5 Ways to Receive More Scholarship Money
There are ways to reel in scholarships from places you’d never expect and get colleges to pay you to go to their school.
College can be expensive, and the cost of an education is continually rising. For those who would like to save money without having to sacrifice attending the school they want, scholarships are a no-brainer, and sometimes even a necessity.
Unfortunately, it’s no easy task (for most) to navigate the sea of scholarships available for rising undergrads, and figuring out where/when/how to get them is a convoluted mess amid a whirlwind of college applications, visits, and decisions.
Luckily, there are ways to reel in scholarships from places you’d never expect, and get colleges to pay you to go their school.
Here are five ways to rake in extra scholarship money
1. Apply through the schools you’re interested in.
Almost all schools offer scholarships to their students: these can be merit based, leadership based, community service based, or basically anything else. Scholarships come in all shapes and sizes, so if you know you’d like to go to a specific school then go to their website and search all their scholarships. I applied for scholarships a few different ways; I searched and applied for many online through sites like Fastweb and Niche, I looked at organizations that I’d been involved in in my community, and, most effectively, I applied for scholarships supplied by the schools I was interested in.
2. Talk to someone in person.
I know it’s tough to wade through every school’s website and read up on every single scholarship they offer. So talk to someone who works for them! In person is always best, but if you’re not able to visit the school then give them a call. When you communicate face to face you can connect a lot more with the people who are helping you — use that. Before finally deciding, when I had narrowed down my choices to my top three schools (USC, Harvey Mudd, and Caltech), I did not have scholarship offers to the latter two. However, during their respective admitted student’s days I took time away from the activities they had planned for us and went (with my mom) to the financial aid offices, and by the end I had scholarships/grant money from all three.
3. Discuss your situation.
If there’s a reason you need a scholarship, then say so! My senior year of high school USC offered me an interview for a Presidential scholarship. During my interview, which would determine if I was to receive the scholarship or not, I told the group of interviewers that I was strongly considering USC, Harvey Mudd, Caltech, Stanford and Berkeley — with none of them particularly standing out above the rest. I also informed them that I didn’t want to go to Berkeley at all, but that my parents were pressuring me to try it out because in-state tuition would be significantly less expensive than other options; I let them know that if I got a scholarship offer from USC it would be a huge factor in my final decision, and when I got my scholarship decision in the mail, not only did I receive the scholarship I’d interviewed for but they added a University scholarship without explanation. Coincidence? I can’t tell you for certain because I never got a reason for the added money, but it’s uncommon for USC students to get more scholarship money than they interview for, and I don’t know if my interview was that good.
4. Sell yourself.
You want a scholarship — why should they give it to you? What sets you apart? I set myself apart in two key ways: my interviewing and my essays. Interviews aren’t always feasible, but you can’t attend one, or if you’re not the best interviewer, then it can be informal as well while maintaining effectiveness; for that, go back to #2. Many scholarships require an essay; sell yourself in it and don’t hold anything back. Explain why you’re better suited for it than everyone else, and be convincing.
5. Leverage other offers.
University scholarships are a method of drawing in students. If you get offered a scholarship from a college it’s because they want you. Sadly, they’re not giving out money just to be nice — there is an ulterior motive. They think you have potential and they want you, so milk that. At Harvey Mudd and Caltech I told financial aid officers that I liked the school and was interested in attending, but a drawback was the price to attend. At both, everyone was incredibly helpful and talked me through the process of getting money from the school. At Harvey Mudd — that very day — they offered me ~$12,000/year plus told me I could apply for a diversity scholarship once I started classes which would cover my entire tuition for the remaining three years. At Caltech I went to the financial aid office and told them I needed more money to go there; I also told them what USC and Harvey Mudd had offered me; after looking at my financial aid package again, Caltech, a school that does not provide any merit scholarships, managed to offer me ~$10,000/year each year I attended their school. Leveraging your position is a lesser-known way of getting scholarship and grant money, but it is effective, especially if you’re dealing with comparable or rival schools.
This blog is written by Mark, who is a content creator at Mascot. Mark studies Economics and Mathematics at the University of Southern California (USC), where he received a generous scholarship package. Mark is also admitted by Caltech, UC Berkeley, UCLA, etc.
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