Article by Savannah Country Day School
Securing College Scholarships in Difficult Economic Times
(SAVANNAH, GA) College has always been an expensive proposition for most students and their parents, and the floundering economy over the past couple of years has made it that much tougher for students to come up with the funds necessary to attend the college of their choice. But finding a college that is a perfect fit and securing a scholarship to help pay for it is not as elusive as it may seem.
“The ‘sticker price’ should not be the first determining factor in whether the student can or can’t afford a school,” says Mary Beth Fry, Director of College Counseling at Savannah Country Day School. “I tell families never to cross schools off of their lists because of tuition.”
Fry, an expert in college counseling with 17 years of experience in the field, explains that if a college or university offers merit scholarships, or if a student meets full demonstrated financial need, there’s a strong chance that the student won’t have to pay the often shocking “sticker price” in tuition.
“It’s best to keep those options open, at least in the early stages of the college-search process,” says Fry, who helped Savannah Country Day School’s 78 seniors secure more than million in merit-based scholarships in 2009 (not including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship).
Determining and Finding Scholarship OpportunitiesFry says that one of the most important factors in getting started in the scholarship search process is to carefully research the available options. She explains that some of the most competitive colleges and universities, particularly the Ivy League schools, do not offer merit scholarships. However, those colleges may offer generous financial aid packages for students who demonstrate need. Fry suggests visiting http://www.fafsa.ed.gov to get an estimation of family need.
When searching for merit-based scholarships, Fry says that rising seniors should spend the summer before their senior year researching scholarships by visiting college websites. She says that students should specifically consider the following when researching scholarship opportunities:
* Does the school have named scholarships that require a specific teacher or counselor nomination?
* Can the student self-nominate for a particular named scholarship?
* Are there application deadlines for the scholarship?
* Are there baseline criteria for a named scholarship that the school publishes (for example, a minimum grade point average, class rank or SAT or ACT composite score)?
“If a student determines which of his or her schools has named scholarships and if he or she keeps a check list of application/nomination deadlines and criteria, starting off the senior year can be so much easier,” Fry says.
Fry also encourages students to use “a bit of old-fashioned leg work” when seeking out scholarship opportunities, for example asking parents if their businesses offer scholarships for employees’ children and looking into small scholarships offered by churches and community groups. These smaller scholarships can help defray the cost of travel, books, computers, and other miscellaneous expenses and fees.
Students may also use free search engines such as http://www.fastweb.com and http://www.scholarships.com to access information about various scholarship opportunities. Once they visit the websites, students simply register and respond to questions that help refine their search. The students will then receive regular updates about scholarships that may fit their student profile and for which they can apply.
Positioning Yourself as an Ideal Scholarship Candidate
But what is ultimately going to be the determining factor in getting those much-coveted merit-based scholarship?
“For those of us on the admission side, we’re looking for what this student will add to campus both inside and outside the classroom and diversity-geographic, ethnic, socio-economic,” says Jean Jordan, Dean of Admission at Emory University. “For faculty, I’d say the emphasis would be much more on what they will add to the classroom.”
Fry echoes Jordan’s advice, encouraging students to begin positioning themselves as ideal scholarship candidates from the moment they begin their high school careers.
“Students should strive to do their best in all of their classes and to take progressively more challenging coursework from one year to the next,” says Fry. “In addition to that, we encourage our students to discover their interests and develop their talents right from the beginning of high school.”
Characteristics that may make a student stand out to admission professionals include:
* The demonstration of leadership in any area of interest (e.g. student government, environmental awareness, volunteering, athletics, etc.)
* a particular academic or artistic passion pursued over the course of high school
* Seriousness about independent research (e.g. scientific research), or community outreach
“The ways a student can make himself attractive to colleges are practically endless,” says Fry. “The key is to find a passion and to pursue it with consistency and dedication.”
Savannah Country Day School is a pre-k through twelve independent school that seeks to prepare students of academic and personal promise to meet with confidence, imagination, and integrity the challenges of college and of life. In partnership with supportive families, we strive to cultivate in each student the desire and the discipline to grow wise, to lead lives of personal honor, to appreciate beauty, to pursue physical well being, and to serve others with a generous and compassionate spirit. For more information about Savannah Country Day School, its mission, and its programs, please visit Savannah Country Day School.Savannah Country Day School, 912-961-8823, http:www.savcds.org.
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