$100,000,000 GIVE AWAY
College would have been just another dream for Jerry had it not been for his pastor, who showed an interest in his young people. Jerry’s chief obstacle in going to college was finances. His dad was an assembly line worker whose salary didn’t stretch far beyond the monthly home payments. With the advice of his pastor, Jerry applied for four scholarships and received one which helped solve his problem. Each year one hundred thousand students like Jerry either drop out of college or never start because of
financial needs. For every student who goes to college, one equally qualified does not. With the great The natural question of a prospective college student is, “Who is eligible?” One of the most important answers to this question is the degree of need. The basic qualities that one must have to gain entrance to college are necessary, but beyond this exists that very important qualification--need. If his family's income is over $6,500, a student’s chances for scholarship aid are decreased. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has standardized the condition of need. Students who win one of their eight hundred scholarships are granted their aid according to need. A winner whose family The second question is, “What is available?” The Federal Office of Education Bulletin 1951, Number 16, lists 1,198 institutions which have141,554 scholarships totaling over $31,000,000 Since 1951 the number and amount have increased greatly Scholarship aid is becoming a pet project of industry and, at last count,452 scholarship programs were being sponsored by over 440 corporations giving 9,000 scholarships worth over $5,000,000. Many are the sources of scholarships. They are available all the way from the Chicago Flat Janitors’ Union to the Girls’ Clubs of Boston, Incorporated. Scholarship aid is divided into several categories. 1. Scholarships. A scholarship is generally defined as an award of money without any demand of repayment. General scholarships run all the way from $100 to a yearly grant of$3,600. The only requirement made of the student other than genuine need is leadership ability and a fairly good academic status. As a rule, the general scholarships can be used at any college or university which the student prefers. For this reason particularly, they are a desirable source of help. More limiting in the category of scholarships is the regional scholarship. It stipulates that the student must be from a particular school or geographic area. The Gooch scholarships stipulate that the applicant be from the areas of western Tennessee ,northern Mississippi, or eastern Arkansas. The Chicago Community Trust offers scholarships to high school graduates of Cook County, Illinois. Another good example is the program of Farmers’ Co-operative Ex-change, which offers scholarships to students of North and South Carolina. One should not dismiss the regional scholarships, because his area may have just what he needs. Still more exclusive and limited are the special scholarships which stipulate that one have a specific religious affiliation, marital status, or a specific course of study. A good example of the marital limitation is the one exercised by the Rhodes scholarship, which is limited to students who are not married. Likewise, the Charles and Julia Henry Fund for study abroad at Oxford or Cambridge is limited to unmarried students. By definition, the Betty Crocker Search for the American Homemaker of Tomorrow is limited to women. The American Baptist Convention’s scholarship aid offers a good example of the religious stipulation. Each year 60 scholarships running from $200 to $2,000 are offered on the bases that the recipient be an active member in an American Baptist Church for at least one year and that he have real financial need. The Southern Baptist Convention does not have a specific program for Students seeking aid in any of the fifty-two SBC colleges should consult the catalog or the registrar of the college of their choice or write for a compilation of this material from the Education Commission, 127Ninth Avenue, North, Nashville 3, Tennessee. Other denominations also have scholarship funds for young people Compared with the enormous amount of money available from corporations and foundations, the funds obtainable from churches and church-related colleges are small. Any youth desiring to go to a church-related college stands a greater chance of receiving aid if he applies for a general scholarship which can be used in any field. Many industrial scholarships are granted on the basis of a course of study. Students interested in chemistry, engineering, electronics, and other areas have hundreds of possibilities from which to choose and apply. They can take their college work anywhere they prefer, thus making it possible to use their scholarships at church-related colleges. The resources for the young person considering the ministry are not as great as advantages for the scholarships for the engineer. But listed in the government bulletin(see next page) are over 40 colleges Other types of restricted scholarships come from large corporations which provide help for their employee’s children. Two of the larger corporations participating in such programs are General Motors and General Electric. Some states have gone into the scholarship business to raise their educational standards. Special scholarships are available to teachers or prospective teachers. In many Southern states--such as Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia--special funds are available to Negroes. Many states like North and South Carolina offer aid to children of deceased or disabled veterans. 2. Fellowships. A different type of college id is the fellowship. This is a grant generally for graduate study. No strings are attached other than a person’s need and the stipulation that he carry a minimum load ,usually of twelve hours or more. There is no set rate of the grants. Fellowships, however, are not as plentiful as scholarships because universities often subsidize them. 3. Loan Funds. The third category of aid is the loan fund. A loan is made to the student for the pursuit of his education and is to be repaid beginning at graduation. Interest is anywhere from 2 to 4 per The next logical question is, “Where do I find these scholarships?” The cheapest to purchase, if a library is not handy, is the government bulletin on scholarships. It can be obtained by writing for Scholarships and Fellowships-Bulletin 1951, Number 16. Office of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington 25,D.C. The cost is $55. Another good source is the Lovejoy-Jones College Scholarship Guide, which can be bought for $1.95 at a bookstore. You Can Win a Scholarship, byBrownstein, Weiner, and Kaplan, is The books by Feingold and the government bulletin should certainly be consulted. The others overlap at points, and these two will also, but they provide an adequate survey. Not listed in these works will be the local scholarships provided by a local church, organization, or county. A student can check with his pastor, high school principal, and the college to which he is going for information on these. The last question is, “When do I apply?”
The simple answer is--early! As a rule, application should be made in September preceding the year one intends to enroll in college. He then will have plenty of time to correspond with the source of his prospective scholarship. Grants are usually made anywhere from January to April for the following September. Because of this, few scholarships are available for the semester beginning in January In filing application for aid, one should include all the information desired of him. Omission of references, pictures, and other information not only delays the consideration of one’s application but may suggest to the grant committee that one is slipshod and does not really care. One should recheck his answers for neatness and grammar and recheck with the people he asked to send references to be sure they have sent them in. If he is asked to write a biography, he should include all the data concerning his experience in leadership and extracurricular activities. lf he were once president of the local Ham Radio Club, it would be wise to include that fact--every fact is important. lf one is called for an interview, he should watch his dress, manners, and attitudes. He will be under the microscope. He should not throwaway his chances by carelessness. Once he has applied, a student can only wait. While he is waiting, he will want to be thinking about part -time job possibilities to supplement the grant he may receive. He can offset the cost of rent by working for room and/or board. Very seldom can he depend entirely on the scholarship alone. Oh, yes, there’s one final word. When he receives a scholarship, a student should remember to drop
The amounts have changed but the principles are still applicable
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