Want
to know all about SCHOLARSHIPS? Here’s some info. on
finding, applying for, and hopefully receiving them:
The
students who tend to get the most scholarships spend time applying for a
variety of scholarships. It is not
always about having the highest grades or best test scores. It is about putting
together excellent application packets and BEATING DEADLINES.
The
highest scholarship awards tend to come directly
from the colleges and universities to which students apply. Private schools especially have the most
leeway when it comes to awarding students money. TALK
TO YOUR FAMILY about money for college.
Find out what the plan is for financing your college. If there is no family money for college, you
need to know that now and narrow your college search. This is not unusual. STAYING LOCAL is an option most students need
to consider. If UNR is a possibility, APPLY EARLY; it will make you first on the
list for their scholarships. The
Millennium Scholarship is
GREAT, but even that won’t cover all
your costs each semester. Colleges,
especially with out of state tuition, cost a
There
are NATIONAL Scholarships
that can award large amounts.
You
will find great information ONLINE. Programs through www.collegeboard.com
, www.scholarships.com,
www.fastweb.com
and many others are a great starting point to search for scholarships (you
probably only want to use one or two), and many also have excellent “how to
find the right college for you” searches too.
Just start with a Google search on “money for college” or “scholarships”
and you will find tons of options.
Essentially what you do is go on to the website and complete an
“interest inventory” which will ask you for a lot of personal information. The idea is, once you tell them your career
interests and community service experience, etc., the search program will e-mail you every scholarship application you
qualify for. Then it is up to
you to GET IT DONE! You will probably get more scholarship postings than you
have time to apply for, so you will
have to prioritize. The great
thing about this system is you can do it any time of day from home. One caution: many of these scholarships are
ESSAY contests. Most students don’t
bother because they don’t want to work that hard. Therefore, I suggest you enter the essay contests, for
the pool of applicants will be relatively small. Most
scholarships you find online do not involve Galena; they are totally
self-directed: you have to find them, apply for them, get your letters of
recommendations or whatever else is required, and mail (or e-mail) them to meet
the posted deadlines. Late materials are
categorically thrown in the trash, so BEAT the deadline.
GALENA POSTED
SCHOLARSHIPS
Every
single scholarship mailed to Galena High School is posted for all Galena students. To get the information to the most students
possible, a summary of each scholarship, covering the qualifications, amount of
award, and deadline date, is listed in a one-page posting and sent to all English
and Social Studies teachers at the appropriate grade-level. These should be available for you to see in
your classes. Since most scholarships
are for seniors, information is sent to senior teachers. If it is a science scholarship, a copy will
also be sent to science teachers. All postings are also in a binder in the
Galena Library Career Center, in the Counseling Department, and in room
116. Whenever application information can be accessed online, the web address will
be given on the posting. It is your job
to write down that web address and search for the scholarship online from home. MOST scholarships posted at Galena require
the student to mail the application (or submit it online) by posted
deadline. If this is the case, Galena is
really not involved from that point on.
If there is no web address or no way to apply online, copies of the
applications will be available IN THE GALENA
LIBRARY CAREER CENTER. This is the main
scholarship location at Galena High School. I am
available most days after lunch (3* and 6*).
If you want my one-on-one help, please make an appointment with me so I
don’t wander off to the copy room during 3rd period or
something. Best bet: e-mail me to set up
that appointment: mcampbell@washoe.k12.nv.us. I teach English classes during the other four
periods (1*, 2*, 4*, 5*) and am not available during those classes.
Many
scholarships posted at Galena require
you to TURN THEM IN TO GALENA LIBRARY.
Since the library closes at 3:15 p.m. daily, it is imperative that you
BEAT the deadline for turning in materials.
There is NO OTHER LOCATION for turning in scholarships to Galena, so get
your application there on time if you want it to be considered. This fall semester there are more than a
dozen scholarships to apply for at Galena and probably 100 to apply for online
in the fall. Another 100 or so
scholarships will be posted in the spring at Galena…98% of scholarships I know
about are due by mid-April, so if you are starting your search then, you will
be too late. The main scholarship you need to apply for at Galena is THE GALENA
GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP which is due in FEBRUARY 2010. This is the one application we use for
awards directly from Galena High. It
will be available on Galena website no later than December 2009.
