Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

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miamivice
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Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by miamivice »

My kids still have a few years to go, but just thinking down the line a bit.

Should I encourage my children to apply for scholarships when they are juniors/seniors? It requires some time to fill out a scholarship application, they have to get letters of recommendation, and chances are usually pretty small that they win. But, it's free money.

Curious what others suggest for their children, as I think about that for my own.
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anon_investor
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by anon_investor »

miamivice wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 2:52 pm My kids still have a few years to go, but just thinking down the line a bit.

Should I encourage my children to apply for scholarships when they are juniors/seniors? It requires some time to fill out a scholarship application, they have to get letters of recommendation, and chances are usually pretty small that they win. But, it's free money.

Curious what others suggest for their children, as I think about that for my own.
Definitely! When I was in HS (years ago) I applied to a bunch of scholarships. I managed to get some obscure ones. It was free money!
Icamp
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by Icamp »

IMO time is better spent Junior hear prepping for SAT and ACT. Higher scores there will garnish higher merit scholarships at some schools, or instate tuition offers for out of state schools.

After that - yes of course! Start paying attention to any associations or trade organizations you belong to. Two of my kids were awarded a few thousand dollars from the same small trade organization DH belongs to and it was more than enough to get their college laptops with.
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by RudyS »

If you don 't ask, you don't get.
Normchad
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by Normchad »

Really, focus on AP classes and AP tests. That’s your best bang for the buck. For most people, this is the surest path to saving real money on college costs. Our kid entered college as a junior through AP tests......

Prepare for the ACT, and get a good score. Get that score in the summer after junior year. There are many schools that will give guaranteed merit scholarships based on test scores and class rank.

Most scholarships won’t want to hear from them this early on....

If your kid is really strong, study now for the NMSQT. Basically SAT early in HS that is used as basis for national merit scholarship. Kid has to be strong though...... if they crush that, it opens a lot of doors and a lot of wallets...
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miamivice
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by miamivice »

Appreciate the comments (and keep them coming).

My experience was when I was in high school is that most scholarships were a waste of my time to apply because I didn't get them, and took a fair amount of work on both my part and my parents part.

I like the idea of having the best SAT/ACT score and focusing on studies.

Scholarships aren't totally free money, as you do have to give a bit of time to apply.
JonFund
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by JonFund »

As a college professor, I constantly remind my students that scholarship money is the easiest money they will ever earn. Unfortunately, motivating students to apply for scholarships is challenging, to say the least. Many of my colleagues offer "extra credit" to their students if they apply for scholarships. It's a sad commentary on our younger generation when they are so lazy that they expect extra credit to apply for what is essentially free money. I'm also sit on the scholarship committee for a local professional organization, and we have literally thousands of dollars that go un-awarded each year, simply because of a lack of applicants.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by JoeRetire »

miamivice wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 2:52 pm My kids still have a few years to go, but just thinking down the line a bit.

Should I encourage my children to apply for scholarships when they are juniors/seniors? It requires some time to fill out a scholarship application, they have to get letters of recommendation, and chances are usually pretty small that they win. But, it's free money.
Of course!

My two sons went to a High School where the Guidance Department encouraged everyone to apply for a big bunch of scholarships. You wouldn't believe how many obscure scholarships would potentially go unfilled. They might not amount to a lot, but certainly worth having.

We used the occasions to emphasize the role our sons had in paying for their education. While we paid the vast majority, we still expected them to work and try to get scholarships. And they had to have a job if they wanted gas/food/extras while they were away at school. Good life lessons, IMHO.
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startwithtruth
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by startwithtruth »

Normchad wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:25 pm Really, focus on AP classes and AP tests. That’s your best bang for the buck. For most people, this is the surest path to saving real money on college costs. Our kid entered college as a junior through AP tests......

Prepare for the ACT, and get a good score. Get that score in the summer after junior year. There are many schools that will give guaranteed merit scholarships based on test scores and class rank.
Good advice
Normchad wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:25 pm If your kid is really strong, study now for the NMSQT. Basically SAT early in HS that is used as basis for national merit scholarship. Kid has to be strong though...... if they crush that, it opens a lot of doors and a lot of wallets...
The NMSQT (we used to refer to this as the PSAT?) is a big deal for really strong performers; if your kid might be one of those, then definitely get it on your calendar. Not sure whether it still works this way, but one of my kids took it in sophomore year as a kind of practice run, then again in junior year when the scores count for the competition.
Some schools don't really advertise it since it doesn't mean much for most kids. I knew a family whose kid might've done very well but he didn't hear about it in time which was unfortunate.
adamthesmythe
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by adamthesmythe »

Look at the amount of money and make a guess at the probability of getting the money.

