Newspaper Page Text
INSIDER 7
Down-Home Dollars
When it comes to tracking down a grant or scholarship, you
may not have to wander far. Your home state may be your
best resource.
This year, states expect to award a total of $912 million to
college students, up more than $100 million from a year ago.
Some state programs are set up to help needy students;
others reward students who show academic promise. Most
require scholarship money to be used within state borders
<exceptions include Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
For more information on state scholarship and grant
programs that affect you, contact your state scholarship
office or your college financial aid office.
Scholarships: To Have and To Hold
Good job! You worked hard for that scholarship or grant.
Now comes the real work—keeping it.
If you miss a deadline, forget to reapply, or get lost in the
financial aid shuffle, you may face a costly surprise next
year. So, here are five questions you should ask when you
receive your grant or scholarship:
1. How much am I getting, and for how long?
An award letter from your school or scholarship/grant
sponsor should say how much money you’ll get this year and
how much you can expect in the future. Keep this letter. If
any mix-ups occur, you may need a copy. If you don’t have
an award letter that states explicitly what you can expect,
get one from your financial aid office or scholarship/grant
sponsor.
2. Do I need to reapply next year?
Some scholarships are renewed automatically; others take
just as much work to reapply for as the initial application
did. The Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) pro
gram, for example, requires you to fill out a new application
each year. Though your financial aid office can help, you’re
safest if you know when and how to reapply.
3. Who controls the money?
When things go wrong—and they can—know who makes
the decisions and where to go to plead your case. In the
future, you may wish to transfer your scholarship or grant,
take a year off, or use some of the money for summer school.
Developing a personal relationship with the person who
controls your money will save time and trouble. Writing
your congressman can help resolve hassles with federal
aid sources.
4. What do they want from me?
Keeping your money may require maintaining a minimum
grade-point average, living on campus, scoring 40 points a
game, or writing a thesis. Know what is expected of you and
what happens if you fail to meet requirements.
5. What could the future bring?
Some scholarships and grants are based on need. Be aware
of how a change in family finances might affect your award.
Also, be aware of threats to your scholarship or grant, such
as cuts in funding or changes in program requirements.
You worked hard for your scholarship or grant; this is no
time to lose it.
Scholarships
for Sideliners
Although they paint hel
mets, make travel arrange
ments, and conduct bed checks
instead of scoring touchdowns,
members of the Notre Dame
Student Managers Organi
zation are eligible for schol
arships awarded by the ath
letic department.
Thirteen seniors, who train
three years to manage one of
the Fighting Irish varsity
programs, receive awards
ranging in value from $3,789
to $5,830 (manager of the
football team is considered
the choicest assignment, car
rying a full scholarship). Jun
iors get a $400 tuition credit,
a school letter, and money
for books.
All male freshmen are eli
gible to join the Student Man
agers Organization, explains
Jim O’Brien, athletic depart
ment business manager. Wom
en who want to manage one of
the school’s four women’s
teams are eligible for schol
arship money under a sep
arate program.
“The beauty of the Stu
dent Managers Organization
is that it’s completely run by
the students,” adds O’Brien.
Plugging Into
Scholarship
Sources
Who are you? What are you?
And how can that informa
tion help you find money for
college?
Thousands of students have
made who and what they are
pay by using Scholarship
Search, a computerized serv
ice that matches undergrad
uates with sources of scholar
ship, grant, and loan money.
“It’s similar to computer dat
ing,” explains Mary Ann
Maxin, executive director.
“We use the computer to bring
the student and donor to
gether.”
For $45, students fill out a
questionnaire and receive a
list of up to 25 sources of aid
for which they are eligible,
worth at least $5,000. The
list is based on answers to 39
questions concerning career
choice, college major, mili
tary service, parents’ nation
ality, and other distinguish
ing characteristics.
Though Scholarship Search
won’t guarantee you a grant
or scholarship, it claims that
nearly half its clients receive
help from some of the more
than 250,000 sources in its
computer. For information
and an application, write to
Scholarship Search, 1775
Broadway, Suite 627, New
York, N.Y. 10019.
Major Aids for Minorities
Several organizations provide
scholarships and financial
information for minority stu
dents. For example:
—The NAACP offers $1,000
scholarships to black college
students showing academic
promise and leadership abil
ity. Write to the NAACP,
1790 Broadway, New York,
N.Y. 10019.
—Undergraduates and grad
uate students of Latin-Amer-
ican origin can win awards
ranging from $50 to $1,000
from the League of United
Latin-American Citizens
(LULAC). Write to LULAC,
400 First St. N.W., Suite 716,
Washington, D.C. 20001.
—Puerto Rican students
living in certain areas of
New York City can receive
up to $700 in Aspira’s May
or’s Scholarship Program.
Aspira also helps students
find other forms of financial
aid. Write to Aspira, 200 Park
Ave. South, Room 1511, New
York, N.Y. 10003.