Talent Search - S.P.A.R.C.
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Talent Search - S.P.A.R.C. |
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Scholarships
Things scholarship committees may seek:
Where to look for scholarships
-College where you intend to enroll
Visit as many sites below as you can and apply to all
scholarships for which you are
eligible.
Remember to check each
scholarship's eligibility requirements to
see which scholarships you are actually eligible for each
and every
scholarship listed in your results.
The results lists aren't perfect.
AmeriCorps - national service
program that allows people of all ages
and backgrounds to earn help paying for
education in exchange for a year of
service. It's an excellent resume
builder too!
Avoid Scholarship SCAMS:
American
Chemical Society (ACS) Minority Affairs Program - The ACS Minority
Affairs Program sponsors scholarship programs for qualified African-American,Hispanic
and American Indian students entering the fields of chemistry, biochemistry,
or chemical engineering or seeking a two-year degree in chemical technology.
You can also find lists of scholarship and financial aid programs focusing
on the sciences for underrepresented minorities in general, African
Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans.
American
Indian College Fund - The American Indian College Fund was created
by the 31 tribal colleges to raise money for scholarships and endowments.
The money raised is distributed to these colleges as scholarships for
students attending the tribal colleges. You can find information about
the fund and other scholarship opportunities for Native Americans.
Black
College - Your link to the African American collegiate experience.
Black
Excel: The College Help Network for All Cultures - Black Excel
is a college admissions and scholarship service for African-American
students. There are links to information
on Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs), SAT preparation, financial aid, job searching
and other topics of interest to African Americans. They offer products
and services, including a list of 200 grants and scholarships available
for African American students at:
http://www.blackexcel.org/200-Scholarships.html Also
check out Ron Brown Scholarships
http://www.RonBrown.org
and
United Negro College Fund Scholarships
http://www.uncf.org/scholarships/uncfscholarship.asp
http://scholarships.fatomei.com/minorities.html
Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Scholarship Connection - CHCI
National Educational Scholarship Connection provides a free scholarship
search to Hispanic students of a computer-based program with over 150,000
resources. To receive a personalized scholarship search you must complete
there questionnaire. Call 1-800-EXCEL-DC or download (scroll to the
bottom of the page) to get the questionnaire. Get a free subscription
to Education Quarterly for info and strategies for Latinos seeking to
continue their education. You will also find information on their summer
internship program. Bilingual assistance is available.
Gates Millennium Scholars A 20-year
plan to provide financial assistance to
high-achieving minority students who are
in severe financial need and otherwise
would be excluded from higher education.
Hispanic
College Fund (HCF) - HCF offers financial assistance to deserving
Hispanic students who have been accepted or are enrolled as a full-time
undergraduate student at an accredited institution of higher education
actively seeking an academic discipline leading to a career in business.
Includes a list of participating HCF colleges and universities.
Hispanic
Scholarship Fund (HSF) - HSF offers college retention scholarships
on a competitive basis for undergraduate and graduate students of Hispanic
background. Students must have earned at least 15 undergraduates college
credits. They also provide a list of private scholarship opportunities
for Hispanics. You can also find information on the Gates Millennium
Scholars Program.
INROADS
- INROADS develops and places talented minority youth in business and
industry to prepare them for corporate and community leadership. Preference
goes to African American, Hispanic and Native American high school and
college students with 3.0 or better grade averages. Students receive
paid multi-year experience with early exposure to their career interest,
networking opportunities, and year-round personal, pre-professional,
and academic support throughout their college career. Contact your local
INROADS office for more information.
Minority
Institution Information - Minority Institution Information provides
useful data on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),
Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Predominantly Black Colleges and
Universities (PBCUs), Predominately Minority Colleges and Universities
(PMCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
You can search for institution alphabetically by name or geographically
by state.
Native American Student Financial Aid
information and links.
Native
American Education Resources - This site provides information
about Native American colleges and college programs.
Project
Excellence - Project Excellence is a college scholarship program,
founded by columnist, Carl T. Rowan, for African American high school
seniors who display outstanding writing and speaking skills. There is
information on eligibility, nomination procedures and application information.
You may not apply directly to the program; your school must nominate
you.
National Action Council for Minorities
in Engineering - scholarships,
fellowships, awards, and prizes for high
school and engineering students.
Women - Society of Women Engineers and
Sciences Scholarship Program
provides financial assistance to women
admitted to accredited baccalaureate or
graduate programs, in preparation for
careers in engineering, engineering
technology and computer science.
(Click on Freshmen and Undergraduate
links at left of the page.)
United
Negro College Fund (UNCF) - UNCF offers educational assistance
to 39 private, historically black member colleges and universities.
You will find opportunities for scholarships, study abroad, and summer
enrichment and information about the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.
UNCF and The Merck Company Foundation have established scholarships
for outstanding African American students pursuing studies in biomedical
research.
Xerox
Technical Minority Scholarship Program - The Xerox Technical
Minority Scholarship provides funding to minority students enrolled
in the technical sciences or engineering. Scholarships are made available
to minorities enrolled in a technical degree program at the bachelor
level or above. If you are involved in sports, you might consider athletic scholarships
as a way to help cover the cost of your education. Scholarships Available for Many Sports Edgar Johnson is director of athletics at the University of Delaware. He
says that his college offers a choice of 23 different sports. All have some
level of athletic scholarships available. That means that no matter what
sport you are currently involved in, there are likely scholarships
available. Jonathan Clough is associate athletic director at Santa Clara University.
