At Scholarships 101 for NSPA in New Orleans: The Scholarship Lady, Mrs. Haynes, and Ms. Bates of the University of New Orleans Classic Upward Bound Program

A few weeks ago I was a speaker and participant at the National Scholarship Providers Conference in New Orleans.  I met scholarship judges, administrators and donors, guidance counselors, scholarship database company reps, and precollege advisors.  I’m still tired (yet inspired) from that week.

Over the next few weeks I’ll share what I learned (it’s too much for one post) but here’s a few quick pieces of scholarship advice:

(1) as scholarship providers allow online applications, the number of applications goes up (more competition) but the quality of applications, overall, seems to go down (less competition?)  Think about that when you apply online.  I’m guessing if you proofread one extra time and take greater care in answering the questions you will stand out.

(2) in scholarships that are based on hardships or challenges, your survival of the hardship is not the primary criteria on which you are judged it’s how you overcame the hardship and went on to thrive afterwards that is more compelling to a judge (at least the ones I talked to).

Right on the heels of meeting scholarship providers I was also a speaker at College Explosion, a half-day event that was held at Marquette University.  About 500 students attended and my session had 100 people.  Even though I was the speaker, I learned a lot from the audience:

(1) ask questions and press for answers until it makes sense to you.  If no one else in your family went to college, a lot of the terminology that people use could be difficult for you to comprehend.  It’s OKAY to ask people to explain, especially when a scholarship (f r e e money) is involved.

(2) it’s okay to share your private pain.  Some students approached me afterward with very personal issues about cancer, disabilities, etc. wondering if there are scholarships available related to those issues.  The answer is YES!  You can find them on national and local search engines or through word-of-mouth in your community.

More later…

Do you want to know what breaks my heart?  When highly qualified students contact me  – in a panic – in August and ask me if I know of any scholarships because their tuition is due in a week.  ugh.  I can feel the pain.

If you are not aware, NOW is the time to apply for most scholarships if you need money for fall college enrollment.  January, February and March have more scholarship deadlines than other times of the year.  Why?  Because the scholarship providers need time to review the applications and make their decisions before school’s out.  Students want to know before they head off to college how much money they have to help pay the bills.  This timing also coincides with preferred financial aid deadlines at many colleges.

If you haven’t started applying for scholarships yet, don’t wait or you will miss out on the money!

If you need a tool to help you, please get my book, Scholarships 101:  The Real-World Guide to Getting Cash for College.  It’s full of street-smart advice, organizational tools and time-saving tips.  C’mon, all the cool kids are doing it. 

I recently read an article on Fastweb about why students should apply for contests, prizes and sweepstakes to help pay for college. The gist of the article was that the odds of winning a traditional scholarship are very slim and you should apply for every opportunity that could lead to money. What I wondered after reading it was, “Does anyone know the odds of winning these contests compared to traditional private scholarships?”
I am a sucker for travel contests such as, “Win a six day trip to Europe!” but I am not counting on winning those contests to pay for my family vacation. I still plan a vacation with my family, select the date, save the money and go. Yes, it would be fabulous to go to Europe, or Figi, or Brazil for free, but we don’t put our future vacation in jeopardy by counting on being the winner. You should think about scholarship “contests” and “prizes” in the same way. Yes, it would be great if you won, but what are the odds…and are you mistakenly applying for random contests, desperately seeking dollars, instead of truly investing in a solid scholarship search and submitting high quality, compelling applications?
The time you spend entering sweepstakes should be in addition to, not a replacement for, your time spent finding and applying for scholarships. I also think that some of the contests are fun and can be creative outlets but I urge you to check out the competition for any scholarship and think about how you will fare compared to your peers.
If you are applying for every sweepstakes or contest that is offered I hope you have a “Plan B” for paying for college, you know, just in case someone else wins.
P.S. I was cutting coupons last night and saw a scholarship contest for children. You have to submit a recipe for peanut butter sandwiches and you could win a $25,000 scholarship. My daughter definitely wants to enter, but in the meantime we’re still saving for college. If you would like to enter, please visit: http://www.jif.com/promos/contest/default.asp

This post was orinally published on September 9th, 2008