Scholars http://gmsp.org/

24. Scholarships for Hispanic Students HSF.com TheSalliemaeFund. org Latino College Dollars

25. Scholarships for African-American Students UNCF.org TheSallieMaeFund. org Black College Dollars

26. Scholarships for Asian Students APIASF.org

27. Scholarships for Undocumented Students MALDEF.org

28. Other Websites FastWeb.com FastAid.com Scholarships.com

29. Institutional Scholarships Automatic scholarships for GPA or ACT/SAT scores? Usually included in your financial aid package if factors in financial need with the merit-based portion Some schools have application processes After investigating, ask how and where to apply.

30. Tips from College Board Start looking early Read eligibility requirements carefully Organize your materials 1. Transcripts 2. Test scores 3. FAFSA and/or CSS Profile 4. Parent’s tax return information and other financial info 5. Essays 6. Recommendations 7. Proof of eligibility

31. Tips from College Board (cont.) Proofread the application and essays Leave no blanks Follow all instructions Make sure it is legible Make copies of everything you send Send it in early!

32. More Tips for Searching 1. Start looking early 2. Use all of your resources 3. Know which scholarships you meet the eligibility requirements 4. Complete the requirements on scholarship application 5. Be confident, yet polite in your application 6. Do not pay for scholarship searches

33. How will outside scholarships affect your financial aid package? Talk to a financial aid office member and ask Individual schools handle outside scholarships differently Often, university need-based grants are reduced first Other times, outside scholarships may be applied to other costs, such as room and board or books

34. Good luck! Thank you for listening to this presentation!