"At my institution we offer scholarships in basketball, baseball, soccer,
softball, volleyball, golf, tennis, cross-country/track and water polo,"
says Clough. Scholarships are open to men and women in sports where both sexes
participate. According to federal law, there must be an equal number of scholarships
for both men and women in those sports. Clough says, "Scholarships for women
are increasing every year, and it is easier for a female student to get
scholarships than a male student." Athletic Requirements So, how do you know if you are a good enough athlete? Marc Samonisky is head coach of men's soccer at the University of
Delaware. "I am looking for immediate help. [An athlete] must show me an
understanding of the game, a hunger to be part of the team and an urgency to
get on the field," he explains. But the athlete "must be successful in the
classroom," he adds. A high school athlete should at least be a starter on their team in order
to be considered. Getting Started How do you get there from high school sports? According to Johnson, it is
best to have your high school coach call, write or e-mail the coach for your
sport at the colleges you are most interested in attending. Also, have your coach send a videotape of one of your games. Do not send
a highlight tape. They do not impress coaches; they want to see actual
games. Or the college coach may attend one or more of your games. Your part is to talk to the coach of the college team you are interested
in and find out what they expect. Common Myths Be aware that "the common misperception is that [if] you played in high
school, you can play in college at any level. Not in Division 1," Clough
says. The University of Delaware, where he works, is a National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 school. Another common mistake is to think that an athletic scholarship and a
spot on an NCAA college team will be a ticket to the pros. Johnson says that
"less than 1.5 percent of college football players in Division 1 colleges
make it to the draft. And less than half of that make it in the pros." Academic Requirements On the academic side of things, both Johnson and Clough agree that there
are no requirements that you study, or major in, any particular subject. As
long as you follow NCAA eligibility guidelines, and maintain grades
acceptable to the institution you are attending, you can study whatever you
want. Johnson points out that many coaches follow the policy that if "you don't
go to class, you don't play." You do need good grades and SAT levels to get admitted. "For our
institution, good grades are necessary," Clough says. Johnson also says that
high grade levels are needed for the University of Delaware programs. Check out the NCAA website to find out what high school classes you need
to qualify. Do Your Homework How do you go about getting an athletic scholarship? Research carefully.
The best, and safest, way is to do the work yourself. Start at your high
school by talking to your coach and your guidance counselor. Johnson advises, "Be careful, do your homework." Speak to students who
are already attending those colleges. He strongly recommends that "you choose a school that feels comfortable
to you. It's more than academics and athletics; there is also the social
aspect to consider." You may be tempted to pay someone else to find a scholarship for you.
Both Johnson and Clough advise against this practice. When you hire someone else to find a scholarship, you and your parents
lose control over the process. Then you can't be sure you are getting the
college that is the best fit for you. Someone hired to get a scholarship won't worry about which college is the
best for you. You will get only what they find and you may not be happy at
that college. Also, you may end up paying hundreds of dollars to someone to find a
scholarship and end up with nothing. There are scholarship scam artists out
there. Beware of Scams According to the Federal Trade Commission, tens of thousands of high
school students are the victims of scholarship scams every year. Here are
ways to avoid them: The U.S. Department of Education website provides information on federal
student aid programs and important warnings about scholarship scams. If
you're interested in scholarships, be sure to check it out. Don't be a
victim; do your own homework. Links National Collegiate Athletic Association U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Information Center Bridges.com Tips For Success "The best tip I can give is to start searching for scholarships and
learning about financial aid as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the
better off you'll be." Scholarships are another potentially lucrative source of financial aid.
After doing your research and finding the perfect scholarships for you, the
next step is catching the judges' attention. Kelly Tanabe is the author of
eight books on college planning and co-founder of a college planning
website. "You have to remember that scholarship judges sometimes have as little as
60 seconds to look at an application," says Tanabe. "One of the most important things that you can do is make them stop when
they get to your application. You can do this by writing a powerful
scholarship essay. Simply put, the best scholarship essays demonstrate to
the judges why you deserve to win. "If you are applying for a scholarship based on public service, don't
waste your space writing about your athletic achievements or your travels.
Focus on how you have volunteered and how you have served your school or
community. Think about what the purpose of the award is, why the
organization is giving away the scholarship, and then show the judges how
you fit that purpose." Tanabe also suggest simplifying the process when you are applying for
multiple scholarships. "There are literally thousands and thousands of
scholarships available, and your challenge is not going to be finding
scholarships, but making the time to apply to all of the scholarships that
you find. Applying for scholarships could become a full-time job. "To keep applying under control, you need to recycle your essays. Figure
out how you can use one essay that you've written to apply to a number of
scholarships. Can you change the introduction or conclusion? Can you include
different examples to illustrate your point? As you do this, though, be
careful that you are still answering the question posed." One of the biggest differences between a scholarship essay and any other
essay, Tanabe says, is that more than anything else, you are trying to
market your strengths and how they fit with what the scholarship
organization is looking for. "Put yourself in the shoes of the judges. What qualities will they want
to see in your essay? If you are applying for an award for students who are
both academically and athletically talented, think about how you can show
both of those strengths." "The bottom line is that the scholarship judges want to learn about you
and why they should give their money to you." Whether you're working on an essay for
college admission or a scholarship
application, or just want to improve your
writing skills, the tips below can be a big
help.
Scholarship
Scam Alert
"Everybody is eligible."
"We have a 96% success rate."
"Our database is unique."
"You must use our service to qualify for
aid."
National Fraud Information Center (NFIC) Better
Business Bureau (BBB) Federal Trade
Commission (FTC)
US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) |
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