scholarships for students and us! heather cooper milwaukee school of engineering & angela sarni...

Scholarships for Students and Us!

Heather Cooper Milwaukee School Of Engineering

& Angela Sarni

Concordia University Wisconsin

Scholarships Are

A form of gift aid

Free money that doesn’t have to be repaid

Applied directly to tuition to help pay for college

The best way to pay for college

Who Can Get a Scholarship? Your students!

Scholarships are available for every kind of student

What are Scholarships Based On?

Qualities

Achievements

Luck

Qualities

Income Level

Major

Where the student or their parents work

Heritage or Religion

Hobbies or Interest

Community Service

Achievements

Academic

Athletic

Musical

Artistic

Volunteer

Other

Luck

What are the benefits of scholarships? They are free money that does not need to

be paid back

They are worth the time

One $500 scholarship won One hour spent applying

= $500 per hour!

Reduced Out-of-Pocket Expenses

$10,000 Scholarship

$10,000 Federal Student Loan

$10,000 Credit Card Debt

Interest Rate

0% 6.8% 19%

Interest Accrued

Over 4 years0% $2,720 $7,600

Total Repaid Over 10 years

0% $12,720 $17,600

Loan Repayment Examples

Unsubsidized Direct Loan

6.8% Interest Rate

Debt TermMonthly Payment

Total Interest Paid

Total Paid

$10,000 10 years $115 $3,810 $13,810

$20,000 10 years $230 $7,619 $27,619

$25,000 10 years $288 $9,524 $34,524

$30,000 10 years $345 $11,428 $41,428

$35,000 10 years $402 $13,333 $48,333

$50,000 10 years $575 $19,408 $69,408

Cost of Borrowing Each Additional $5,000 borrowed adds

Approximately $1,905 in interest

Approximately $57 to their monthly payment

*assumes 10-year standard repayment period and 6.8% interest rate

Where Do Students Find Scholarships?

High School Guidance Counselor

Local Searches

Financial Aid Office

Online Searches

High School Guidance Counselor

Great resources for local scholarships

4H

Library

ROTC

Local business

Lions Club

Local Searches

Churches

Civic Opportunities

Businesses

Employers

Government Agencies

Financial Aid Office (ways to

promote scholarships)

Scholarship Binders

Listservs/email accounts

Financial Aid Websites

List of Endowment Scholarships

Bulletin Boards

Facebook & Twitter

Financial Aid Office (continue)

List of Internet Websites

Provide Key words to search

Offer to review and give pointers on essays

Do Scholarship Presentations

Offer Essay Templates

Online Searches

Go College www.gocollege.com

Fast WEB www.fastweb.com

Fin Aid www.finaid.org

Scholarships.com www.scholarships.com

Super College www.supercollege.com

Avoid Scams

Fees

Private information requests

Strange contact information

Fake endorsements

Phone calls

“Guarantees”

How Do Students Apply?

Personal Assessment

Application

Essays

Letters of Recommendation

Interviews

Personal Assessment

Activities

Accomplishments

Future Plans

Character

ApplicationDo:

Include clubs and

organizations in which they

are involved

List other scholarships and

honors that they have

received

Check grammar and

punctuation

Research the sponsoring

company/organization

Don’t:

Use an unprofessional

email address

Include phone numbers

with unprofessional

outgoing messages

List the wrong scholarship

or organization name

Lie

Essays

Explain

Who the student is

Why they chose their major

The organizations, hobbies, or community service

they are involved in

What they hope to accomplish in their major and

their career

Examples:

Describe how they contribute to their

community and what they have learned

from their experiences

Describe an academic challenge they have

faced and how they have overcome it

Letters of Recommendation Choose the right people:

They should know the student well

Ask if they feel comfortable writing a positive letter of

recommendation

Asking an instructor who does not know the student well could

result in a bland, boilerplate, average letter of

recommendation

Carefully follow the instructions on the application—if it

requests a letter from an instructor, don’t substitute one from

a staff member

Provide the letter writer with:

Adequate time to write the letter Let them know the deadline

Resume

Transcript

Essay

Instructions on where to send the letter

Ask for more letters than are needed

Letters of Recommendation (continue)

Interviews

Research the company/organization

Compile revealing personal stories

Prepare questions to ask the interviewer

Prepare responses for anticipated interview

questions

Practice ahead of time

Send a thank you note after the interview

Tips for Success Apply if you are eligible

Follow all directions

Make sure it is readable

Proofread

Keep a copy

Meet deadlines

Ask for help

Keep a list

Remember the scholarship Trifecta Campus involvement Grade point average Community service

RECAP What are scholarships?

Free money for college Who can get a scholarship?

Your students! Where can you find scholarships?

Financial Aid Office High School Guidance Counselor Local Searches Online Searches

When should students apply? NOW!

Thank You!Heather CooperMilwaukee School Of EngineeringCooperH@msoe.edu414.277.7222

Angela SarniConcordia University WisconsinAngela.Sarni@cuw.edu262.243.4279