10 Ways To Get Your Share - college scholarships

QUIET as it's kept, there's plenty of scholarship money out there--approximately $64 billion in grants, fellowships and federal funding--just waiting for the few, the swift and the determined to stake their claims. In 1999, top Black high school students (July EBONY) received tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship aid, and you can do it too, if you follow these 10 hot tips.

[1.] Be positive.

The No. 1 mistake many students make is believing they can't afford college, say's financial aid expert Barry Beckham, author of The Black Student's Guide to Scholarships.

"Parents and students shouldn't take the position that there isn't enough money out there and that they don't qualify for scholarships," Beckham says. "You can go to college and there is money for almost everybody--you've just got to find the right combination of your abilities, what the school offers and your financial needs."

[2.] Start early.

Students should start looking for scholarships by the time they reach their sophomore year in high school, according to Dr. David L. Beckley, president of Rust College and chair of the UNCF presidents of member institutions.

"By the sophomore year, parents and students ought to start looking for colleges and exploring the financial aid programs that the colleges have," Dr. Beckley advises. "And they should begin writing these sources for scholarship and financial aid information."

Nearly half of all college students miss out on scholarship sources available in their own community, according to Marianne Ragins, president of the Virginia-based Scholarship Workshop, and recipient of $415,000 in scholarship funding.

"You should start in your own backyard because the local-level scholarships aren't as competitive as the national-level ones, due to the smaller pool of applicants," Ragins says.

The best places to look for local scholarship sponsors are community churches, local-area businesses, professional organizations, hospitals, sororities and fraternities, the parents' workplace, and other organizations that provide scholarships that are related to your extracurricular activities. In most cases, a listing of these organizations can be found at your local library.

[3.] Make it a family affair.

It's no surprise that parents need to get their finances in order long before junior heads off to school. Most importantly, parents need to understand the importance of their expected family contribution, or EFC, a formula based on assets and income which can affect the amount of scholarship funding for their children. "The EFC is a key formula that many parents don't understand and [the cost of college] really doesn't matter because it all boils down to your EFC," Beckham explains. Parents should attend scholarship workshops with their children to gain a better understanding of the financial aid process.

[4.] Get a head start.

There are two vital tips for getting ahead in the scholarship race. First, students can become eligible for federal grants and work-study money by applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA), which is a funding requirement for many colleges and universities. To receive your FASFA, contact the U.S. Department of Education, at 1-800-4 FED AID, or log on to the Web site at www.ed.gov.

Second, taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) during the junior year of high school will qualify students for a bulk of the national scholarships that require a PSAT score.

[5.] Get out of the classroom.

For many scholarship committees, a well-rounded student who gives back to the community is just as impressive as an all-A scholar. Says Ragins: "Your activities outside the classroom are actually more important than high grades and SAT scores [because] the scholarship organizations want to know how you will impact a community or a college once you get there." As for C students who are continuously nudged out of the scholarship competition, this may be the loophole you've been hoping for. "If "C" students have been involved [in volunteerism] and have extracurricular activities to their credit, they still have a very good chance [of winning scholarships] because they have the opportunity to show their good qualities," Ragins adds.

[6.] Cultivate mentors.

Mentors are people who guide you through your educational career and help you grow professionally. Choose a teacher, professional or community leader who genuinely sees potential in you, and who will be willing to write positive recommendations highlighting your achievements.

[7.] Avoid scams.

There is an abundance of scholarship leads on the Internet, which will keep you posted on new scholarships and revised deadlines. However, there is also an abundance of scam scholarships lurking on the Internet as well. Finaid.org lists six signs of a scam scholarship offer: 1) Application fees--legitimate scholarship sponsors do not require an application fee; 2) Loan fees--if you have to pay in advance for obtaining an educational loan, it's probably a scam; 3) Guaranteed winnings--no legitimate scholarship will guarantee that you'll win scholarships; 4) Everybody is eligible--all scholarship sponsors are looking for candidates who best match certain criteria; 5) Unclaimed aid myth--it's not true that billions of dollars of scholarships go unused because students don't know where to apply--most financial aid programs are highly competitive; and 6) We will apply on your behalf--to win a scholarship you must submit your own applications, write your own essays and solicit your own letters of recommendations--there's no way to avoid these tasks. Beckham and Ragins agree that the best places to launch your scholarship search are the library and the financial aid office of your prospective school.