If the scholarship is for children of Grand Poo-bah Masons in Littletown USA, then sure. If it's 500 bucks for vegetarians in Vermont, don't waste your time.

Up to a certain point the time spent filling out forms and writing letters might be good practice.

I wouldn't want to waste the time of good references on something with low probability.
LittleMaggieMae
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by LittleMaggieMae »

I don't have kids. My friends' kids all applied for scholarships (and got some). They also had some idea of what kind of path they wanted to pursue in College and put alot of effort in HS into the prep work (took AP courses or other courses relevant to what they wanted to pursue in College) they did things outside of school that went along with their interests AND some that went along with the field they wanted to go into in College. The kids and their parents did some networking along with applying for scholarships (because I guess there's not a big o' list of scholarships on line that anyone can apply for.) I think sometimes you need to have some connection to the entity giving the scholarship. I suspect they didn't apply willy nilly for every scholarship they could find... I think they had a short list and applied. I think sometimes teachers/counselors/school mentors helped them find scholarships to apply for.

If I had a "secret" way to get your kid a good College admissions package - I'd suggest you get your kid enrolled in the HS band - and get them interested in the Tuba or the Sousaphone. I know two very smart young people who managed to get a whoppingly huge amount of college stuff paid for - if they continued playing their Tuba/Sousaphone in the college band/orchestra/whatever during their stay at college. OK, maybe their parents were joking about it being the kids ability and joy in playing said Tuba/Sousaphone and it really was the kids smarts that got the 'free money' for their education. Don't know. But I have to admit their parents were amazed enough to hint at/comment at how little it cost to put their youngest thru college - and to not say bad things about the hassle that was the Tuba/Sousaphone playing. :)

Other kids I know got some monetary benefits from the sport they participated in - soccer, wrestling, swimming. They were never going to be career players - but they played at the college level. I hear volleyball is a college thing too. I got a relative who coaches HS volleyball and it's a thing because it can lead to scholarships/money at the college level.

I think there's also some good 'experience' to be had from searching for and applying for scholarships. If I had kids I would encourage them to do it.
hi_there
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by hi_there »

My cousin received a scholarship for the French horn. Obscure orchestral instruments are a well known way to get a leg up in college admissions. In this case, he hated the program and dropped out of college, but that shouldn't deter other people...
tashnewbie
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by tashnewbie »

I don't see how it could hurt.

The letters of rec they get and essays they write for scholarships could also be used (or probably easily adapted) for college applications.
OldBallCoach
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by OldBallCoach »

LittleMaggieMae wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:56 pm I don't have kids. My friends' kids all applied for scholarships (and got some). They also had some idea of what kind of path they wanted to pursue in College and put alot of effort in HS into the prep work (took AP courses or other courses relevant to what they wanted to pursue in College) they did things outside of school that went along with their interests AND some that went along with the field they wanted to go into in College. The kids and their parents did some networking along with applying for scholarships (because I guess there's not a big o' list of scholarships on line that anyone can apply for.) I think sometimes you need to have some connection to the entity giving the scholarship. I suspect they didn't apply willy nilly for every scholarship they could find... I think they had a short list and applied. I think sometimes teachers/counselors/school mentors helped them find scholarships to apply for.

If I had a "secret" way to get your kid a good College admissions package - I'd suggest you get your kid enrolled in the HS band - and get them interested in the Tuba or the Sousaphone. I know two very smart young people who managed to get a whoppingly huge amount of college stuff paid for - if they continued playing their Tuba/Sousaphone in the college band/orchestra/whatever during their stay at college. OK, maybe their parents were joking about it being the kids ability and joy in playing said Tuba/Sousaphone and it really was the kids smarts that got the 'free money' for their education. Don't know. But I have to admit their parents were amazed enough to hint at/comment at how little it cost to put their youngest thru college - and to not say bad things about the hassle that was the Tuba/Sousaphone playing. :)

Other kids I know got some monetary benefits from the sport they participated in - soccer, wrestling, swimming. They were never going to be career players - but they played at the college level. I hear volleyball is a college thing too. I got a relative who coaches HS volleyball and it's a thing because it can lead to scholarships/money at the college level.

