Private Scholarships - Regular Kid With High Stats

ClassicMom98
Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:58:56 +0000

As I mentioned before, our guidance office has a list of all available scholarships and their due dates. By younger S’ time, there was actually a newsletter with them. I know my niece in a different part of the state, they have a website with theirs.

The bulk of the money comes from two sources. One is a fund that gives up to $7500/kid per year. I’d say they give maybe 30 of those out? It’s a long list. And while you had to submit a FASFA, I’d say the majority of the kids were doctor’s kids, lawyers kids and even the kids of the person who owns multiple major car dealerships in multiple states. And all going to in-state publics. Younger S was getting $7500 by the end. Older S was lower.

Each kid also won a one time $5000 scholarship from a local manufacturing company. You had to write a 3 page technical paper, so not many applied.

There is another clearinghouse that is the gatekeeper to a few dozen scholarships. That one is a PITA and many of them are need based. We didn’t apply to those specific ones within the clearinghouse. It’s one of those deal where you fill out a long lengthy application and then multiple additional essays for each specific one you want to try for. Older S got one that was renewable maybe in the 2K range. But some of those ranged to $5/yr and renewable and some would completely cover tuition at instate schools.

And then we applied to plenty of regular ones outside of those. The American Legion, wednesday club, a couple of ones that were specific to graduates from my kid’s HS. And a sporting themed one.

And the older S also got a $3K one that was supposed to be renewable; but it only paid money toward tuition after all other scholarships were applied. So he got 0, and we never bothered with it again. That one was $$$ given by tobacco companies to help students in our region go to college. I think now it’s more like a loan where they forgive it if you come back and work in our area for a couple of years. Definitely not worth it in our case.

So while my kids did well, I know others who got a lot more. Especially if you were smart and first gen, or needy for real.