HOW TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP

1. HOW TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP

2. DID YOU KNOW? • According to the National Commission on Student Financial Assistance, $7 billion is available for students to fund their education, but only $400 million of it is claimed.

3. STEPS TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP • Be a Scholarship Worthy Student • Find the Scholarship • Apply for the Scholarship

4. BE A SCHOLARSHIP WORTHY STUDENT! • Maintain a good G.P.A (above a 3.0). • Involve yourself in school clubs and organizations. • Get a job related to your major. • Involve yourself in the community.

5. FIND THE SCHOLARSHIP • INTERNET WEB SITES • SCHOOL LIBRARY • MAJOR DEPARTMENT • ADVISER • BOOKS

6. FIND THE SCHOLARSHIPINTERNET WEB SITES • Go to a Search Engine (www.yahoo.com or www.google.com for example) and search for the word “Scholarship.” You will be given a list of websites. • Go directly to a website that has been recommended to you from another source (your adviser, major department, etc.).

7. INTERNET WEB SITE RECOMMENDATIONS • www.fastweb.com • www.collegenet.com • www.galaxymall.com/scholarships • www.scholarships.com • www.collegescholarships.com • www.freschinfo.com • www.collegefunds.net

8. FIND THE SCHOLARSHIPSCHOOL LIBRARY • Find your School Library’s Reference Page • Type in “Scholarship” in the subject section. • You will be given a list of pertinent books and articles.

9. FIND THE SCHOLARSHIPMAJOR DEPARTMENT AND ADVISER • Go to your major department or adviser and ask about scholarships pertinent to your major. • They will usually have a file of scholarships or knowledge of where to get a list of scholarships in your major.

10. FIND THE SCHOLARSHIPBOOKS • There are thousands of books written on this subject. • Visit a bookstore or library and you’ll be sure to find great sources on Scholarships.

11. APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP(www.fastweb.com as an example) • The website is self-explanatory. • You will be taken through a series of steps including filling out a self-profile by which they will base which scholarships are right for you. • More hobbies and and interests means more options for scholarships that are available to you.

12. APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP (continued) • Each scholarship will include a web site or address where you can go to to get more information. • Download the scholarship form off the website. • Print out at least two copies of the scholarship (one to practice on and one on high quality paper to mail off).

13. APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP (continued) • Fill out one scholarship by hand to insure that all the information is correct. • Type the next one or, if possible, fill in the blanks directly on the computer. • Have someone reliable check the copy for spelling and grammar mistakes. • Make corrections as necessary and print out a final TYPED copy. • Make photocopies of final copy.

14. APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPTHE ESSAY • Be sincere because it will show. • Be clear and concise. • Don’t make it too long. • Have a teacher check your work . • Print it on high quality paper.

15. APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPLETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION • It is best to get letters of recommendation from varying sources. • Some good choices are two letters from teachers in your major, your major adviser, and your employer.

16. APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPSENDING IT OFF • Make sure to keep track of deadlines and send it on time. • Make sure everything is printed on the same high quality type of paper. • Print the address on the envelope if possible. • Mail it off!

17. IF YOU RECEIVE A SCHOLARSHIP • Be sure to read the congratulation letter carefully for follow up instructions that may affect your receipt of the scholarship. • Write thank you letters to the scholarship donor whether required to do so or not as a form or courtesy and professionalism.

18. *Very Important* Your scholarship essay should set yourself apart from your peers/other applicants What makes you special/different? Hardships? Experience? Sports? Family? Outstanding student?

19. CREDIT CARD DEBT • 78% of students have at least one credit card. • The average credit card debt is $2,748. • 13% of students have credit card debt between $3,000 to $7,000. • 9% of students have greater than $7000 credit card debt.

20. Mutual Funds • Planning Aids Online: • Planner helps to define your goals and investment strategy. • www.trpweprice.com/mutual/trowemutualfunds.home.html • www.personalwealth.com/cgi-bin/webolyjetts/snp

21. Mutual Fund • What is a Mutual Fund? • It is a pot of money collected From many,common, ordinary investors and wealthy ones too! (You may invest for as little as $50 monthly if you agree to have the mutual-fund company automatically deduct from your checking account.)

22. Mutual Fund (Continue) • A stock picker or bond picker takes money from that pot to buy a variety of stocks (ownership) and/or bonds (lending at a set interest rate}. This helps give you diversity --so you end up "owning" tiny pieces of lots of Stocks or bonds. (Every mutual fund deducts a tiny bit of the money each day to pay its expenses.)

23. Mutual Fund (Continue) • Just as there are star athletes, there are star mutual-fund managers. They are featured in financial publications such as Barron's, Fortune, Kiplinger's, Money, The Wall Street Journal, etc. • The key to picking stock mutual funds is to identify star managers. When one of these talented managers starts a new fund, considering buying it! Too much money to manage makes it harder for the manager to be a star performer; it becomes more difficult to beat the averages!

24. What is a "No-Load" Mutual Fund? • It is one that: • does not charge a "load" fee (sales fee),  does not extract marketing and distribution fees from the fund annually that is more than 1/4%, does not pay commissions, or does not include a redemption fee more than 2%. 

25. Mutual Fund (Continue) • "No loads" are usually not sold by stockbrokers (or banks) because there is no way to pay commissions to their salespeople. Funds that Dr. H. recommends are always no-load!

26. . Mutual Fund (Continue) • "No load" funds are advertised on TV and in magazines and newspapers, but you must do the choosing. Call a toll-free telephone number and fill out the application form to set up a new account. You can buy "no-loads" directly from the sponsors (called mutual fund families) or you may purchase many of them NTF (no transaction fees) from discount brokers such as Schwab, Waterhouse, Jack White, etc

27. It's worth the doing! • When you telephone, the fund representatives are patient, polite and helpful. That's their business -- so feel free to ask them anything! However, their job is not to select the funds for you; that's primarily your responsibility. • Instead of paying 3% to 5.75% to a broker (or a bank), do-it-yourself investing in no-loads means the commission money that you save is invested, going to work making money for you.

28. Buy Stocks • On Stocks: • www.spinderonline.com • Click on “tip sheet” for performance, overviews, ratings, and key measures. Try out “Interactive charting” to see how your company compares to the industry.

29. Buy Stocks (Continue) • Buy Stocks direct from Corporations (DRIPS): • http://stockselector.com/drips.asp • http://directinvesting.com

30. Discount Fares Student Universe www.studentuniverse.com (800) 272 – 9676 W/O Purchase of I.D. www.counciltravel.com (800) 226 – 8624 Student I.D. for discount STA travel www.sta-travel.com covers insurance when traveling

31. GOOD LUCK !