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Not sure how to go after that much-needed
college cash? Here's a scholarship guru with some money-seeking
advice you'll wanna' know.
Go to College For Free? How Could That Be?
By Lynda Kessler
January 2002
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Tired of hearing about everybody
else scoring tuition dollars for school except you? Well, you can
change your financial situation... if you're willing to hear and
absorb some sound scholarship advice, that is! In fact, Ben Kaplan,
a Harvard graduate who made national news after securing nearly
$90,000 for his education, dishes the college cash 4-1-1 in his
book How to Go to College Almost for Free (Harper Collins,
2002).
Here are four of his
top-notch tips. Listen up:
Think ahead.
When searching for scholarships, says Kaplan, don't neglect those
that can come in handy in the future. For example, if you're a high
school junior and find a scholarship for college freshmen, hang
on to it. You can always apply for it later. Some places to look
for college cash include the Internet, your school's college office,
and neighborhood organizations.
Volunteer in your
school's guidance or financial aid office.
Kaplan calls this a 'guerrilla tactic' because it puts you at a
better advantage than your peers. After all, you'll have firsthand
access to information that can save you and your parents lots of
money.
Conduct sufficient
on-your-own research.
This is a clever scholarship-seeking strategy because as helpful
as your guidance counselor is, there are always other dollar deals
waiting to get snatched up. According to Kaplan, Internet databases
such as Fastweb.com, srnexpress.com, and cashe.com, give you another
avenue to being "shown the money." "These services
ask for personal information such as age, gender, ethnicity, grade
point average... Then, they use [it] to scan their databases and
provide you with a list of scholarships that fit your profile."
Do some "Me"
thinking.
This entails thinking carefully about who you are. In other words,
are you a do-gooder? The survivor of a major obstacle? A brainiac?
A philanthropist? Knowing this information about yourself particularly
comes in handy when its time to write your personal statement.
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