I think there's also some good 'experience' to be had from searching for and applying for scholarships. If I had kids I would encourage them to do it.
As someone that has coached college athletes for a few hundred years I always suggest two things...Nail the entrance exams and be a 4.0...its MUCH easier than getting a scholarship in most sports at most major schools. Parents are led to believe if a kid is great in sports they can get a scholarship....sure...some are...we have 85 on our football team on a full ride...and we recruit the whole country to find them....as boring as it may sound you are almost always going to have a better college life, leave injury free, and get out in 4 years rather than 5-6 in sports. I love my job but this is the exact thing I tell every recruit. Your education comes first...I know very few 4.0 GPAs that paid much for school. GREAT schools graduate 60-70% of their athletes...some are in the teens...so...unless you are AMAZING at some sport....hit the library kid...hit it hard...now if you happen to be 6'4" weight 265 and can run a 4.3 40 yard dash forget about what I said and PM me ASAP...
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lthenderson
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by lthenderson »

Way back when, I spent hours filling out countless scholarship applications and received exactly zero dollars. But it was still a good exercise writing short essays about why I deserved it so I would still recommend it just for the learning aspect. Also taught me about getting repeatedly denied and how to continue on anyway.
Peaceful
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by Peaceful »

Absolutely, yes. The cost/benefit of analysis indicates that applying for as many scholarships as possible has a large positive expectation, even if the probability of receiving any given scholarship seems like it might be low.

This also applies to scholarships which are actually more like writing competitions, too.

Many of the scholarships available require a resume and personal statement which, once it has been developed, can be used multiple times with only minor modifications.

Often, it turns out that there are very few applicants for a lesser known scholarship, grant, or writing competition. So if your kid puts in a good effort, they might score some money simply due to the lack of much competition.

Remember, also, that most college grants and scholarships are tax free. Compare to flipping burgers for minimum wage all of which is subject to various deductions and taxes.

Let's assume that your kid applies for 20 scholarships & writing competitions each awarding $500.00 and spends an average of two hours on each application (it will probably end up being significantly less average time though).

If your child has a 10% chance of obtaining one of these scholarships, that works out to $1,000.00 for 40 hours of work. (Probably it will require much less work though.) That's $25.00/hour tax free, which is probably a lot better than he/she could earn at a part time job. Plus, when you get one of these scholarships, it becomes part of your resume, and may make your kid a more attractive candidate for further scholarship awards down the road.

Even if your kid only has a 5% chance, that would still be $500.00 tax free for 40 hours of work. Which probably approximates about what they could make at a typical high schooler's part time job, it would be like $15.00 before taxes. So it's still worth while.

And if your kid has any luck they could get much more bang for the buck. My older daughter obtained college scholarships worth several thousand dollars by doing exactly this. And she didn't apply for that many of them. I'd be surprised if the total time she spent on the applications was more than 40 or 50 hours (she did have to travel out of state to one of the award ceremonies though--but the scholarship program paid for that too, so she got a little vacation out of the deal as well), so her return on investment was closer to $100/hour tax free.

Definitely something you should encourage.
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by IowaFarmBoy »

OldBallCoach wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:12 pm
As someone that has coached college athletes for a few hundred years I always suggest two things...Nail the entrance exams and be a 4.0...its MUCH easier than getting a scholarship in most sports at most major schools. Parents are led to believe if a kid is great in sports they can get a scholarship....sure...some are...we have 85 on our football team on a full ride...and we recruit the whole country to find them....as boring as it may sound you are almost always going to have a better college life, leave injury free, and get out in 4 years rather than 5-6 in sports. I love my job but this is the exact thing I tell every recruit. Your education comes first...I know very few 4.0 GPAs that paid much for school. GREAT schools graduate 60-70% of their athletes...some are in the teens...so...unless you are AMAZING at some sport....hit the library kid...hit it hard...now if you happen to be 6'4" weight 265 and can run a 4.3 40 yard dash forget about what I said and PM me ASAP...
This.
When one of our daughters was in high school, I calculated the value of a full ride athletic scholarship at a nearby (and not cheap) Big Ten school. The conclusion that I came to was that basically you were getting a 25 hour a week job at minimum wage. Athletes definitely earn their scholarship money. Seems like the biggest promoters of college scholarships were the travel teams that charge fees to participate.
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by LittleMaggieMae »

