My son has over a 4.0 gpa, so what's the best scholarships to apply for for aid??

Question

He also had leadership in MUN (Model of the United Nations) and X-Country & Track involvements for 3 years straight. Do they count on certain scholarships? How can we get help??

Thanks so much!!

Answer 1

When students ask me about scholarships the usual answer I give them is apply early and for everything you even remotely qualify for. I know of one girl that got accepted for a scholarship just because she was the only person that applied for it. Some scholarships are only open to very specific groups. One local scholarship is only open to children of the employees of our local gas company.

Good sources to check are: the college your son is applying to, your place of work, and your son's high school. Beware services that charge you a fee. Scholarships and grants are free to apply for and never charge a fee. Also be sure to check with the government. It is still the biggest source of grants and gives all kind of breaks for college bound kids and their parents. I even got a break on my taxes for tuition payed.

A trend that you should be aware of in higher education is a movement away from grades as the sole basis for scholarships and admittance. Students want a well-rounded group, so they may ask questions like "what are you reading now" and the answer better not be a text book. They want to know that you have interests outside of school. Include all of his academic achievements, and then throw some things in that set him apart from the crowd.

Answer 2

Your best bet is to hit up the huge number of scholarships in the various directories online. By setting up profiles and searching for specific awards, you'll likely find that there are scholarships for things like certain sports and activities.

Try these scholarship sites:

http://www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com
http://www.ScholarshipPoints.com
http://www.FastWeb.com
http://www.CollegeBoard.com

Good luck!

Christopher S. Penn, The Financial Aid Podcast
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Answer 3

Do you mean for college?

Many colleges just have students apply and indicate whether they have financial aid needs. Then once students are admitted, the school decides what financial aid package to offer.

If your son applies to the really elite schools, they give out merit-based financial aid so he would likely get assistance as long as your family can't afford to pay the tuition. (And some of those schools give financial aid even to students who have six-figure incomes.)

Answer 4

Well he could probably get admission into any college he applies to. Apply in the ones who offer academic scolarships, so you may not ven need to get financial aid.

Answer 5

I know absolutely nothing about grants, however I would think talking to his school councelor is the best way to get started...