The
Galena Scholarship Committee
consists of one faculty member from each department in the school as well as a
couple parents (who do NOT have students who are seniors). Last year’s committee members included: Mr. Bangert, Mrs. Brewster-Meredith, Col.
Czech, Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. Tieslau, Mr. Linton, Mrs. Sebring, Mrs. Frey, plus a
couple of parents, and I serve as Chair of this committee. We meet throughout the year, whenever
scholarship applications are due to Galena, and we meet regularly in the spring
to read, discuss, and select recipients from the Galena General Scholarship
Applications. Our committee has two
priorities that sometimes come in conflict: (1) We have to select the BEST and
most deserving applicants for each individual scholarship (especially for
“school nominee” selections because such nominees will go on to represent our
school and compete with others in larger contests), and (2) we want to
recognize as many deserving students as is possible (this is our focus with the
Galena Scholarships). Being on this
committee is an honor and a privilege but is also requires a great deal of time
and effort. We take the job very
seriously and are proud to help recognize deserving students!
Most scholarships
require various versions of:
·
A resume with test scores, honors classes, and awards received (example resume in library)
·
A listing of community service activities
·
A personal essay
You
should work on these now so
you have them in place and ready to go. Don’t forget: it is perfectly acceptable to modify your
“personal essay” to fit each scholarship application. You can re-use old essays for different
college and scholarship applications, but each will probably need to be
modified for each specific application.
·
Most applications also ask for LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION from teachers, work supervisors,
volunteer leaders, etc. To get the best letters of recommendation possible,
here’s what you need to do. 1.) Finalize
your resume of accomplishments, awards, and community service work. 2.) Write a letter to the person(s) you are
asking to write a letter of recommendation for you. In this letter tell the recommender to whom
to address the letter; you should also ask for generic “To Whom It May Concern”
copies to use for whatever comes up. Also tell the recommender, in your letter,
when you need the letter by (and how many copies). Be sure to include a copy of
your resume, and to thank your recommender for giving of their time. You might want to remind them of
individual projects or accomplishments you had so that the recommender can
include interesting and informative specific details about you. 3.)
Give the recommender at least a week or two to complete a good letter of
recommendation for you. 4) Make several
copies so you can use them for other applications. Decide now who knows you
best and ask for these letters AS SOON AS POSSIBLE this semester.
A few suggestions:
o
Never pay for scholarship applications or entry fees.
o
Make sure all pages you submit are typed, are NEAT, well edited,
and that all the information you include is true and verifiable.
o
Always try to BEAT the deadline posted; lots of scholarships
give out awards AS APPLICATIONS ARRIVE, so by the deadline date, all the money may
already be gone if you wait until the last minute.
o
Your education is your responsibility. While you will probably not win every
scholarship for which you apply, the only guarantee is this: IF YOU DON’T APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS, YOU
CANNOT BE AWARDED ANY SCHOLARSHIPS.
o
There are hundreds of scholarships out there—for tall people,
short people, for religions, races, clubs, community service, interests,
hobbies, accomplishments, writing, etc.—and every year, thousands of dollars of
scholarship money is NOT awarded for lack of applicants. Please apply for something!! Don’t give up just because you don’t win the
first one you apply for.
Your
GALENA SENIOR COUNSELOR is Mrs. Tracy Melcher: tmelcher@washoe.k12.nv.us. She can
work with you on selecting the right college for you. You really need to spend
some time online looking at colleges and, whenever possible, visiting college
campuses you are interested in attending. Also, for scholarship questions
please do not hesitate to contact me at mcampbell@washoe.k12.nv.us
or drop by my room in the afternoons and during “S” week Enrichment periods.
Ms.
Mandy Campbell
Galena
Scholarship Director