With my son beginning his junior year of high school in the fall, the cost of a college education has been in my thoughts a lot lately. I’m saving each month in order to help defray the skyrocketing cost of his post-secondary education, and he’s saving money from each of his paychecks from his part time job as well. In addition to saving up our own funds, when the time is right I’ll encourage him to seek out and apply for as many scholarships and grants as he possibly can.
My son and I attended a college informational presentation recently, and one of the topics was scholarships and grants. The presenter told a story about a young woman who received a scholarship by default because she was the only applicant. In fact, that particular scholarship had not been awarded for the three previous years because there were no applicants. Scholarships and grants are out there for the taking, college hopefuls just need to go find them. Here are a few places to find such information.
Banks
When we opened up my son’s checking account a few months ago, the banker made a point to mention that they had several scholarships available. He sent information home with us, stating that we should keep them in mind when applying for scholarships.
Insurance Companies
Our life insurance company has already sent us numerous mailings with information regarding scholarships they offer.
Chamber Of Commerce
A city’s chamber of commerce has a wealth of information regarding the community it serves. It makes sense they would also have information regarding scholarships and grants that may be offered by local businesses or charitable organizations.
School Counselor
When I was a high school senior, I stopped by my guidance counselor’s office every week to ask if they had any grants or scholarships I could apply for. Many times organizations will send information to the school. Remember to look there.
College
I also called the office of the college I would be attending. They referred me to the specific department offices, or others who could give me information. I applied and was awarded a scholarship offered by the department that offered my major. I also applied and was awarded a scholarship from the Mass Communications department even though I had no interest in journalism. The fact that I had worked on the school newspaper fulfilled the requirements to submit an application.
The time is getting close to put our college preparation into high gear for our son. Deciding which college to attend is only a small part of the process. My son will need to apply and be accepted, and then go all out searching for scholarship and grant opportunities. By checking with all of these places, as well as others we may find along the way, we can put a significant dent in the cost of his college education.
Do you know of any other places to check for scholarship and grant opportunities? Help us out by sharing them with us.
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My twin boys got offered academic scholarships to Harvard and Yale for a full ride but we had to decline, we thought that it would better go to someone who needed financial assistance. My niece got a scholarship to Julliard, and my husband and I went to Harvard. We have a saving plan for all of our children that we have worked out as (saying each kid want to be a surgeon like my husband and I) we would save 10 years for Harvard/Yale/any Ivy League school and add another account for living expenses and textbooks etc.
We thought about pursuing scholarships but thought somebody in a worse financial situation would better deserve it.
In my opinion, if you earn a scholarship, take it!
We just thought my sons did not need it but somebody else may not be able to afford Harvard and Yale’s tuition by itself and the scholarship went to a kid who went a school near my kids and he was very happy when he received it because he could not afford Harvard (it was his dream) and was looking for cheaper colleges. The boy who received the scholarship is now a lawyer and I hear is doing well, so I personally am pleased with the choice we made because who knows? That boy may not have been happy or be successful but life is full of what ifs?
Thank you for your thoughtfulness! I was granted a full scholarship and I don’t think I would have been able to go to college without it. My sister and brother also got full rides. They ended up graduating from law and business schools. I became a nurse. My single mother could barely afford to feed and house us. It was a great relief that we could go to college with the scholarships. I am glad there are still people like you in the world. God bless you!
Also check out the cultural centers in the area of you are part of a minority. They often have opportunities too there and it’s free money!
That’s a great point, David…my wife is Hispanic, so we’ll be looking for anyone (cultural centers, on-campus organizations, etc) that offer scholarships and grants that he could apply for!
I have found just scouring the local paper can help. Many times in my small community, there are advertisements all of the time that the local bank or business group is offering scholarships. The key is to just keep your eyes open and ask around.
Good tip, Jon, having more places to look will help! You’re absolutely right, there’s no harm in asking questions – you’ll never know what you’ll find.