Kristina Ellis, author of "Confessions of a Scholarship Winner," received over $500,000 in scholarship money for higher education.
"I'm living proof that scholarships aren't for the supersmart or ultratalented, and that your current situation doesn't have to determine your final destination," writes Ellis, who lost her father to cancer at age seven.
After his death, her mother, a Venezuelan immigrant living in Indiana, took on low-paying jobs to make ends meet. Still, the family dipped below the poverty line, and after her first day of high school, Ellis' mother told her she would have to be financially independent after high school.
"You are not meant to live in poverty your whole life, and I know that if you work hard, you can go to a great college and start fresh," her mother told her. "The choices you make right now will impact you for the rest of your life."
By the end of high school, Ellis was awarded over half a million dollars in grants and scholarships, including the US Presidential Scholarship, the Gates Millennium Scholarship, and the Coca-Cola Scholarship, which paid for her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University and master's degree at Belmont University.
Here are seven of the tips Ellis outlines in her book, to secure money for undergraduate and graduate school.
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1. Start planning to pursue scholarships as soon as you know you're going to college.
According to Ellis, it's never too early to start planning for college. Being aware of your responsibilities and requirements is already a step towards your scholarships. It is important to know which programs or organizations you need to join to receive certain scholarships.
Ellis became a US Presidential Scholar, which awards scholarships to students who not only scored well on their SAT or ACT exams, but who also have talent in visual, creative, or performing arts. They also have to participate in the National Young Arts program.
Start now: Research available scholarships and their requirements. Create a strategic plan to follow throughout your high school years that will keep you from missing out on the courses, leadership experiences, and volunteer opportunities that could help you stand out for major scholarships.
2. Get involved in extracurriculars and your community.
Scholarships aren't always for those with high GPA or high test scores. Sometimes they're for someone who is involved in their community through volunteer work, employment, sports, or taking on leadership roles.
"I had always thought of a scholarship winner as someone who was supersmart and got perfect grades," Ellis, who ranked 32 in a class of 182, writes. "As a student with only decent grades and average test scores, I had assumed that scholarships weren't for me." However, she writes, she soon realized she "could appeal to scholarship committees outside of academics and still have a chance of standing out. So I set out to find activities I could excel in."
She became involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Varsity Women's Club, peer tutoring, Business Professionals of America, and show choir. She logged over 1,000 hours of community service by graduation.
Start now: Find opportunities in your community where you can volunteer your time. Great places to start are a local library, senior center, or hospital. You can also look into local sports teams or sports at your school. Interested in music? Join a school band or a choir.
3. Apply for financial aid even if you don't think you qualify.
Many students don't usually apply for financial aid because they believe their family makes too much money to qualify for assistance, when in fact, families with more than $150,000 in annual income can quality for financial assistance, writes Ellis.
Even if you don't always get "free" money, you may still qualify for low-interest loans.
Start now: FAFSA, the Free Application for Student Aid, is the go-to for financial aid information and needs. It is provided by the US Department of Education to help prospective students get aid and loan assistant based on their needs. To get the full benefits of the aid, you must update your FAFSA at the beginning of every school year and file it by March.
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