OldBallCoach wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:12 pm
LittleMaggieMae wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:56 pm I don't have kids. My friends' kids all applied for scholarships (and got some). They also had some idea of what kind of path they wanted to pursue in College and put alot of effort in HS into the prep work (took AP courses or other courses relevant to what they wanted to pursue in College) they did things outside of school that went along with their interests AND some that went along with the field they wanted to go into in College. The kids and their parents did some networking along with applying for scholarships (because I guess there's not a big o' list of scholarships on line that anyone can apply for.) I think sometimes you need to have some connection to the entity giving the scholarship. I suspect they didn't apply willy nilly for every scholarship they could find... I think they had a short list and applied. I think sometimes teachers/counselors/school mentors helped them find scholarships to apply for.

If I had a "secret" way to get your kid a good College admissions package - I'd suggest you get your kid enrolled in the HS band - and get them interested in the Tuba or the Sousaphone. I know two very smart young people who managed to get a whoppingly huge amount of college stuff paid for - if they continued playing their Tuba/Sousaphone in the college band/orchestra/whatever during their stay at college. OK, maybe their parents were joking about it being the kids ability and joy in playing said Tuba/Sousaphone and it really was the kids smarts that got the 'free money' for their education. Don't know. But I have to admit their parents were amazed enough to hint at/comment at how little it cost to put their youngest thru college - and to not say bad things about the hassle that was the Tuba/Sousaphone playing. :)

Other kids I know got some monetary benefits from the sport they participated in - soccer, wrestling, swimming. They were never going to be career players - but they played at the college level. I hear volleyball is a college thing too. I got a relative who coaches HS volleyball and it's a thing because it can lead to scholarships/money at the college level.

I think there's also some good 'experience' to be had from searching for and applying for scholarships. If I had kids I would encourage them to do it.
As someone that has coached college athletes for a few hundred years I always suggest two things...Nail the entrance exams and be a 4.0...its MUCH easier than getting a scholarship in most sports at most major schools. Parents are led to believe if a kid is great in sports they can get a scholarship....sure...some are...we have 85 on our football team on a full ride...and we recruit the whole country to find them....as boring as it may sound you are almost always going to have a better college life, leave injury free, and get out in 4 years rather than 5-6 in sports. I love my job but this is the exact thing I tell every recruit. Your education comes first...I know very few 4.0 GPAs that paid much for school. GREAT schools graduate 60-70% of their athletes...some are in the teens...so...unless you are AMAZING at some sport....hit the library kid...hit it hard...now if you happen to be 6'4" weight 265 and can run a 4.3 40 yard dash forget about what I said and PM me ASAP...
Over all, I agree with you. I think the idea of Diversifying your Investments also applies to funding college for one's kids. If you are rely solely on one "stream of money" and you are hoping it will "pay off" and pay all costs... well, I'm sure that doesn't end well. Why wouldn't you encourage your kid to look for scholarships given based on whatever non-academic thing they are good at or enjoy doing or received recognition for doing? Why leave money on the table.

A relatives kid was in various "sports" in grade school but when he tried wrestling in HS it was a good fit for him. He enjoyed it and was good at it and his HS team went to the state "championships" and made it to the finals there. He got some special recognition. he also did really well in school. He's now on the College team (and I'm pretty sure his parents mentioned there was some money involved being on the team. Not a full ride - but something. ) The kid gets to do something he likes in College and pursue his degree (in business - he's VERY interested/active in his dad's small business and I suspect he will take it over when dad retires.) His sister got some $$ for playing softball on the college team as well. I think she's looking to teach math (at the HS level) when she graduates. These sports aren't their "career" path. It's something they enjoy and it got them some extra perks for attending college. I'm pretty sure their parents saved some for their college educations. Why not take advantage of extra perks/money from a secondary college interest?

