1. What goes on an award letter? Federal Grants State Grants Institutional Grants Institutional Scholarships Private Scholarships*** Federal Work Studies Federal Perkins Loan Federal Stafford Loans

2. What else? Detailed Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution = Financial Need

3. Hard Costs Soft Costs

5. Grants Cal Grant Federal Pell Grant University Grant Scholarships Institutional Direct Private Work Study Money is applied to debt

6.  Federal Perkins Loan  Federal Stafford Loan Subsidized Unsubsidized  Parent Plus Loan  Private Loans Please refer to your hand out!

7. These are “out of pocket/not eligible for financial aid” costs that families will incur before students start school  CSS/Profile  Commitment Deposit  Housing Deposit  Orientation Fee  Placement Exam Fee  Summer Remedial Courses*  Parking Decals

8. Scholarships The Ins and Outs of applying and getting scholarships

9. STRATEGIES O It’s a numbers game O Even among talented students, who wins involves a bit of luck, not just skill O To win more scholarships, apply to more scholarships, but only if you qualify O You can’t win if you don’t apply O One in four students never applies for financial aid O It gets easier after your first 6 applications O Essays can be reused and tailored to each new application O Don’t miss deadlines

10. SEARCHING O Start searching as soon as possible O If you wait until spring to start searching, you will miss half the deadlines O Use a free scholarship matching service like Fastweb O Look for scholarship listing books at the library or bookstore, but check the publication date

11. SEARCHING O Look for local scholarships on bulletin boards near the guidance counselor or financial aid offices, or the library’s jobs and careers section O Look in the coupon section of the newspaper O Answer the optional questions on a scholarship matching service for twice as many matches O Look for near-miss matches O Pursue less competitive scholarships, such as small awards and essay contests, since they are easier to win, the money adds up and they help you win bigger scholarships

12. TIPS AND TRICKS O Prioritize your applications by deadline and the expected value of the scholarship O Use a calendar and checklist to get organized O Create an accomplishments resume O Tailor your application to the sponsor’s goals O Read and follow the instructions O Make your application stand out from the crowd O Ask to be nominated O Practice on a copy of the application form

13. TIPS AND TRICKS O Use a professional email address, such as firstname.lastname@gmail.com firstname.lastname@gmail.com O Clean up the content of your Facebook account, removing inappropriate and immature material O Google your name to see what shows up O Make a photocopy of your application before mailing it O Send the application by certified mail, return receipt requested or with delivery confirmation O If rejected, ask for the reviewer comments

14. A WINNING ESSAY O Answer the essay question orally and transcribe the recording O Use an outline to organize your thoughts O Give examples and be specific O Personalize your essay and be passionate O Write about something of interest to you O Talk about your impact on other people O Proofread a printed copy of the essay for spelling and grammar errors

15. LETTER OF RECCOMENDATION O Ask the teacher whether she can write you a great letter of recommendation O The recommendation should be relevant to the scholarship sponsor’s goal O Provide the recommender with a copy of your accomplishments resume O Thank the recommender for writing the letter

16. SCAMS O If you have to pay money to get money, it is probably a scam O Never invest more than a postage stamp to get information about scholarships or to apply for a scholarship O Nobody can guarantee that you’ll win a scholarship O Do not give out personal information like bank account numbers, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers O Beware of the unclaimed aid myth

17. MISTAKES: AVOID THEM! O Missing deadlines O Failing to proofread the application O Failing to follow directions (essay length, number of recommendations) O Omitting required information O Applying for an award when you don’t qualify O Failing to apply for an award for which you are eligible O Failing to tailor the application to the sponsor O Writing a boring essay

18. VARIOUS ENGINES