Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2011 - (Page 43)

planning ahead for college Paying for College: Merit-Based Scholarships and Awards While some colleges and universities (including the Ivies) designate most or all of their institutional aid for need-based support, others provide merit-based financial aid. In addition, there are numerous merit scholarships and awards available from private sources. It may take some work on your part, but you might be able to help pay the bills for college by competing for and winning one or more of these. If the cost of college is worrying you, consider applying for merit scholarships from public universities in your state. Not only is tuition lower than at private institutions, but many state schools offer generous merit scholarships to encourage top applicants to attend. Many colleges also offer awards for outstanding performance in the arts or athletics. A scholarship for music is likely to require an audition, and for art, a portfolio. The system for recruiting athletes tends to be quite extensive and more complicated; your coach may be a helpful source of information. by Linda E� Brody, EdD non-participating colleges on your scholarship application, you will not be considered for a college-sponsored National Merit scholarship. Note that some colleges (e.g., Northwestern University) that otherwise offer only need-based financial aid participate in this merit scholarship program. See www. nationalmerit.org for more information. Prizes and Awards You can also win scholarships for college by competing for honors and awards based on specific achievements, and some can be quite large. For example, the top prize in the Intel Science Talent Search is a $100,000 scholarship, and all 40 finalists receive at least $7,500 (see www.societyforscience. org/STS). The Davidson Institute awards scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 in recognition of a variety of disciplines to students selected as Davidson Fellows (see www.davidsongifted.org/ fellows). In addition, thousands of smaller scholarships that honor high academic or artistic achievement are offered by corporations, non-profit organizations, local communities, and philanthropists. Many require essays or portfolio submissions, and they vary in how competitive they are. However, if you take the time to compete for those that are appropriate for you, it’s possible to garner considerable scholarship support for college. Note: See the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Imagine for an article on need-based financial aid for college. Merit Scholarships from Colleges Colleges offer merit scholarships as an incentive to attract top students to their institutions. The awards can range from a relatively small amount to a full four-year scholarship. Application procedures vary, so be sure to check the college websites or contact their financial aid offices for information. Some universities consider all applicants for awards, while others require you to apply for the scholarship or be nominated by a high school counselor. Some colleges ask you to check the box on the Common Application that reads, “Do you intend to apply for merit-based scholarships?”, while others may require you to apply for needbased financial aid before considering you for need- or merit-based scholarships. Examples of highly selective institutions that offer full four-year academic merit scholarships are the University of Chicago (https:// collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/ merit.shtml), Washington University in St. Louis (http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships), and Duke University (http://ousf.duke. edu/merit-scholarship-programs). Johns Hopkins offers full scholarships for engineering majors, as well as significant partial ones for students in other fields (www.jhu.edu/ finaid/prosp_stud_scholar.html). National Merit Scholarship Program Being named a National Merit Finalist comes with much prestige and often some financial support. To possibly qualify, take the PSAT in your junior year, as semi-finalists are chosen on a state representational basis using those scores. To become a finalist, you must also have an outstanding academic record and SAT scores that confirm your performance on the PSAT. Finalists are eligible to compete for three types of awards. All finalists are considered for $2,500 National Merit scholarships, which are awarded to selected recipients on a state representational basis. Corporations sponsor another 1,000 or so awards for some finalists, and colleges and universities provide some additional scholarships for selected finalists who choose to attend their institutions. Many of the corporate scholarships are for children of employees, while others may be designated for students who live in particular cities. To be considered for a college-sponsored scholarship, you must specify as your first choice a college that is a sponsor of this program; if you name only For more information about scholarship options, see: www.finaid.com www.fastweb.com www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine http://go.salliemae.com/scholarship www.meritaid.com http://apps.collegeboard.org/cbsearch_ss/ welcome.jsp imagine 43 http://www.nationalmerit.org http://www.nationalmerit.org http://www.societyforscience.org/STS http://www.societyforscience.org/STS http://www.davidsongifted.org/fellows http://www.davidsongifted.org/fellows https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/merit.shtml https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/merit.shtml https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/merit.shtml http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships http://ousf.duke.edu/merit-scholarship-programs http://ousf.duke.edu/merit-scholarship-programs http://www.jhu.edu/finaid/prosp_stud_scholar.html http://www.jhu.edu/finaid/prosp_stud_scholar.html http://www.finaid.com http://go.salliemae.com/scholarship http://apps.collegeboard.org/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp http://www.fastweb.com http://www.meritaid.com http://apps.collegeboard.org/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2011
Big Questions
In My Own Words
Latin Geek
Latin in Rome
Made in Greece ... or Was It?
Classics for All
Pillaging the Past
The Aqueduct Hunters
What’s Old is News
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Girls on Ice
Nurturing a Passion for Science at the National Youth Science Camp
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Game

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2011