I know a kid that got a some college money for their ability to write poetry and prose.
I know another kid that got some college money for their ability/drive to swim.
I know another kid that got some college money for their skills from working in theater in HS (light board/lights) the kid's going for an engineering degree.

Should they have not pursued scholarships or whatever college money they might get because none of these kids will go on to careers in their "secondary interest" areas?
Last edited by LittleMaggieMae on Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
stoptothink
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by stoptothink »

OldBallCoach wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:12 pm
LittleMaggieMae wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:56 pm I don't have kids. My friends' kids all applied for scholarships (and got some). They also had some idea of what kind of path they wanted to pursue in College and put alot of effort in HS into the prep work (took AP courses or other courses relevant to what they wanted to pursue in College) they did things outside of school that went along with their interests AND some that went along with the field they wanted to go into in College. The kids and their parents did some networking along with applying for scholarships (because I guess there's not a big o' list of scholarships on line that anyone can apply for.) I think sometimes you need to have some connection to the entity giving the scholarship. I suspect they didn't apply willy nilly for every scholarship they could find... I think they had a short list and applied. I think sometimes teachers/counselors/school mentors helped them find scholarships to apply for.

If I had a "secret" way to get your kid a good College admissions package - I'd suggest you get your kid enrolled in the HS band - and get them interested in the Tuba or the Sousaphone. I know two very smart young people who managed to get a whoppingly huge amount of college stuff paid for - if they continued playing their Tuba/Sousaphone in the college band/orchestra/whatever during their stay at college. OK, maybe their parents were joking about it being the kids ability and joy in playing said Tuba/Sousaphone and it really was the kids smarts that got the 'free money' for their education. Don't know. But I have to admit their parents were amazed enough to hint at/comment at how little it cost to put their youngest thru college - and to not say bad things about the hassle that was the Tuba/Sousaphone playing. :)

Other kids I know got some monetary benefits from the sport they participated in - soccer, wrestling, swimming. They were never going to be career players - but they played at the college level. I hear volleyball is a college thing too. I got a relative who coaches HS volleyball and it's a thing because it can lead to scholarships/money at the college level.

I think there's also some good 'experience' to be had from searching for and applying for scholarships. If I had kids I would encourage them to do it.
As someone that has coached college athletes for a few hundred years I always suggest two things...Nail the entrance exams and be a 4.0...its MUCH easier than getting a scholarship in most sports at most major schools. Parents are led to believe if a kid is great in sports they can get a scholarship....sure...some are...we have 85 on our football team on a full ride...and we recruit the whole country to find them....as boring as it may sound you are almost always going to have a better college life, leave injury free, and get out in 4 years rather than 5-6 in sports. I love my job but this is the exact thing I tell every recruit. Your education comes first...I know very few 4.0 GPAs that paid much for school. GREAT schools graduate 60-70% of their athletes...some are in the teens...so...unless you are AMAZING at some sport....hit the library kid...hit it hard...now if you happen to be 6'4" weight 265 and can run a 4.3 40 yard dash forget about what I said and PM me ASAP...
If one gets into wrestling (for instance) thinking it will help them get into college, I have a bridge for sale. The (few) D1 wrestling programs get 9.9 total scholarships each. Even if you are NCAA-finals caliber wrestler, you are unlikely to be getting a full-ride. I know several 3x-4x state champs, cadet national champions that got (very) partial or no scholarship money to wrestle in college. Football is the easiest path because D1 programs have 85 to give, but even then ~2% of high school players get a ride (I was fortunate to be one, but it took starting off as an invited walk-on with a partial academic scholarship).

On the same token, there are countless 4.0/valedictorians today that don't even get accepted to any of their top choices, let alone get scholarship money. Nonetheless, you're better off hitting the books.
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by ChicagoBear7 »

Definitely worry more about the GPA and ACT/SAT scores rather than the Moose lodge $500 non-renewable scholarship for left-footed oboe players!

The really big money comes from nailing the standardized tests while keeping your GPA up. The PSAT is a one-time only test for the National Merit Scholarships. On the other hand, the ACT and/or SAT can be taken multiple times and most schools with merit scholarships will take the best score - a few will even super score parts of multiple tests into a new combined score. Many schools use a grid of GPA and test score to calculated the scholarship amount.

