How To Get Financial Aid for School?

By Janice Ng -
This article probably will give you some tips on Financial Aids. My fellow graduate student used to say that 50% of getting a College education is being able to jump through the hoops. One of those hoops that often seems as if it a circus hoop on fire is the hoop of Financial Aid for School.

But after we graduated and went on to teach, I made it a goal to help students at the community College where I taught and worked in the learning center to find Financial Aid for School after community College. In my research, which I used for Financial Aid workshops, I found multiple methods, venues, and possibilities for finding and getting Financial Aid for the School of one's dreams.

So where to begin? First, know yourself. What is your major? Why? What career do you have in mind? Why? What kind of money are you seeking? And what are you eligible for? Besides, what characteristics do you have that meet the criteria for Financial Aid for School, a grant or grants for studies or scholarships for specialty areas and skills? The definition of those terms basically are defined as follows:

• Financial Aid - Taxpayer-supported stipends based on needs.
• Scholarships - College, corporate and private gifts based on academic status / excellence and standing.
• Grants - Federal, state and College gifts based on needs.

• Check other likely places; ask your employer, the place where you volunteered; your Mom or Dad's employer, organizations (Lion's club, Elks, Eastern Star etc.) and Church(es).
• Newspaper classifieds sections; back of trade magazines (in your field) and the yellow pages (major corporations often give big money).
• Investigate corporations - Many gives large scholarships. For example, Coca-Cola gave thousands to one of the students at my College one year. Another big biz gave a Psych major $10,000 to transfer to a state university.
• Check out within the College. If you are transferred student at a community College, seeking Financial Aid for School elsewhere at the university you would like to transfer to etc. Start your search locally, at the College you are attending. Every campus has a Financial Aid office or area which offers Financial Aid applications, a Scholarship bulletin board and Grant information.
• Use a free Scholarship search engine -

  www.brokescholar.comi

  www.scholarsite.comii

  www.Collegeboard.com

  www.fastweb.com

  www.srnexpress.com

  www.uprise.info.orgiiiM

  www.iefa.orgiv

  www.iie.orgv

  www.iccs.ciec.orgvi

  www.internationalscholarships.comvii

  www.rotary.org

  www.forkningsradet.no

  www.aisf.or.jp

  www.istc.umn.edu

  www.cies.orgviii

  www.scholarships-bourses-ca.orgix

  http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3undergr.htm

Now when you are ready, you can start applying by following some procedures.

1. Start early. The process is arduous and time consuming, The waiting window is quite long most of the time. Take sometimes for a whole semester to land the dough (which you initially come up with to pay for a semester and which is then given you as a reimbursement, in other words).
2. Read eligibility requirements carefully. Each organization/group/ individual maintains strict criteria.
3. Keep Scholarship materials organized - In separate folders for example.
4. Keep copies of EVERYTHING.
5. Learn what type of forms you need - Take Financial Aid for example, you will need a number of forms which can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov; For grants and scholarships, request a copy of the guidelines and the application. Call or email the sponsor if you have questions.
6. Do your homework - look at Biographies, Annual Reports, Grants list(s) of previous recipients and, if possible, their Bios and Entry Essays.
7. Follow instructions. Proofread carefully. Leave nothing blank. Be legible and finally, get application materials in early.

Beware of:

1. Anyone/any site who/that asks for your Credit Card/Bank Number/Social Security Number.
2. Anyone/site guaranteeing a Scholarship.
3. Anyone who "selects" you as a "winner".
4. Anyone who offers unsolicited free stuff.
5. Any "Foundation" without a name (Check out the source).
6. Anyone who tells you "You can't get this info anywhere else".
7. Any place that says it/they is/are "holding" a Scholarship for you and need money from you first.
8. Anyone who asks for any money.
9. Anyone who offers to do all the work for you, for as you see here, while I have done scads of work for you, you still have a lot of work to do to get that money : P