Scholarships - how to be successful in landing one

3,243 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Amarillo Slim
Zman91
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
My daughter is entering her junior year as a Biomedical Engineering student with a 3.53 GPA. So far she has only received $4,000 total in scholarships. She has applied for scholarships through the school and about 40 outside of the university and only has the $4,000 to show for her efforts. Any ideas or suggestions? Or is a 3.53 GPA for a female Biomedical Engineering student just not good enough?
b0ridi
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Most scholarships are granted when you apply to college/enter college, not during junior year of college.
Zman91
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
b0ridi said:

Most scholarships are granted when you apply to college/enter college, not during junior year of college.
Yep , that's when she got the $4,000, but never too late to try. Just looking for advice and insight, thanks for the insight. When she entered A&M the engineering department said more scholarship opportunities would come as they entered upper level, that happened last year .
histag10
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Congratulations to your daughter on the $4,000 scholarship! Those are not easy to get.

The UWide application opens October 15th for continuing students. Have your daughter fill it out, and be very thorough. (uwide.tamu.edu) . This application will be used for University Scholarships, College Scholarships, and Department/major scholarships.


Fill out the FAFSA (even if you think you wont qualify for anything). Even if your student has $1 of need, they will then be qualified for need based scholarships. You wont even be considered if you don't fill it out.

To put it into perspective a little - Texas A&M received over 25,000 freshman scholarship applications last year. Of those, we awarded roughly 3400 students (not including department and college awards).

Have your child apply for local scholarships (local banks, A&M clubs, Mother's clubs, Kiwanis, KofC, etc).

When filling out the application, don't list everything possible in order. Space on the application for activities may be limited, so have her list activities that she spent the most time in, or held a leadership position with. When applications are reviewed, reviews aren't looking for a resume timeline, they are looking holistically at the student. Have the student really focus on their essay, and have it proof read by others. The essays do get read, and they do matter. Don't sent in a resume or letters of recommendation unless specifically requested.

And as always, you can reach out to Scholarships & Financial Aid for advice or assistance.
TexasAggie73
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
My daughter was in the same boat with a double major in liberal arts and a 3.9gpa. She did get a free ride to grad school for her masters and PhD at UTD. Just tell her to keep up the hard work and the benefits will come.
I found that unless one is national merit or first time college student, A&M is stingy with scholarships.
Ranger1743
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Find your local Aggie moms club.
BigO93
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Zman, not sure what business/industry you are in but I have a son that is headed to college this fall for the 1st time and was successful in landing a scholarship through on of my industry associations. They had several scholarship available and the pool of applications was limited to association members. Not sure if that applies in your situation brother but thought the suggestion might help. Good luck!
Amarillo Slim
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Very discouraged so far. My son is top 5% in class and scored 34 on ACT (35 if superscored) and wants to attend A&M but if he cant get at least $4k in university scholarships so he can get in state tuition we simply cant afford it. Going to be impossible to justify versus a full ride plus to stay in state with lsu. Just praying he gets lucky enough to graduate from A&M.
"Real happiness comes not from getting what we desire; but celebrating what we have."
HECUBUS
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Forget scholarships. Make sure you have low income, no savings and no assets. That gets you free tuition everywhere.
HECUBUS
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Or, glass half full... move everything in to non-reportable assets and just keep a little more cash than the cost of a full year.

FAFSA reporting is in October, after paying tuition.
histag10
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Vaccinate said:

Very discouraged so far. My son is top 5% in class and scored 34 on ACT (35 if superscored) and wants to attend A&M but if he cant get at least $4k in university scholarships so he can get in state tuition we simply cant afford it. Going to be impossible to justify versus a full ride plus to stay in state with lsu. Just praying he gets lucky enough to graduate from A&M.


Is your son applying right now? Make sure his scholarship application (and essay) gives a full picture of your son. Keep in mind that it's not just a blanket $4,000 that he has to get. There are some scholarships at A&M that do not qualify for a non-resident tuition waiver, and therefore do not count towards the $4,000 threshhold.

I would encourage you to contact the prospective student center in your area or at A&M and speak to an advisor. They will be able to provide you with more detailed information specific to your circumstance, and give you all options regarding scholarships and financial aid. You can also reach out to scholarships@tamu.edu for information.

Lastly, make sure that your child submits their scholarship application. If you will be filling out the FAFSA, I would also encourage doing that as soon as possible, so you have ample time to submit any requested documents if selected for verification (also, use the IRS data retrieval tool).
Amarillo Slim
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Thank You
"Real happiness comes not from getting what we desire; but celebrating what we have."
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.