My son got a nice chunk off of tuition from an "Original Public Ivy", while my daughter got a presidential full tuition scholarship to one of the several flagship schools (Alabama) looking to increase their stats and bring in strong students with merit scholarships, instate tuition etc. Since we had saved enough for elite college undergraduate tuition, and she took the full tuition offer, in two months, she will graduate debt free from a Big10 medical school.
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by LittleMaggieMae »

stoptothink wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:37 pm
If one gets into wrestling (for instance) thinking it will help them get into college, I have a bridge for sale. The (few) D1 wrestling programs get 9.9 total scholarships each. Even if you are NCAA-finals caliber wrestler, you are unlikely to be getting a full-ride. I know several 3x-4x state champs, cadet national champions that got (very) partial or no scholarship money to wrestle in college. Football is the easiest path because D1 programs have 85 to give, but even then ~2% of high school players get a ride (I was fortunate to be one, but it took starting off as an invited walk-on with a partial academic scholarship).

On the same token, there are countless 4.0/valedictorians today that don't even get accepted to any of their top choices, let alone get scholarship money. Nonetheless, you're better off hitting the books.
Why is it assumed that HS students are only good at a sport OR at book learning?

OK, most of the "youngsters" in my life have been 'graduated' for 5 to 10 years... but they all must be super smart/over achievers. Many of them took all the College Prep stuff (AP courses, did extra curricular stuff in their field of interest, and often played a sport or a non-sport thing for all 4 years of HS.) I''m pretty sure all of them had GPA's over 4.0. Most of them went to the dreaded small "liberal arts" colleges/universities - or to a State University. I'm pretty sure my relatives kids had a variety of 'streams of money" for paying for their education: money from mom and dad, scholarships, whatever 'deal' the college gave them, and then student loans (from what I hear most were under 25K or under - the kid that went 5 years and graduated with a master's degree had 30K in SL debt). I don't know that much about my friend's kids college costs - but I would assume it's something simaliar.
stoptothink
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by stoptothink »

LittleMaggieMae wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:57 pm
stoptothink wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:37 pm
If one gets into wrestling (for instance) thinking it will help them get into college, I have a bridge for sale. The (few) D1 wrestling programs get 9.9 total scholarships each. Even if you are NCAA-finals caliber wrestler, you are unlikely to be getting a full-ride. I know several 3x-4x state champs, cadet national champions that got (very) partial or no scholarship money to wrestle in college. Football is the easiest path because D1 programs have 85 to give, but even then ~2% of high school players get a ride (I was fortunate to be one, but it took starting off as an invited walk-on with a partial academic scholarship).

On the same token, there are countless 4.0/valedictorians today that don't even get accepted to any of their top choices, let alone get scholarship money. Nonetheless, you're better off hitting the books.
Why is it assumed that HS students are only good at a sport OR at book learning?

OK, most of the "youngsters" in my life have been 'graduated' for 5 to 10 years... but they all must be super smart/over achievers. Many of them took all the College Prep stuff (AP courses, did extra curricular stuff in their field of interest, and often played a sport or a non-sport thing for all 4 years of HS.) I''m pretty sure all of them had GPA's over 4.0. Most of them went to the dreaded small "liberal arts" colleges/universities - or to a State University. I'm pretty sure my relatives kids had a variety of 'streams of money" for paying for their education: money from mom and dad, scholarships, whatever 'deal' the college gave them, and then student loans (from what I hear most were under 25K or under - the kid that went 5 years and graduated with a master's degree had 30K in SL debt). I don't know that much about my friend's kids college costs - but I would assume it's something simaliar.
Not sure where you got the impression that anybody was saying this. I was a scholarship football player who started off on an academic scholarship to one of the top public universities in the world. All Coach and I were saying is that, from the perspective of getting into a school and getting scholarship money, you are better off spending extra time studying than training.
OldBallCoach
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by OldBallCoach »

