Scholarship Searches
Even though Brown University awards scholarships from over 900+ endowed funds, every student who receives these monies must demonstrate a financial “need” as calculated by Brown’s Office of Financial Aid. Even with Brown’s commitment to meeting 100% of this need, students may still find shortfalls in meeting all college costs. This is because Brown scholarship recipients are still expected to contribute to their educational costs through loan borrowing, an expected summer earnings contribution, and/or student employment expectations during the academic year. If students win any external scholarships, these can be used to directly reduce these student expectations and/or even help finance the purchase of a “one time” computer purchase.
So, how do you find these scholarships?
Most savvy college students realize that if they “google” scholarships, results can be both overwhelming and substandard. However, using these tips/tricks can dramatically increase your search results and increase your chances of winning:
- Remember, it’s a numbers game. For every 100 scholarships, you may find 10 that will actually warrant your response/commitment. Out of these 10, you may win just one. So, using internet searches efficiently is critical to your success. You can’t find 10 viable opportunities unless you have committed time and energy to do so. Make this part of your daily routine….find a scholarship a day, for example.
- Document the top 10 characteristics, accomplishments, or skills that you have that you believe differentiate you from anyone else. Make sure you search for scholarships on these key words to increase your chances of finding them.
- Be persistent! Scholarships opportunities occur all year long. That means you must search, apply, and follow up with them all year long to be successful. New opportunities come out daily.
- Create a routine and stick with it. Just like any other goal, you need a plan and a process to get there. Use technology, such as spreadsheets, to keep track of scholarship applications and to create templates for repeating scholarship application questions.
- The devil is in the details! Make sure to follow meet all scholarship requirements, including deadlines, and submission criteria, but also the details. If you must submit a 500 word essay, don’t disqualify yourself by submitting 501! Absolutely check for spelling and grammar errors as these standards are often used to reduce the volume of the applicant pool.
- Don’t just google. Make sure you are joining associations and organizations that support your passion. These professional groups often have scholarships and networking opportunities for student members.
Resources:
Brown Research related funding
Financial Aid Scholarship Links
Good luck searching!