Scholarship Searching
WHAT IS A SCHOLARSHIP?
• FREE money that doesn’t have to be paid back
• Applied to education costs
• Best way to pay for college!
SCHOLARSHIP vs. FINANCIAL AID
• Scholarships are free money based on your qualities,
achievements, and even interests!
• Financial aid is awarded based on need.
– Free money or grants
– Loans
– Work Study
WHO CAN GET A SCHOLARSHIP?
• Anyone… literally
• There are scholarships available for every kind of
student
• Find what makes you unique as a person
DON’T BELIEVE THE RUMORS
• Most scholarships set criteria based on a combination of
qualities., achievements, and interests. However, some
might be only looking for one of the three. Therefore, don’t
fall prey to these common misconceptions:
– I have to be a perfect student to get a scholarship!
– Scholarships are only for people with financial need!
– There aren’t any scholarships I qualify for!
Where Do I Start?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19vofVI0JV8&feature=youtu.
be
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk8x0LAMAzk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MNvKnvfIpc
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
• Choose the right people: someone who knows you well and
will speak positively about you
• Give them adequate time: AT LEAST TWO WEEKS
• Provide them with the right information that they need
• Be sure your recommender knows what to do with
recommendation. Email? Mail? Upload?
• Follow the instructions; make sure they know where and
how to submit it
• Follow up with a thank you note and keep them informed
of the outcome.
Institutional (School) Based
Scholarships
• Some use application as scholarship application
(uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/scholarships)
• Website of school
• Private College examples
LOCAL SEARCHES
• When it comes to scholarships, think local! The more local
and specific a scholarship is, the less people qualify, and the
greater your chances are of winning. Look into:
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Your or your parent/guardian’s place of employment
Local businesses
Professional or Academic societies
Churches
Civic Groups
SEARCHING AT ML
• Go to the Martin Luther website martinlutherhs.org
• Under academic, click on Office of Student Services
• On the right hand side, click on scholarship
information
• The OSS updates scholarships we receive on a weekly
basis and they are uploaded in Naviance as well.
• If you have additional questions, see Mrs. Popa in the
OSS to get more information.
RECOMMENDED SCHOLARSHIP
SITES
• Fastweb.com
• Scholarships.com
• Collegeboard.com