IowaFarmBoy wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:25 pm
OldBallCoach wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:12 pm
As someone that has coached college athletes for a few hundred years I always suggest two things...Nail the entrance exams and be a 4.0...its MUCH easier than getting a scholarship in most sports at most major schools. Parents are led to believe if a kid is great in sports they can get a scholarship....sure...some are...we have 85 on our football team on a full ride...and we recruit the whole country to find them....as boring as it may sound you are almost always going to have a better college life, leave injury free, and get out in 4 years rather than 5-6 in sports. I love my job but this is the exact thing I tell every recruit. Your education comes first...I know very few 4.0 GPAs that paid much for school. GREAT schools graduate 60-70% of their athletes...some are in the teens...so...unless you are AMAZING at some sport....hit the library kid...hit it hard...now if you happen to be 6'4" weight 265 and can run a 4.3 40 yard dash forget about what I said and PM me ASAP...
This.
When one of our daughters was in high school, I calculated the value of a full ride athletic scholarship at a nearby (and not cheap) Big Ten school. The conclusion that I came to was that basically you were getting a 25 hour a week job at minimum wage. Athletes definitely earn their scholarship money. Seems like the biggest promoters of college scholarships were the travel teams that charge fees to participate.
Bingo, travel ( anything) is usually about making money and inflating parents egos...I had kids that got full rides in sports but they worked very hard for them as well. I also have two brilliant kids that went to the school where dad worked for 50% off and had National Merit money that paid the rest...proud of all of them of course but there is no sure thing in athletics...
London
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by London »

I offer a scholarship at my high school. Not huge money but I thought it would be fun. I usually ask a cheeky question and hope for an equal response. Response rates were so low that one year the question was “How much do I need to give away to get people to care about this scholarship?” I’d definitely encourage my kids to apply. I’m sure the competition isn’t as fierce as you’d expect.
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MikeWillRetire
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by MikeWillRetire »

I motivated my kids by telling them I would split the scholarship money with them.
That worked.
Mike Scott
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by Mike Scott »

From a few hours work each, my kids got about 120% of a combined 14 years of college paid by scholarships. They got more money than they spent. Not a bad return for a few hours work each.
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celia
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by celia »

Icamp wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 2:56 pm IMO time is better spent Junior hear prepping for SAT and ACT. Higher scores there will garnish higher merit scholarships at some schools, or instate tuition offers for out of state schools.
Nawww...The PSAT given at the beginning of the HS junior year is the test to ace. (You can take it as a frosh or soph for practice.) All my kids prepped for that and it made the SATs easier. PSAT high scorers become National Merit Scholars.

In the jr and sr year, I had them focus on their AP classes and resulting tests. They racked up lots of college credits, but the high scores ended up just making them more competitive for colleges that are harder to get into. (After being admitted, they just had to take more advanced classes in the subjects they aced, instead of graduating early.)

As far as scholarships, I was in charge of locating them and they applied for ones where they had a good chance. If it is a national competition with 1 award for the 22,000 applicants, the odds are too poor. But the best ones were from local organizations where maybe 3 smaller scholarships were awarded among 10-20 applicants. You also have to look at who the organization is trying to target. If it was scientific and your kid is a history nerd, their odds are slim.

The student should look/ask around where they have a part time job or where they volunteer.

I am aware that there are some organizations who just split up the available money among all the applicants who applied on time and qualify. For example, children of Union employees or future nurses in the area of a hospital may get an award.
Cheddarhead
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by Cheddarhead »

Yes you should. My daughter applied for many scholarships at our small town school in central Illinois and won over $22,000 worth of free money. She was very focused and did it all on her own. My next two kids did not apply for any scholarships and thus received none.
NS_Bane
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by NS_Bane »

miamivice wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:32 pm
My experience was when I was in high school is that most scholarships were a waste of my time to apply because I didn't get them, and took a fair amount of work on both my part and my parents part.
Scholarships require you invest ~2 hours to apply for a lottery ticket.
makingmistakes
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Re: Should I encourage my children to spend time applying for scholarships?

Post by makingmistakes »

jornsy wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 7:41 pm Yes you should. My daughter applied for many scholarships at our small town school in central Illinois and won over $22,000 worth of free money. She was very focused and did it all on her own. My next two kids did not apply for any scholarships and thus received none.
My daughter was in a large high school with many additional large high schools within the county. She applied for several and got not a single one. In addition to very good (albeit not great) grades and ACT scores, she was a state champion in track and field.

And to “prove” that she is no slouch, she is currently a Junior at an Ivy.

So like most things in life ... it probably depends.
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