You can be successful at finding college scholarships even if your children are “normal” kids. The key is to start thinking about
scholarships now, when your children are
in middle school or early high school, so
you can start some simple projects that will
pay huge dividends.
My children earned full tuition scholarships, but they weren’t superstars. Both of
our children were academic, but they did
not excel in sports, or have anywhere near
the volunteer hours expected. They weren’t
super social . . . merely sweet, ordinary,
loveable, nerdy guys.
There are 3 Keys to Maximum
Financial Aid
Apply for colleges early in your student’s
senior year, and complete all applications
well before each due date. I suggest try-
ing to beat deadlines by two months, or
finishing everything before Thanksgiving.
This means you need to have all the pieces
of the application ready to go before the
senior year begins. Ready your course descriptions, reading list, and activity list, so
you can apply as early as possible.
Most financial aid is first come, first
served. You want to be first in line when
they are handing out the cash. For maximum scholarships, apply to a mix of public and private universities. Public colleges
are often cash-strapped, with few available
scholarships. Private schools may be well
funded, with larger scholarships. In my
experience, public and private universities
are often the same price after financial aid
is given, so make sure you include a mix of
colleges. One private college offered a full
tuition scholarship to my son, their top
scholarship. The public university offered
their top scholarship as well . . . merely a
few hundred dollars per quarter.
Apply to “Reach, Fit, and Safety” colleges. Reach colleges have higher average test
scores than your child, but they meet the
college requirements. Ivy League and military academies are always reach schools,
no matter how high your child’s test scores
may be. Fit colleges have average test scores
about the same as your child’s, and your
child meets the college requirements. For
safety colleges, your child exceeds the requirements and their test scores are higher
than the college average.
There are 3 Kinds of College
Scholarships
1. Need Based Scholarships
Need based financial aid scholarships are
related to the FAFSA you fill out during
October of senior year. Awards are given as
grants and loans. Loans have to be repaid;
they are not a gift of cash. Financial aid may
include work study, such as a minimum
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
By Lee Binz
College Prep
The Basics of
Earning College
Scholarships
Help your child
shine with great
homeschool
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