Scholarship Finder | How to Find scholarships for Homeschoolers

What Is a Scholarship, or Grant?

When trying to figure out the financial aid lingo, look no further than the College board site.

Here are a few terms to know:

Scholarship

A kind of “gift aid” — financial aid that doesn’t have to be paid back. Scholarships may be awarded based on merit or partially on merit. That means they’re given to students with certain qualities, such as proven academic or athletic ability. Learn more about gift aid.

Grant

A kind of “gift aid” — financial aid that doesn’t have to be paid back. Grants are usually awarded based on need. 

Financial Aid

Money given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Financial aid can come from federal and state governments, colleges, and private and social organizations. Be sure your student applies for financial aide by filling out the FAFSA. See the link below.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The free application form you submit to apply for federal financial aid. It is required for all students seeking federal student grants, work-study programs and loans. Most colleges require it as well. The FAFSA may also qualify you for state-sponsored financial aid.

If you find that some of the links are broken, please leave us a comment down below, and if you found another link for the same thing, please leave a comment down below. Because of the many articles we write, it’s impossible to keep up with the changing links from another website. We thank you in advance, as this helps other homeschool families find what they need sooner. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Too Many Scholarship Sites

With so many scholarship websites out there, where do you start???

There are websites that would love nothing more than to take your money, in order to supply you with scholarship information, or have you enter your most personal information, in hopes of the best scholarship.

While searching for scholarships for several clients, I noticed websites that promised top scholarships to students and even went so far as to take them through some sort of course, promising scholarships along the way.

Sickening!

Many of these websites were laced with ads, that were inappropriate for children (teens are still children). Some sites had “Special offers,” listed in their menus, and if your child was to click on them, it would lead them to ads where even pornography was shown.

The thought of the many teens and parents, that might have clicked these places by accident, or even browsed them, was sickening to me.

Therefore, here I have supplied you with a REAL scholarship link with real scholarships that actually change or differ per month.

Scholarships change because they all have deadlines. What might be available now, might expire in a month or so.

Contents
Quick Tips	Scams
Scholarships	FAFSA
Other Aid	Educator Grants

Quick Tips For handling Scholarships

Scholarships are a blessing for students who cannot afford to go to college, or need another means to pay. They are also good for students to help assist their parents in helping them go to college. Just because mom and dad can pay, doesnt mean they should bear all the financial burden.

Encourage your teens to show off their educational skills, by applying for a scholarship that suits them.

Check Deadlines

It is always important to check the deadline of your Childs scholarship and make sure they can do what it requires before the due date.

Read the Requirements

Your student should apply for a number of scholarships instead of banking on just one to get them through. Each scholarship application requires something different.
Though all of them may be similar in content, they may be asking for different things. It is imperative that you read the application carefully to make sure that you know and understand all the requirements so that you can fulfill them all.

Work on the Personal Statement

Your student needs to stand out from the rest! This can be done through their personal statement. The scholarship application usually requires them to write a personal statement and send it along with their documents. Most education experts believe that the personal statement is assigned the most weight and it can determine their fate.
Working on their personal statement after adequate preparation means that they can write it better and have a stronger chance of success.

Popular Scholarship Questions

Most scholarships follow the same format. Grab a notebook and have your student try to answer these questions as best they can. Then check their answers with a parent-teacher critique.

You want to help them put into words who they are and develop their personal story. If you prefer or if your student prefers, have an outsider with the proper knowledge, take a look.

Popular questions:

1. Tell us about yourself!
2. What is your greatest strength?
3. What is your greatest weakness?
4. Why do you deserve this scholarship?
5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
6. Talk about a time you overcame a challenge.
7. Why did you choose this school?
8. What activities are you involved in?
9. How do you deal with deadlines or multiple tasks?
10. Describe yourself in three words.

Find the top 40 scholarship interview questions and answers at this pdf, with more information on that subject, if you end up with a 404 message, contact us for a copy.

Be Concise, But Complete

The scholarship application has defined limits for your student’s essay or personal statement, depending on the requirement, it’s usually 500 or 1000 words. Make sure they don’t go over the prescribed word limit. This can create a very bad impression in the mind of the person who goes over their scholarship application. However, make sure that you don’t leave out anything important, therefore you have to be concise but complete.

Check It!

Once your student is done filling out their scholarship application, it is crucial that you check it multiple times for any errors that they might have made. Make sure that there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes as this can make their case weak. It’s always advisable that you get your scholarship application checked and reviewed by other people as well. Even if its just for spelling, grammar, or their outside take.
If you know someone who has filled out a scholarship application and got the scholarship your student wants, ask him or her for advice on how they achieved this.

Keep Track

Help your student keep track of every scholarship they are applying for. Some scholarships require the same information, or essay writing. If they write a good paper for one scholarship, it can be tweaked for another.

Keeping tract allows them to see which applications they filled out and how many times they applied for the same scholarship.

Looking for a scholarship can be the easiest part. However, getting the actual scholarship is the hardest part. It is a competition, but don’t be afraid! With Christ all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)

If you are you or your students would like help filling out their scholarship application or would like assistance, schedule a consultation with us today! Our team will be happy to help.

Be careful of Scholarship Scams

The Federal Student Aid website has an entire list of scams you must be on the lookout for. Don’t let a website scam you or your child for your information! Check out the link below:

Avoiding Student Aid Scams | Federal Student Aid

Legitimate Scholarship Website

Scholarship Finder | CareerOneStop

Fill Out Your FAFSA!

Do not start applying for scholarships without filling out your FAFSA. Your student needs to do this in order to get financial aide and Pell Grants. These are free money sources that do not require essays and the typical scholarship questions.

7 Things You Need Before Filling Out the 2020–21 FAFSA® Form

Apply for Financial Aid | Federal Student Aid

Other Aid To Consider

The Department of Education has few grants that individuals can apply for directly. They administer programs—mostly in higher education—that are awarded to institutions, that then award funds to individuals:

• Perkins Loan Program
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Work-Study

You need to complete the FAFSA to be eligible for these three programs.

Individual college students are also eligible for:

• Pell Grants
• Direct Loans

Educator Grants

Are you an educator in need of a grant? Check out this website below and be taken to a hundreds of grants that you can apply for, to use for your school and some homeschools.

How to Apply for Grants | GRANTS.GOV

I hope you have enjoyed this Homeschool 101 Article. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. God bless you, and may you find what you are looking for!

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