ScholarshipsFebruary 14, 2013

Agenda

1. Scholarship basics

2. How to locate scholarships

3. Tips for Students & Parents

Scholarship opportunities vary in their:

1. Award(s) offered2. Sources (private vs. public vs.

college/university based)3. Criteria for eligibility4. Application requirements  

Scholarship Basics

Awards

Several types of awards are offered through scholarships, including:

• Monetary awards applied toward direct COA (Cost of Attendance):– One time grant/award vs. renewable– Full or Partial Tuition– Housing– Books and/or General Expenses

• Career assistance and exploration:– Internship opportunities (ex: JP Morgan Chase Smart Start)– Study abroad and/or independent research

• Certificate, Medal, or other non-monetary award:– Still very useful in the college process (i.e. NMSC)

Scholarship Sources

• Private– Provided by private organizations.

» Ronald McDonald House Charities» NY Times College Scholarship Program» Gates Millennium Scholarship

• Public– Provided by state or local municipalities

» NY State Scholarship for Academic Excellence

• College/University based– Provided by a specific college or university

» Boston University Presidential Scholarship.» University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Program» Danforth Scholars Program » Questbridge Pre-college Summer Program Scholarships

Scholarships also vary in the manner through which they are funded:

Eligibility

• Academics• GPA and/or Standardized Tests

• Demographics• Socioeconomic status• Ethnicity

• Talents• Athletics – D I or D II Scholarships• Arts / Music / Writing

• Personal Qualities• Community service / volunteerism• Leadership skills

• Grade level• Residency• Academic Interest• Parental Employment Association(s)• First generation college bound• Military interest (ROTC)

National Merit / National Achievement

Random House Writing Competition

NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week

JP Morgan / Chase Smart Start

Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship Program

Swarthmore College Book Award

Coca Cola First Generation Scholarship

Scholarships may target students based upon specific criteria such as:

Application RequirementsScholarship Applications may contain various requirements, such as:

• Academic• Essays• Grades (Transcript, SAT/ACT Scores)• Recommendation(s)• Sample of work (Art, Music, Film, etc.)• Research Paper

• Interview / Group Interview

• Nomination• Community Based Organization• Bronx Science Scholarship Committee

How does my child find scholarship opportunities?

• Internet• Fastweb• Big Future• College / University Websites

• School Based• Naviance• Scholarship Bulletin(s)

• Independent / Offline Resources• Company / Employer / Union

• Provides access to 1.5 million scholarships worth over 3.4 billion dollars

• Fastweb adds new scholarships to their database daily as they become available.

• Fastweb can send alerts straight to your personal email account! Alerts let you know when a new scholarship has been added, matches your profile, or when a deadline is nearing.

Fastweb

• Students who answer all of the optional questions match about twice as many scholarships as students who answer only the required questions, on average

• The optional questions are there to trigger the inclusion of specific awards in the search results.

College Board – Big Future

• Scholarship Search allows you to find scholarships, other financial aid, and internships totaling over $6 billion dollars annually in awards annually.

• Be as comprehensive as possible in creating your profile so that you can receive more detailed and targeted results.

• Free to access and connected to the student’s own College Board accounts!

College Websites

Naviance Search Tool

Scholarship Bulletin

• Look at scholarship bulletin board (located outside the Guidance suite)

• Speak with your employers or union representatives about scholarship opportunities available for children of employees

• Use scholarship books found in your local library• FREE Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to

Federal Student Aid• The College Board Scholarship Handbook : by The College

Board• Peterson's Scholarships, Grants & Prizes (Peterson's

Scholarships, Grants & Prizes) by Linda Seghers• Kaplan Scholarships, Edition (Kaplan Scholarships)

Independent / Offline Resources

Scholarship Tips For Students and Parents: Part I• Only apply for scholarships for which you are

eligible

• Apply to a mix of scholarships (do not only apply for the most competitive/largest award scholarships)

• Stay on top of deadlines

• Provide recommenders ample time to complete their recommendation

Scholarship Tips For Students and Parents: Part II• Make sure to have someone review any

essays or application material before you submit them

• Complete a mock interview if an interview is required

• Start looking early

• Make sure to have an up-to-date college list in Naviance

Scholarship Tips For Students and Parents: Part III

• Watch out for Scholarship Scams!!!

• Use scholarship websites that are available, but DO NOT use any that charge fees– In the words of www.finaid.org, “If you have to pay money to get

money, it’s probably a scam.”– Every year an estimated 350,000 students and parents fall prey to

scholarship scams, at an annual cost of more than $5 million. The lure of "Free Money" fools even skeptical people.

• Never share credit card/banking information

• FinAid – excellent resource with information, tips, and tools to avoid scholarship scams: www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml

How do we assist students with their scholarship applications?

• Essay Help

• Standardized tests prep courses

• Mock Interviews

• Application Mentoring (Smart Start and Intel)

Scholarship Statistics 2011-2012

Total Scholarships Awarded: 1076

Total Scholarship Awards:  $23,845,608

72% of our students received scholarship awards in some form (524 out of 726)

QUESTIONS?