I'm hoping the information included here helps other families cut costs for, as well as on, a university education.
Backstory
As a single mom and a teacher, we wanted college to be affordable. I'm pleased to state that my daughter is going to be heading to school this month with a great financial package.
A little about her high school years: she had high stats (34 ACT) but her GPA was lower (4.08 weighted) because of a major health crisis during freshman/sophomore year when she missed lots of school. Of her nine AP classes, she scored all 4s and 5s, plus one 3.
A Bright Future
My daughter will be attending a liberal arts school out East (the very best and largest Classics enter in the country). We'll be paying around $8,000 annually for any school that charges $74,000 each year. No loans. So, when my daughter starts graduate school, she'll have a healthy 529 (in her grandparents’ account). Yes, the biggest money she received would be a combined merit and educational funding package of $53,000 per year. The scholarships and tips I share below helped to shut that gap.
If you're reading this and rolling your vision, please move ahead.
How We Did It
When she was five years old, my daughter and that i started taking part in paid medical studies at a local university. Any money that we earned entered a checking account. The majority of the money she received from her grandparents and great-grandparents entered this account as well. When the account hit $2,000, we opened a CD in the best rate we could find. Every time the CD matured, we rolled new money earned into a new CD. Sooner or later, paid studies began issuing gift cards or prepaid cards. I put the money equivalent into that account and spent the gift cards. I also put any rebates into that account (every year that I order new contacts I get a healthy rebate, for example).
When she was entering sixth grade, my daughter decided that they wanted to help others. Only 4 months into starting her volunteer work, her elementary-school counselor nominated her for a Kohl’s Cares Scholarship. She won $1,000! (That was recent times Kohl’s gave away scholarships.)
Research
Inspired, I started to do research into scholarships for elementary and middle school children. There are more than you may think. For children who volunteer, I suggest:
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards (includes a paid trip in addition to $1,000/up to $6,000), and also the Carson Scholars Fund ($1,000–according to academics as well as volunteerism). There are others for more artistic kids (Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and The Doodle for Google Competition).
In addition, there are lots of local awards and prizes that kids who volunteer can receive…and there just aren’t that lots of kids who apply. So listen on their behalf on the radio, and watch on their behalf on Facebook. Some are monetary awards ($50-1,000) and most include press opportunities which are helpful when you're attempting to win other awards. For those of you unclear about time involved to apply, many of these are not intense–they include short essays or videos, and often these local awards need an adult nominator, so the student isn't writing a large number of essays.
All of the money earned from all of these scholarships went into her checking account and was eventually rolled into a CD.
Tips: Trying to get Scholarships
Three years back I got myself The Ultimate Scholarship Book. It's lots of reliable information. I did my part by organizing scholarships according to the month they were due.
One last year I rechecked the due dates at least 8 weeks in front of each.
One month in front of each of those, I gave my daughter their email list of scholarships with approaching due dates. There were a few that they didn't apply for (time limitations, or insufficient interest), but she did make an application for most. Once she'd a few good essays written she reused them, tweaking them appropriately for every scholarship.
In total, she requested around a dozen national scholarships, and maybe eight or ten local. She actually had bigger money success with national scholarships. But YMMV. Unfortunately, many students don’t take the time to apply for national scholarships simply because they think a lot of other kids will apply.
Consider These Scholarships During 12th Grade
Here are some of the national scholarships that my daughter won:
Equitable Excellence: $25,000. This money can be paid out in any manner you want over 4 years of college. They've Plenty of winners and also the quantity of the awards varies.
National Honor Society: $3,200. There are countless awards ranging from $3,200 to $25,000.
Specifically for students with disabilities:
The Susanna and Lucy DeLaurentis Charitable Foundation Memorial Scholarships: $1,000, and Lime Connect: $1,000.
Specifically for college students who've volunteered:
Invisalign Changemakers: This is a cash prize, as opposed to a scholarship, but $5,000 was deposited into her account, and we're using it towards college expenses. It had under 800 applicants with 100 winners (so the chances are good). Note: This award covers a big age groups: 13-21 years old.
In the finish, my daughter has earned $50,500 in private scholarships, with about $43,000 of that awarded in the last year.*
Anyway, I hope that these details helps at least one family searching for scholarships.
Special Note:
*According to Shannon “many scholarships were given directly to her [daughter], and are going toward books, laptop, etc. I was in a position to divide the cash so for the next 4 years it will go toward her loans first using what was left reducing what we should owe with a couple thousand. We spoken with the financial aid office twice to ensure we did all we're able to therefore it did not affect her aid. These were great to work with!”
