Read great advice for parents re. scholarships for college, and college planning, written by parents of current or prospective college students.
Last updated on November 26, 2024 by College Financial Aid Advice.
University of Florida
Advice for parents re. scholarships written by Monica from Michigan
Scholarships, every student wants to win them and every parent NEEDS their student to win them! College scholarships financially benefit both student and parent, so it makes sense for parents to partner with their students to help them win.
The problem is, students are so busy these days
with sports, academics, community service, and part-time jobs that scholarship
searching and applying often gets put off until deadlines have passed. All
these things that make a student well-rounded also put limits on the time the
student can spend finding and applying for college scholarships.
There are so many things a parent can to do help
in the scholarship process. Parents can actively search for scholarships their
student may qualify for and make a list of these scholarships. Scholarship
searching is a tedious process, taking precious time away from a student’s
study and work schedule. Moms and dads can accelerate this process by doing the
searching for their student. Parents can make note of scholarship guidelines
and requirements, such as what essays need to be written, word count limits and
subject matter. Research into the organization offering the scholarship can be
found by parents and passed along to their students. Folders organizing high
school transcripts, letters of recommendation, and scholarship applications can
be purchased by parents and placed in designated areas.
When a scholarship deadline is looming, parents can present their student with all the information they have gathered and inform the student exactly what needs to be done in order to apply. Parents can be a second or third pair of eyes when it comes time to proofread each essay, making suggestions along the way. When the application is filled out, the essay is written, and all required materials are gathered, parents can help their students organize and get everything ready to be mailed or submitted online, making sure nothing is missing.
With so much of the scholarship preparation done for the student, parents will only need to nudge, not nag, their students in the scholarship process. They will have formed a partnership that results in more scholarships applied for and less stress for the whole family. The more scholarships a student applies for, the better chance they have of winning. PRICELESS!
Advice for parents re scholarships from Olivia of Florida
To: Parents of perspective college bound students:
With the cost
of a college education continuing to go up and the economy and wages remaining
stagnant, the question of how you are going to fund your child's college
education may seem difficult, if not impossible, to answer. This is especially
true if your child is not gifted athletically, does not play a musical
instrument exceptionally well or fails to score in the top 10% on the SAT or
ACT. However, if you continue reading this letter, you will learn that while
the task may seem daunting at times, there are some simple and straightforward
steps to take to increase your child's odds of winning scholarships or grants.
The first and arguably most important step is to apply early and often. While
this statement may seem obvious, the truth is that you cannot start applying
too early. In fact, there is at least one scholarship where if you wait until
you are in high school to apply, it is too late (Grauschopf). Additionally,
there are numerous scholarships opportunities for high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
Once you have committed yourself to start looking for scholarships and/or
grants, the next thing you should do is identify your child's special
qualities/unique characteristics. If you do this, you may be surprised to find
that there are several scholarships offered for those qualities or
characteristics. For example, ScholarshipRed offers the chance to win a $250
scholarship if your child is a natural redhead. If your child is not a redhead,
but is a lefty or a vegetarian or an excellent duck caller, then they can apply
for one of the listed scholarships through Juanita College, The Vegetarian
Resource Group, and the Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest.
In addition to the plethora of scholarships
that are available, do not forget to see if your child qualifies for any
grants. Grants are distinctly different from both scholarships and student
loans because you do not have to pay them back and they are primarily
need-based, compared to traditionally merit-based scholarships. Students
seeking grant money can begin by searching for grants by topic or by need,
through the federal and state government, colleges and universities, and public
and private organizations. A few of the federal grant programs are the Pell
Grant program, the Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grant, and the National
Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART Grant.) The Pell
Grant, created in the 1970s, is likely the most popular program of federal
funding and recently the maximum Pell Grant award was over $5,500. The Academic
Competitiveness Grant is available to undergraduate freshmen and sophomores
with excellent academic records along with demonstrated talent for leadership
and service. The SMART Grant follows the Academic Competitiveness Grant with
$4,000 awards to undergraduate juniors and seniors. However, students must be
studying computer science, engineering, mathematics, or sciences to be eligible.
State Grant programs are given to resident
students based on merit, need, and area of study. In addition, most community
and state colleges, as well as universities offer tuition waivers and other
grants based on financial need. (Tuition waivers and grants are based on the
FAFSA and college tuition waiver applications.)
