Most people know how helpful scholarships can be in paying for higher education, but most people don’t know how easy it actually is to find them in your local area and on the national level.
That was the purpose of Monday night’s online Webinar titled Searching for Scholarships. The easy-to-register-for and brief presentation was an introduction to the vast amount of free money available to students everywhere. The organizer was Tori Berube, a representative from the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF).
“Scholarships are free money for college, and who doesn’t want free money for college?” said Berube as she began for her listeners about the different kinds of scholarships and how eligibility is determined.
A driving point she focused on was the main benefit about receiving any kind of scholarships: “They are money that we do not have to pay back!”
From wide scale scholarship funds such as the Coca Cola Scholars Foundation to small scale local Kiwanis groups, the money to put anyone with the most serious financial need through college is out there; the only thing to do is look for it.
Students across the United States, and many of us here at Plymouth State University, face the eminent doom that will be repaying our college loans accompanied by outrageous interest rates. Berube states, “A little time spent on searching for scholarships can have a very big benefit on your student loan repayment in the situation that you might be in once you leave school.”
And a little time is really all it takes. In one hour, I was able to follow her advice and fill out forms for four different scholarships in my local area.
Some organizations asked detailed questions about college life and my involvement at school. Others simply asked my name, grade level, and a number where they could contact me if my name was drawn.
The webinar was able to show its listeners, whether they were parents, high-school or undergraduate students or even graduate students, just how easy it is to sign up and fill out applications for scholarships and grants.
Being in college already doesn’t hinder your chances; many scholarships keep their eligibility open to undergraduates. There are many things you can do as a student to improve your financial outlook after school. Don’t let yourself get dragged down in loan payments decades after you graduate!
Some of the websites and portals shared in the webinar for finding scholarships were the NHHEAF website found at NH93.com, NHEC Dollars for Scholars at www.Nhec.com under Community Development, the Statewide Student Aid Program, and www.dosomething.org/scholarships.
The PSU Financial Aid team is available to any student for guidance and information on scholarships. Visit them in Speare or get information at www.plymouth.edu/admissions/afford.