More Than a Test Score

To all those who received good news from their early decision or early action schools, congrats!!! Take a breather, rest easy, and enjoy the holidays.

For those of you who were deferred, make sure your regular decision applications are as tight and updated as can be. Send them in by the deadline and once January rolls around (and the admissions office has had a breather, too) call the admissions office to see if they have suggestions on how to strengthen your application. I'll write more on this soon.

For those of you who received bad news, all's not over. While you can not reapply this year to your early decisions or early action school, redirect your attention to the other schools you like. Get those applications in and know that you can be very happy at one of those schools. All's not lost. Getting rejected by your top choice school happens to tons of students especially as acceptance rates are going down. Don't worry, things have a way of working out.

Had a nice chat with DoSomething.org today. I’m impressed with things that they’re doing- appear very active with issues including the environment, education, human rights and poverty. They encourage student social entrepreneurship through their grants. And, they’ve got some nice widgets. Here’s one that keys you in on volunteer opportunities in your area. Check it out:

Some quick props out to Kim Clark of U.S. News and World Report. She just threw up a great post on 4 keys to paying for college in a recession.  They are: 

1. Grades matter more now than ever
2. Early birds get more scholarship worms
3. Apply to at least a couple afforable schools
4. Apply to at least a couple of generous schools

For students who applied early, you're probably obsessively checking the mail to see if any envelopes have arrived. Be patient. And if you know someone who already heard, don't stress about it. Every school mails on their own schedule. They don't coordinate with one another and the notification date does not correspond with either an acceptance or rejection.

Hopefully the schools have an up to date email address for you, as they will likely communicate electronically.

If you've heard nothing, keep waiting. Your decision will arrive. Don't call the admissions office quite yet to find out the exact mailing date. Just know they're busy trying to get their work done so you all can have your decisions as soon as possible.

Hey Zinchers, it’s me The Scholarship Lady^SM.  The Zinch crew asked me to stop by and spread some holiday cheer…or at least some good advice to help you pay for college. 

Have you been searching scholarship sites looking for your golden ticket? Are you desperately seeking that one association or foundation that created the perfect scholarship just for you?  I thought so.  There’s a better way and over the next few months I’m going to show you how.  Let’s get started with a review of four common myths about scholarships: 

Myth #1:  There’s a scholarship for everyone.
Truth:  No, there’s not.  I know you want to believe it but if there were a scholarship for everybody then everybody you know would have a scholarship, correct?  The good news is that scholarship sponsors provide thousands of different types of scholarships and you can prepare yourself to be a good candidate for many of them. 

Myth #2:  You have to be low-income to win scholarships.
Truth:  Most private scholarships, about three-quarters of them, use academic achievement, or merit, as the main criteria—not family income.  There is actually a trend toward more merit-based scholarships rather than income-based scholarships.  You have no control over your parent’s income level but you can control your academic achievement, so focus on that.  If your family truly is low-income or has faced a significant financial setback then look for scholarships with “financial need” in the criteria.

Myth #3:  The more applications you submit, the better your odds of winning.
Truth:  About 1 in 14 undergraduate students win private scholarships, according to the National Scholarship Providers Association.  The odds of winning are dependent on many things but in the most basic sense you would take the number of applications the sponsor receives, on average, and divide it by the number of awards they distribute.  That’s your odds of winning a particular scholarship (example: 500 apps divided by 2 winners = 1/250 odds).  Each time you submit an application, it has different odds.  I encourage you to submit as many applications as you can IF they are a good match and you can create a high quality compelling application (don’t just crank them out). 

Myth #4:  You have to be a genius to win scholarships.
Truth:  You have to be college-worthy, college-bound and meet the criteria, but you don’t have to be a genius.  Seriously. While most scholarships are based on academic achievement, how sponsors define it and weigh it varies greatly.  They might require a 3.0 g.p.a. or a 2.0 g.p.a. – it just depends on what type of student they are looking for…and remember Zinchers:  you are more than a test score! 

What else might be a myth?  Leave a comment below with what you’ve “heard” about scholarships and I’ll respond if I know the answer. 

Good luck building your scholarship empire,   

Kim Stezala, author of Scholarships 101: The Real-World Guide to Getting Cash for College.