Finally, many kids find it necessary and/or
beneficial to hold part time jobs while in high school. If your child will be
working while in high school, have him/her seek employment with employers who
offer their employees college scholarship opportunities (e.g. Lowes,
Chick-fil-A, etc.)
While all of the above tips/secrets are important
for winning scholarships or obtaining grants, the most important thing to
remember is do not get discouraged and do not give up. There are numerous
opportunities just waiting for you or your child to seek them out. However, you
cannot win if you do not apply.
Written by Debbie from Oklahoma
As a parent we all want more for our children, and the number
one goal we want is for our kids is for them to attend college, as a single
parent money is a major issue. All I ever wanted is for her to achieve her
goals and her number one goal is to work in Sports Management, her dream job
would be to work with the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Team or the New England
Patriots and she knows college is her first step in achieving her goal.
Below are five hints to remember:
1. Don’t wait until the last minute; as a parent push them, help them, as a
parent you can always ask the teachers to e-mail you if their grades are
slipping you should start this their freshman year of high school. At the
beginning of their junior year they should already be looking into schools they
might want to attend and looking at the cost don’t wait until the last minute
start looking on line at the free scholarships. Also in their junior year they
should be taking the ACT and keeping their grades up.
2. Have your child talk to the school counselor, ours were great, but again
your child has to do some work, writing and applying for the scholarships. My
daughter was a soccer manager and a wrestling mat maid and yes they are busy
but remind them of their goals. The counselor also made sure we all applied for
the FAFSA it was great for us and it took a
load off my mind so please apply even if you think you won’t qualify.
3. Apply and write essays, keep trying, don’t give up. In hindsight I should
have pushed harder on the essay’s but, I backed off this is her life and it’s
her lesson to learn. She now knows the cost of college and she will have student loans she will have to work to
pay back but it is making her work harder to reach her goals.
4. Don’t take your education for granted, this
is a big one, the one my daughter blows up when she see’s athletes, or just
students that have a full ride and blow it. College is full of parties and fun
but to throw away a free education is just sad and one day they will regret
what they threw away and can’t get back.
5. As a parent I told my daughter if you want it
bad enough go for it, it will mean more to you if you work for it, for nothing
in life is free; all we can ask for is a little help along the way don’t be
afraid to ask for help. The college has many forms of help financial, tutors,
or there are just people there if you need to talk.
As parents all we wish for is our children’s well
being and happiness.
Written by Mark from Georgia
Planning for college as a parent seems to be an overwhelming task. Especially if you student has a long time before college. Fortunately if you are lucky enough to be looking at many years before you ship off your future president you have a lot of cheap options that you won’t as your student gets closer to that date.
The first thing that anyone thinks about when
the C word is used is $$$. Will it be $ or $$ or $$$? The obvious answer is $$$
so you need to begin thinking about it as early as you can. In today’s market
setting it up the moment you reach over and feel that first kick might seem a
bit late but never fear there are opportunities even if your young scientist is
graduating this May assuming you get to work planning for it right now.
The earliest thing any parent should do, and
most don’t, is set up a college 529 plan or similar savings vehicle. This
could be done as early as the child’s birthday (as in day of birth) and should
include an automatic mechanism for contribution. I know it is hard to let any
income go when you are just starting out but if you can just go ahead and
deduct it before you see your check it is easier than trying to pull it out
every week when you have bills coming in. Ask your employer if a small
contribution to the 529 can be deducted each week same as your 401K. You might
balk at the idea of something as low as 1 dollar a day into that 529 plan but
if you started it at birth those 365 dollars a year would balloon into the
neighborhood to $10,000 if nobody contributed another dime. That is where grandparents if available are great assets. Give
them the name of your financial advisor and you may find an occasional
contribution to bulk up the value. Of course time is everything and makeup time
is money. There are tax advantages to a 529 also like earnings are tax free and
withdrawals for college expenses are tax free. Talk to a financial advisor for
the limitations and advantages but by all means get a plan for your child.
Scholarships are the 2nd thing a parent needs to be aware of and
opportunities occur throughout the child’s life. You may not like the Toddler
Tiara scene but if there is a contest for your 5 year old with a scholarship
attached don’t hesitate to grab a dress and teach her to sing the star spangled
banner. You don’t have to follow the entire industry just go for the prize.
