lets talk about scholarships

[hamchan]

How difficult are they to get? How much do they pay for on average? Can a kid with a B+ average get scholarships, or is it something only A students get? My husband got a full ride to the U of Mississippi, but he also graduated both high school and college with a 4.0, and 100% or higher grade in almost every class. My daughter is a bright kid, but she doesn't always turn her work in, and that hurts her grades. What can she do to increase the chances of getting scholarships besides taking honors and AP classes, foriegn language, and getting the best grades she can?

I just found out her stepmother is pregnant. She is graduating from college this spring, but she majored in film (my ex is majoring in film currently also but doesn't graduate for a couple more years) and her student loans will be coming due right around the time her baby is born. The odds of them being able to help DD any with college costs are rapidly decreasing. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I know that kidney transplants and antirejection medications are very expensive. Dialysis is very expensive, and could potentially limit DH's ability to earn an income. I want to help DD, but I just don't think we can.

[disneysteve]

There are generally two kinds of scholarships - academic and non-academic. For the academic ones, it's all about grades and test scores. She needs to work her butt off to get the best grades she possibly can. How much does that pay off? Our daughter starts college in September. She is getting a $19,000/year scholarship based on her academic performance. That's at a school with annual tuition of $36,000 so 19K is a nice amount.

Then there are endless non-academic scholarships. They could be based on community service. They could be based on sports or theater or other extracurricular activities. They could be awarded by affinity groups like Knights of Columbus or the Masonic Lodge or the Rotary Club. These may require that an immediate family belong to one of those groups. There could be some type of competition involved like an essay contest. Way back when I won an oratory contest sponsored by the Optimists.

Fastweb.com is a good and legit site to search for hundreds of scholarship opportunities. She may not qualify for most but definitely apply for the ones she is eligible for.

[Permanent Temp]

There are scholarships for so many things. Tell her to visit her guidance counselor to find local opportunities. Google search her heart out for things related to her intended major, how one parents has a disability, based on her race, based on what activities she does in school, find out if where she volunteers or works is offering scholarships or if where you volunteer or work is giving scholarships out to kids etc etc.

I went to school at community college first which was great because between myself and my parents I was able to pay that off completely. I didn't do fantastic in high school so community college gave me a better and lot less expensive shot at a four year school. While I didn't need to apply for scholarships or financial aid while there, it was available to me if I so chose. During that time I excelled at community college and applied for every scholarship imaginable (mostly transfer student scholarships) for my 4 year school by using all the methods discussed (including fastweb but that didn't help me much except for ideas to look for scholarships locally) I was granted $5500 worth of local scholarships plus a 1/3 tuition discount rate for doing so well in community college and transferring over to a state school.

With the combo of community college and scholarships I only had to take out 22K to finish, it would have been less but I had a semester I had to take off of school due to some issues and I took 3 years there due to figuring out at the end of community college that I wanted to be a science major but didn't have enough science courses done to graduate from the four year school in 2 years. I took summer courses at times as well which was good. I got to complete required courses that I didn't care for in a matter of weeks instead of a torturous semester.

If your daughter is having issues with homework, I'd suggest community college first anyway. I wasn't a model student in high school but I started to love school and college when I went to community college. Almost everyone who was there worked hard to be there or was sacrificing something to be there. There were also the few who had failed out of a 4 year school or had to leave because they couldn't afford to keep going there. Hearing the stories from the African kids about how they escaped their country for a better life and went as far as living in their car for a semester because school was more important than rent kept me going. Hearing the "you don't know what you've got til its gone" stories from the 4 year school drop outs was some what sad. Even if they got through to the end of this degree they would have to petition to go back to the four year institution. Being in that environment might make your daughter appreciate an education more, and if for some reason she decides school isn't for her or changes her mind on a major it won't be a significant financial set back.

On the other side, I knew many kids in 4 year school who were freshman and didn't appreciate being there. They failed out and probably ended up back at home or in a community college. One was sent to cooking school. Then there were others who came in with a major that they didn't like or picked one because time was running out, completed it and found out they hated it and then went back to school at a community college to take course work toward another (lesser) degree.

My brother got academic scholarships (11k each year) and went straight into the four year school. He had a somewhat rocky time but got through with a degree. While academic scholarships are more and a fine thing to strive for don't count her out if she doesn't get there. Where there is a will there is a way it just depends on how badly she wants it.

There is also always the military it wasn't something I wanted to do but if you think your daughter would I'd mention it. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is great, my husband will be using that to go school at some point in the future.

[hamchan]

My employer only has four employees, and the owner certainly isn't getting rich off of the business. My husband works for a very large company though, so maybe...

The high school DD will be starting at this fall, though, has very high ratings for college prep. If she wants to work toward getting scholarships, then she will be at the right place for help and guidance. Personally my grades improved substantially between junior high and high school. I went from a D average to a B average. I guess on some level I knew the stakes were higher. She may do the same. I think if she put the effort in she could do very very well. She has a lot of support here. My husband encourages her a lot and can help her if she needs it. One of our best friends is a high school math teacher (he has also taught high school science), and DD is very close with him. He spends a lot of time with her and is a great influence. I always did pretty well with writing in college and proof read other student's papers for them.

OTOH, there are some good community colleges here too. I hadn't realized that you could also get scholarships to a four year school coming out of community college. And as long as she decides to finish high school here (rather than go back to her dad's)she would have the option when she is in 11th grade of taking a few courses at the community college, tuition free, and for high school and college credit. She has expressed interest in doing that, and either way I think that would be helpful.

[disneysteve]

Here in NJ, there is a program that awards free community college tuition to students in the top 15% of their high school class. My daughter got that award though isn't using it but she could have gotten a free ride if she went that route.

