This document provides guidance on finding and applying for scholarships. It begins by explaining to consider where scholarships may be available from, such as foundations, community organizations, colleges and more. It advises creating a scholarship profile by assessing strengths, talents, activities and other unique qualities. Application strategies are outlined, including writing an effective essay demonstrating why you are the best investment. The document also provides tips on researching scholarship opportunities and cautions about potential scams. Overall, it offers a comprehensive overview to developing a scholarship search process and creating high-quality applications.

1. FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS
Susan M. Shogren
Financial Aid Professional and Training Consultant

2. Overview
 Begin with the end in mind
 Your scholarship profile
 Application strategies
 Searching for scholarships
 Questions

3. Begin with the end in mind
 Where would your scholarship come from?
 Foundations and other nonprofits
 Community organizations
 Private donors
 Colleges
 State agencies
 Federal government

4. OSAC (www.GetCollegeFunds.org)

5. Sample OSAC Scholarship #306

6. Sample OSAC Scholarship #242

7. Create your own scholarship!
 How much will you give each student?
 What criteria will they have to meet?
 How will they have to apply?
Activity

8. Your scholarship profile

9. Assess your assets
 Academic strength
 Specialized talents
 Involvement in activities
 Community service
 Leadership
 Life lessons
 Financial need

10.  Heritage
 Interests
 Talents
 Experiences
 Realizations
 Plans
What’s unique about you?

11. Application Strategies

12. Essay = opportunity
 Demonstrate that you’re their best investment
 Boil your primary point down to one sentence
 Expand on key points with specific examples
 Use an outline to provide structure
 Share at least one breakout idea
 Create a story, not a laundry list
 Write thoughtfully, not stream of consciousness
 Speak to your passion and it will shine through!

13. What do they want from you?
 Application
 Resume
 Activities chart
 Academic transcript
 Test scores
 Work samples
 Essays
 Letters of
recommendation
 FAFSA or financial
need statement
 Interview

14. What NOT to do
 Miss the application deadline
 Fail to follow the instructions
 Provide more than they ask for
 Exaggerate or lie
 Forget to proofread
 Recycle carelessly
 Seem too casual
 Have an unprofessional web-presence

15. Searching for scholarships

16. Research your opportunities
 Financial Aid Office staff
 Academic department
 Employers
 Local organizations
 State agencies
 Online resources

17. Proceed with caution
 Use only free sources
 Protect your personal identifiers
 Watch out for scams and data mining
 If you’re not sure, research it further
 If you’re still not sure, don’t apply

18. Resources
 Federal …………………… www.studentaid.ed.gov
 State …………………… www.GetCollegeFunds.org
 Local ………………………… www.nela.net/centers
or www.thecollegeplace.com
 Independent ………………………… www.finaid.org
 Free search service ………… www.FastWeb.com

24. Persistence pays off
“It’s always better to spend time on one
quality application than to throw out five
that aren’t so great.”
 Be a scholarship detective
 Don’t throw back the little ones
 Consider this a long-term project
 Be sure to say “thank you”

25. Questions and Discussion
 What else would you like to know?
 Are you inclined to modify the scholarship you
created?

26. Thank you!
Susan M. Shogren
Financial Aid Training Consultant
smshogren@gmail.com
503.504.0205