Science, social studies, writing and similar fairs are huge for obtaining
scholarships for your young ones. Before each school year and at least one
semester Google the contests available for your child’s age group and see what
projects he can work on for that year that can snag some scholarship money.
Grade school is the best time get involved in these contest because not only is
there a possible financial reward but it sets up your child for a lifetime of
involvement and involvement = success.
If you are looking at a senior year and you did
nothing up to now you have far more limited options but don’t be discouraged.
Go to the guidance counselor as early as possible and get information on all
the available scholarships for high school seniors and get to work. You goofed off long enough now
you have a lot of makeup work to do. Get on the internet too. There are many
great websites posting scholarships and your new 2nd job will be to snag
everything you can. What you don’t snag you have to borrow so there is no time
to waste.
SAT/ACT
preparation. Enough Said. If your student fails to score high enough she won’t
be going to the school she wants. Check the needed numbers with the school
before you sign her up so she knows what she needs. If you are a gambler or
just have a lot of money to throw around skip the prep and write the checks
because your Nuclear Physics Major probably won’t pass the test high enough on
the first try. She can certainly try again and again but expect writer’s cramp
from all the checks you will be signing. Buy the books twist an arm or two. It
is cheaper in the long run.
If you have a senior or undergraduate I cannot
stress enough that tax day is in
Get started on the FAFSA. You will not know your financial aid
numbers until you do and many of the best scholarships are waiting for that
information. You don’t want to be sitting there
in August wondering if your aid is going to be processed in time for Susie to
sit down in class. You should also be aware that if you don’t pay in full by
the deadline that those classes she wants reopen to the first person who grabs
them up. Susie may end up still attending but unable to get a schedule that meets
her needs.
Don’t put off Orientation. Colleges schedule
these for several weeks during the summer and your freshman probably can’t
schedule classes until orientation day. It is tempting to wait for a later date
but what they don’t tell you is that classes are being scheduled at orientation
and it is first come first served. If you wait until the last Saturday
orientation don’t be surprised when you Johnny comes back from the class scheduling session crying
because he couldn’t get the classes he needs or he has back to back classes
scheduled over the top of the supper schedule every night making it impossible
for him to eat at the cafeteria. How much did you pay for that meal plan again?
How much will it cost to feed him for a semester on top of that meal plan you
had to buy but can’t use? Speaking of meal plans no matter how much they insist
always take the all you can eat option. Your son will look at the flex account
with dollar signs and chicken nuggets in his eyes but those run out fast. Check
the prices of the restaurants on campus and figure out how many times Johnny
can eat with them. It becomes a no brainer to give him unlimited cafeteria
access with fewer flex $$.
School supplies are a much bigger issue for that first freshman move in. Expect to pay 5 or 6 hundred dollars just to get her moved in and settled. I don’t know about you but that is a huge chuck for me at any one time. Nobody says though that you have to buy everything up front. Sales come and go all year long. Get a list from the college of recommended items. Take note of any banned items like flammables, wireless routers, refrigerators over 3.6 cubic feet or microwaves over 700 watts. You need to know the limits for the campus before you buy but no law says you can’t buy the refrigerator in January, the microwave on Black Friday and the XL Twin bedding in May. Make sure you test all electrical equipment before you store it but once tested it should be good to go for fall. Again take note of your budding painter’s educational choice early as possible. Some subjects cost more in supplies. Art students can run through hundreds of dollars in extras. If you know what the major is going to be check with the department to see what kind of supplies are most likely to be needed. If the drawing instructor says all art students will be expected to buy certain quality and or name brand pads, pencils, pens, paint etc. it is a good thing to know in advance so you can shop at your leisure instead of a last minute trip to the art supply store on move in day and a second or third trip the next 2 weekends to get the rest.
There are a lot of considerations and planning when sending your student to college and I wish you well in navigating that maze. Like any good maze though the reward at the end is worth the effort.
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One of the great tips that I suggest parents seek out for college tuition is first making a decision to look at in state colleges and universities for their child. This process should begin as early as ninth grade and no later than December of junior year. Visiting colleges early allows for you and your child to get the feel and experience college. Our daughter attending a state college/university has allowed … Thank you parents for sharing your advice for parents re. scholarships for college.
For more advice re. scholarships and financial aid, see the links below.
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FAFSA - The official 2025 - 2026 FAFSA is available now. FAFSA.
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