[MonkeyMama]

I don't have a lot to add, but will second the community college idea. Which state does her dad live in?? Just wondering if it is a different state and if one state would have serious benefits for residents, one more over the other. That is another angle I would look into. (College is so inexpensive for residents in my state; also lots of high quality public choices).

The best thing she can do is keep working and applying for scholarships. I never applied for scholarships because just didn't receive any good guidance in that area. Was just told I wouldn't get anything because parents had good income and my college was so cheap. (Which is fine - working and paying as I went covered it). But I received several scholarships I never even heard of or applied for in last year or two of college. I share just to say that the scholarships available may change over the years - best to keep looking and applying. (& they fall out of the sky when you have high grades, and are involved in community and extra-curriculars).

[Permanent Temp]

Oh another thing. When they figure out loans for FAFSA for divorced parents there are a whole ton of rules: http://www.finaid.org/questions/divorce.phtml

One person I worked with couldn't go to school right away because the step parent with the custodial parent made a lot of money which was figured into financial aid but the step parent refused to help out with the his education. I'm not saying your husband won't pitch in but if you haven't already I'd start looking at all the complications that come with this now.

[hamchan]

Her dad lives in Alaska right now, though he says he'll most likely be leaving once he is done with school. With the baby coming, who knows though.

My husband, in theory has no issues with his income going toward DD's education. And combined we make about 75k a year. But the reality is that in relation to the cost of living here we don't make all that much, and DH has severe and complicated health issues which eat up a ton of our money. I don't have a clue what her dad and stepmom's situation will look like in four years, but currently they are living off of student loans, a small amount of family support, public assistance and charity mostly. They are both currently working on a very part time basis for low wages as well.

[disneysteve]

Oh another thing. When they figure out loans for FAFSA for divorced parents there are a whole ton of rules: http://www.finaid.org/questions/divorce.phtml

This can really be a mess. I attended a couple of parent financial aid seminars at my daughter's college and there were lots of questions about this issue. A lot of kids get screwed because they count parental assets even though that parent has zero involvement in the child's life at this point.

[Eagle]

How difficult are they to get? How much do they pay for on average? Can a kid with a B+ average get scholarships, or is it something only A students get? My husband got a full ride to the U of Mississippi, but he also graduated both high school and college with a 4.0, and 100% or higher grade in almost every class. My daughter is a bright kid, but she doesn't always turn her work in, and that hurts her grades. What can she do to increase the chances of getting scholarships besides taking honors and AP classes, foriegn language, and getting the best grades she can?

I just found out her stepmother is pregnant. She is graduating from college this spring, but she majored in film (my ex is majoring in film currently also but doesn't graduate for a couple more years) and her student loans will be coming due right around the time her baby is born. The odds of them being able to help DD any with college costs are rapidly decreasing. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I know that kidney transplants and antirejection medications are very expensive. Dialysis is very expensive, and could potentially limit DH's ability to earn an income. I want to help DD, but I just don't think we can.

Not all degrees are the same. What kind of degree might she be interested in? A good reminder is college is not a destination but a vehicle for wealth building. Some kids think it's just an extension of high school. Is she good at any sports?

+1 http://www.finaid.org/ it is a good resource.

+1 on the community college idea. She can live at home and get her basics out of the way for 2 years then transfer to another 4 year university.

I also recommend she read articles about high school bound stundents going to college. Particularly what to do during and after high school. She can start here.

[snafu]

Permanent temp offered valid suggestions. I know there are lots of small grants awards, bursaries, scholarships that lack applicants. My brother's estate offers $ 600. per year to any student majoring in Adult Ed. but rarely gets applicants, too small to write a request I guess.

[BuckyBadger]

As far as academic scholarships offered through the schools themselves, it all depends on the schools and how desirable they are. I wasn't offered a penny at Princeton, Duke, or Notre Dame. I was offered full rides at a number of small state schools, including some who contacted me cold after the national merit lists came out. I was offered in-between at in-between sorts of schools.

It's not enough to be smart. There are thousands of crazy-smart kids applying to all the top schools every year. They don't have to give them any money to fill up their classes.

[hamchan]

She has no interest in sports whatsoever. She is not musically inclined. She is bilingual (Spanish) and will be starting her freshman year in Spanish 3. She is darn near fluent now, and should be fully fluent before graduation. She started taking Spanish at school starting when she was 8 years old.

She started a club at her school, which is K-8, where the students learn how to knit and crochet and then they donate the hats and scarves they make to the homeless youth facility. She teaches the needlework to other kids herself, as well as some other teachers and parent volunteers. The local newspaper did an article about her. She wants to get something like that started at her high school too.

She has no idea what she wants to major in at this point. She is a year ahead in math and science, and is taking honors classes. Two years ahead in Spanish, of course. I think she has a lot of natural abilities when it comes to business, numbers, she is good at planning. I think she would be happiest doing something that benefits those who are less fortunate though. She has always had a great concern for others.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Besides CC and Scholarships, seriously talk to a college advisor at where she wants to go about financial need. Based on divorced, expenses, you'd be surprised at what might be given as "need" based given that you are divorced. Investigate now for the future.

[moneybags]

She started a club at her school, which is K-8, where the students learn how to knit and crochet and then they donate the hats and scarves they make to the homeless youth facility. She teaches the needlework to other kids herself, as well as some other teachers and parent volunteers. The local newspaper did an article about her. She wants to get something like that started at her high school too.

Have her do this for sure. Colleges like kids that are unique and have leadership experience. This falls into both categories.

The best scholarship money comes from the schools, not outside sources. Applying to a school where you would be at the top of their class gives you a better chance at money (you can look at the freshman profile for a school and see the average ACT/SAT and GPA of the incoming class). Also, some colleges are more generous with scholarships, some don't offer any (i.e. the Ivy League Colleges).