Scholarships Galore! Deadlines in Feb, March, April

Scholarships Galore! Deadlines in Feb, March, April

1. http://www.aarpfoundationwlc.org/

AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship Program, Deadline: March 31, 2010

From website: ”Who is eligible to apply? To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants must be:
Women
Age 40 or over by March 31, 2010
U.S. Citizens
Able to demonstrate financial need
Enrolled in an accredited school or technical program in the U.S., within 6 months of the scholarship award date."

Also, included on this website is free 43 page ebook entitled, Back-to-School Financing Guide: A Financial Guide Book for Midlife and Older Women Seeking Education and Training.

2. http://www.cfmt.org/index.php

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) Scholarships, Deadline: March 15, 2010

CFMT administers several scholarships for the local Middle Tennessee community. Look at some of the following scholarships offered, especially at the Jerry Newson Scholarship, Drue Smith/Society of Professional Journalists Scholarship, Emmett H. Turner Scholarship, Teddy Wilburn Scholarship, The Woman's Club of Nashville Scholarship, and John W. Work III Memorial Foundation Scholarship.

Some of these are very specific, pertaining to what high school you went to, what county you resided, and what particular university you are attending.

Explore them all to see which pertains to you.

3. http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/news/subptyschol.inc

2010 Tylenol Scholarship Program, Deadline: May 14, 2010

From website: “Now in its 18th year, the TYLENOL® Scholarship program helps students getting a healthcare-related education manage the rising costs of education.

This year, we’ll be awarding $250,000 in scholarships to forty students based on leadership qualities and performance. We encourage any student who is pursuing a career in healthcare to apply.

Additional scholarship details:
Scholarships awarded to students pursuing healthcare-related education.
Ten students will be awarded $10K scholarships
Thirty students will receive $5K grants”

4. http://www.gkscholarship.com/

$1,000 Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship, Deadline: July 31, 2010

Scholarship Opportunities and Other Possibilities

I do not have time to write up and analyze every scholarship opportunity that I find. Below you will find scholarships I haven’t had time to investigate fully, but there are wonderful opportunities if you are willing to do the research.

Some of these deadlines are in the next day or two.

1. http://www.girlsgoingplaces.com/

Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Program. Deadline: Feb 26, 2010

2. http://bit.ly/d0kq1b

American Cancer Society Cancer Survivor College Scholarship Program—various scholarships are listed in this article

3. http://scholarshipamerica.org/open_scholarships.php

Scholarship America—Available Scholarships; various deadlines: Feb. 15, 2010; April 15, 2010; Feb. 25, 2010; Mar 10, 2010, and more

4. http://scholarships.fatomei.com/

Nationally Coveted College Scholarships, Graduate School Fellowships & Postdoctoral Awards

5. http://www.jkcf.org/

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

6. http://bit.ly/9QNhCe

Golden Key International Honour Society Scholarships & Awards

7. http://orphan.org/index.php?id=programs

Orphan Foundation of America programs and scholarships (foster care)

8. http://bit.ly/V4q4N

Rotary International—opportunities for students and youth

9. http://www.glamour.com/about/top-10-college-women

Glamour's Top 10 College Women Competition. Deadline: Dec 1, 2010

10. http://bit.ly/9UsckT

Article at Scholarships.com about Scholarships for Women

11. http://bit.ly/a1vFzc

Article about scholarships for Tennessee residents

12. http:/bit.ly/183hBR

VFW $30,000 Voice of Democracy Scholarship, Deadline: Nov. 1, 2010

13. http://bit.ly/HamcD

VFW $10,000 Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, Deadline: Nov. 1, 2010

Deadlines Passed

Deadlines already passed, but you can check them out for next year and prepare

1. http://www.gmsp.org/

Gates Millennium Scholars Program—you can study the requirements for next year

2. http://www.kfcscholars.org/scholarships/

KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program—class of 2011, process begins Dec. 1, 2010

3. https://www.coca-colascholars.org/cokeWeb/index.jsp

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

4. http://www.axa-equitable.com/axa-foundation/AXA-achievement-access.html

A list of all AXA Achievement Scholarships and programs; to register and learn about when the 2011 AXA Achievement Scholarship becomes available, click here: http://www.axa-scholarship.com/

5. http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

Vegetarian Scholarship—open to high school seniors who are living the vegetarian lifestyle; Deadline: Feb. 20, 2010

6. http://www.axa-equitable.com/axa-foundation/community-scholarships.html

AXA Achievement Community Scholarship Program, Deadline: Feb. 15, 2010

FAFSA Survival Guide, Part 2

This is the second part of the FAFSA Survival Guide.

