This morning, we conducted a Twitter Chat on the topic of financial aid and scholarships. There were five major themes from our chat: the complexity of financial aid, tips you may not have heard, resources for foster students, the value of national scholarship databases, and opportune times to look for new scholarships.
First off, we discussed some of the nuances that go along with scholarship winnings. Sometimes, winning a scholarship might be a bad thing because it will cause you to lose work-study or a Pell grant. The overarching theme? Always, always, always talk with a counselor from your college’s financial aid office and look into the details before applying to scholarships.
What are some of the best ways #students can maximize #scholarships if outside awards tend to replace #university #finaid first? #CollegeQnA
What are some of the best ways #students can maximize #scholarships if outside awards tend to replace #university #finaid first? #CollegeQnA
@samsonxlim Start with your College's financial aid office. They can tell you about every scholarship for your school #CollegeQnA
What are some of the best ways #students can maximize #scholarships if outside awards tend to replace #university #finaid first? #CollegeQnA
@samsonxlim Also, check to see if your college has a TRIO student success office #CollegeQnA
What are some of the best ways #students can maximize #scholarships if outside awards tend to replace #university #finaid first? #CollegeQnA
@samsonxlim Also, the point is to replace student loans with scholarships. Ask the #Finaid office to make sure this happens #CollegeQnA
What are some of the best ways #students can maximize #scholarships if outside awards tend to replace #university #finaid first? #CollegeQnA
@samsonxlim Once you've covered tuition, sometimes you can also cover living expenses. It depends on the scholarship. #CollegeQnA
What are some of the best ways #students can maximize #scholarships if outside awards tend to replace #university #finaid first? #CollegeQnA
@samsonxlim If you win an outside scholarship, ask the awarding org to enclose a letter specifying it is for living expenses #CollegeQnA
@samonxlim Pell Grants can be used for living expenses. Make sure that the cashier processes scholarships in the right order #CollegeQnA
.@SREducationGrp We've had students win #scholarships & had grants in #finaid offer (no loans) replaced *before* EFC. Policy change needed?
@samsonxlim Some won't cover living expenses. If you need money for living expenses, only apply for scholarships that do #CollegeQnA
Will scholarships affect financial aid eligibility? #CollegeQnA
Will scholarships affect financial aid eligibility? #CollegeQnA
@msladeejae23 basically, yes. It can be tricky. A new scholarship could take away work-study. It's possible to come out behind #CollegeQnA
Second, the College Navigators at SEA really know their stuff. They had a lot of tips that most students don’t know, but should.
First question from @msladeejae23 "why can't grad students receive Pell Grants?" @voicesSEA #CollegeQnA
@msladeejae23 grad students should apply to multiple grad schools and choose the program that offers most aid #CollegeQnA
@msladeejae23 In WA state a great place to start for finding private scholarships is go to washboard.org #CollegeQnA
@CollegeAbacus Costs can vary widely depending on personal situations. Make a full budget for each college with an advisor. #CollegeQnA
@SREducationGrp Can't NPCs help with estimating financial aid? You can use tools like collegeabacus.com #CollegeQnA
@voicesofsea @SREducationGrp Can this website help solve the net price calculator problem? collegeabacus.com#CollegeQnA #finaid
@CollegeAbacus Costs can vary widely depending on personal situations. Make a full budget for each college with an advisor. #CollegeQnA
Never pay an application fee for a scholarship. Those are all scams. #CollegeQnA
Using your college's resources first helps you find the high percentage scholarships #CollegeQnA
If you will struggle to pay for college, apply to in-state schools. They are motivated to help you succeed. #CollegeQnA
Keep the scholarships you already won. Keep your grades above the minimum GPA requirements. #CollegeQnA
We should've already applied for scholarships? I'm just now learning how to and where to!
@feathersflyfree Fall and winter are typically the best time to find #scholarships for next year. #CollegeQnA
Also, turn in your acceptance letters and register for classes on time. Dot your i's and cross your t's #CollegeQnA
Tip: have someone proof read your application. Try out scholarshipjunkies.com #CollegeQnA
Third, we got a question from David Sharp about resources for foster youth. Foster programs are set up by individual states, so resources will vary widely depending on where you live. SEA had a couple of great starting points for students from Washington State.
What are the best #scholarship resources for #fosteryouth? #CollegeQnA
What are the best #scholarship resources for #fosteryouth? #CollegeQnA
@davidlsharp WA state has special money for youth in foster care. Need to start school before age of 22. Ask case manager. #CollegeQnA
What are the best #scholarship resources for #fosteryouth? #CollegeQnA
@davidlsharp Many states may have similar programs but it varies #CollegeQnA
What are the best #scholarship resources for #fosteryouth? #CollegeQnA
@davidlsharp If in King County, WA, YMCA can also help you apply ymcayas.org/happenings/hap… #CollegeQnA
Fourth, we talked about national scholarship databases. They can be helpful for out-of-state students but can overwhelm a student and make their scholarship search inefficient.
Tip from @VoicesSEA, national scholarship databases can be key for out-of-state students #CollegeQnA
The drawback of national databases is lack of quality control. You may apply for a $500 award competing with 10k students. #CollegeQnA
Another problem with national databases is they give too many options. They don't know which are best for the individual student #CollegeQnA
I really wanna cry. How am I EVER going to get those scholarships I applied for if my grades have been shit?!!!!
@Thugg_Be_Aleee Low grades make it difficult. One solution is to go to a CC to get your grades up, then transfer to a 4 year #CollegeQnA
We finished off the chat with a short series of tips about some opportune times to look for new scholarships.
When to look for new scholarships: When your GPA jumps #CollegeQnA
When to look for new scholarships: every fall and winter #CollegeQnA
A special thank you to all of our participants!
When to look for new scholarships: when you have a baby (not that you'll come out ahead) #CollegeQnA
Thanks for Participating! @OppScholarship @College_Success @scholarshipkeys @ChemistryALevel #CollegeQnA
Thanks for participating! @fujifulgueras @samonxlim @KeepCalmWarrior @msladeejae23 @2converse @HSFNews @davidlsharp #CollegeQnA
What do you think? Should we do it again sometime? If you missed the chat or just though of a great question, you can always tweet @SREducationGrp and we’ll do everything we can to get you an answer.