Whether students need to save money for rent, food, clothes or even beer, there are many places to go to apply for scholarships.
The majority of students apply for scholarships through CU; others go the extra mile searching the Internet and other various locations to help them with their college tuition woes.
CU offers some scholarships but some students, including freshman integrative physiology major Chelsea Moore, find there are many scholarships that don’t apply to them. In this case, students need alternate resources to help with their tuition costs.
“There aren’t very many (CU scholarships) that I can apply for because a lot of them are need-based,” Moore said. “I was kind of disappointed.”
For the student searching frantically for ways to save money, here is a list of some of the most helpful places to search for the best scholarships.
Place: CU Financial Aid Scholarship Services
What Is It: When alumni and other organizations donate money for scholarships, this is where it can be found.
Web site: www.colorado.edu/finaid/scholarships, can also be connected through CUConnect
How Does It Work: Sign in using IdentiKey name and password. The site will filter out what scholarships match each student’s criteria after asking a few questions. Some are general essay scholarships, which require an essay, but some require alternate information like resumes and letters of recommendation.
How Many Scholarships Available: Various general scholarships and even more department scholarships including those from each school and various student groups.
Application Process: Some are general essay scholarships, which require an essay, but some require other information such as resumes, letters of recommendation, or special essays.
Deadlines: Most have a deadline of March 1 for the spring semester.
Pros: Since they are through the university, the money earned goes directly into your account; whereas through other organizations, a check is usually written or proof of scholarship has to be given to the school.
Cons: Early deadline and lots of scholarships are due on one date.
Place: FastWeb
What Is It: A scholarship search engine.
Web site: www.fastweb.com
How Does It Work: In order to receive scholarship opportunities from FastWeb, students must register with the site. The process is very simple. After registering for a username and password, students are prompted to answer a series of questions related to family history, academics and extracurricular activities, among others. Once this second step is completed, FastWeb narrows down the thousands of results to those that match the student’s survey answers. As long as a student is a member of FastWeb, they continue to receive scholarship and internship offers and various college opportunities. Members are contacted via e-mail when FastWeb receives a new scholarship.
How Many Scholarships Available: thousands depending on how the questions are answered
Price Range of Scholarships: from hundred to thousands of dollars
Application Process: Since FastWeb is a search engine, each application depends on the company with which the scholarship is associated. Many require resumes and essays. Some, however, only require an application form.
Deadlines: year round
Pros: Students can apply for scholarships all year, there are lots of choices and searches are dependent upon students’ preferences.
Cons: Lots of competition from other students; the site is nation-wide; the amount of scholarships can be overwhelming; and there is no way a student can apply for all of them.
Place: College in Colorado
Web site: www.collegeincolorado.org
What Is It: A scholarship site for Colorado students based in Colorado.
How Does It Work: Students must be members of the site in order to use the search engine. The site prompts students to fill out their names, address and e-mail and again asks a series of questions relating to majors, interests and test scores, among others. Then the site narrows down its thousands of scholarships to those that match the answers each student gives.
How Many Scholarships Available: thousands, which are narrowed down to match each student’s profile
Price Range of Scholarships: hundreds to thousands of dollars
Application Process: Varies depending on the scholarship organization. Most require an essay, application form and sometimes a resume. Others may have different requirements.
Deadlines: year round
Pros: Less competition than FastWeb because it is for Colorado students; lots of choices.
Cons: Still competitive; not specifically tailored to CU.
Bottom Line:
Why apply? Freshman open-option major Jennifer Kruplak said, “I’m applying because I want to save my parent’s money.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Amber Klein at amber.klein@campuspress.com.