1. http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/publications.jsp

Federal Student Aid Publications

Several good publications are available in PDF format, informing students and parents on how to file the FAFSA, how to choose a college or career, and how to avoid student loan scams.

Of particular interest to those who have students in middle and junior high schools is a publication called My Future, My Way: How to Go, How to Pay—A Workbook for Students in Middle and Junior High Schools.

Also on this page is the publication, Closed School Guide for Students, which details what students should do if their school suddenly closes and they are not through with their program.

Another publication, Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Employees, can make some interesting reading.

2. http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2009/01/avoid-student-aid-traps.html

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine web site has a great article entitled, "11 Student-Aid Traps to Avoid," which would make for timely reading: 3.

3. http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/financialaid-form-gets-a-facelift.html

Another Kiplinger article, “Financial-Aid Form Gets a Facelift: The new FAFSA is shorter, more helpful and less confusing”:

4. http://www.fafsaonline.com/fafsa-guide-ebook.php

FAFSA Guide eBook – Line By Line FAFSA Help! If you look at the endorsements, this ebook comes highly recommended!

Choosing a Major May be More Important
Than Your College

According to Marc Scheer, author of No Sucker Left Behind: Avoiding the Great College Rip-Off, what major you choose may have more of an impact on your starting salary than the college you attend: “An interesting quirk of college pricing is that every ‘major’ (area of academic concentration) within a school usually costs the same price(even after financial aid is considered)—but different majors lead to different salaries . . . in fact, students’ choice of major has more of an impact on their salaries than where they go to college, and this has been supported in various research studies.”

I highly recommend Marc Scheer’s No Sucker Left Behind. The book has several strategies to maximize your value in searching for a college.

College Goal Sunday and FAFSA 2010-2011 Survival Guide, Part 1

College Goal Sunday

College Goal Sunday is Sunday, Feb. 14, a program which occurs in all 50 states, where financial counselors will help you fill out your FAFSA (Free Application for Free Student Aid).

To learn where in your state you can get help and when, click here: http://collegegoalsundayusa.org/

In Tennessee, College Goal Sunday starts at 2 pm. More details here: http://www.tn.gov/collegegoalsunday/

FAFSA 2010-2011 Survival Guide, Part 1

1. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Students can go to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online and apply. If you apply online, the process is faster.

Also, students and parents can receive assistance in completing the FAFSA online by calling 1-800-801-0576.

Since this is a government website, .gov will be in the web address. Any .com in the web address will charge you money and is a rip-off, and that .com is not associated with the federal government.

2. http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/fafsa.jsp

Information about filling out the FAFSA on the web

3. http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/index.html

Information about completing the FAFSA can be found here, including the PDF versions of the Dept. of Education's Completing the FAFSA, 2010-2011.

On Friday, I will list more resources in FAFSA 2010-2010 Survival Guide, Part 2

Have the Federal Government Pay Back your Student Loans?

I have been reading Lynnette Khalfani’s Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom.

I highly recommend you look into her book, either by buying it or checking it out from your library.

Ms. Khalfani writes this about the Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan: “Under the Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan, the government allows any federal agency to repay your FFEL, direct, Perkins, or HEAL loans in order to attract or retain highly qualified workers in the federal government. Interestingly, each agency sets its own definition of highly qualified.”

She points out that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the best source to learn about this program.

Here I provide you with a direct link to the Student Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet: http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/studentloan/index.asp

Office of Personnel Management: http://www.opm.gov/

Ms. Khalfani also tells where you can find a listing of “all federal departments and agencies in America”; the link has slightly changed since the publication of her book. Instead of firstgov.gov, it is now usa.gov.

Here is the new link: http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml

For a thorough discussion of this program and places that you can work, including independent agencies--such as AmeriCorps, CIA, or Export-Import Bank of the United States (ExIm)—or quasifederal agencies—such as Legal Services Corporation (LSC) or the Smithsonian Institution, I highly recommend you read the section of Ms. Khalfani’s book, “Repayment Assistance Programs Nobody Told You About” in Chapter 9, Eliminate Student Loans with Loopholes: Qualify for Loan Cancellation or Get Others to Pay.

My next entry will be FAFSA 2010-2011, A Survival Guide, Part 1.