Niles High School

Check this listing of scholarship information sent to Niles High School. We will keep this page updated throughout the school year and scholarship information is available to students in the College and Career Center (room 67). These scholarships are separate from the Local Scholarship Program that is introduced at the senior meeting at the start of second semester each year. See Ms. Freeze in the Guidance Office if you have questions.

Look beyond colleges and universities for scholarships. Educational funding in the private sector has increased dramatically in recent years. Review mainstream sources of funds and be creative. Think about what makes you different and find groups that value that difference. Many organizations offer scholarships, including: state and local governments, businesses, employers, clubs, associations, high schools, civic groups, religious organizations, trade associations, labor unions, political parties, military associations, private foundations, private charities, ethnic organizations...

Most of these listings are scholarship search engines and pull from the same pool of scholarships. It will not be necessary to sign up for an account with more than two of them.

Going into your careercruising.com account is one of the best ways to find scholarships without being sent on a wild goose chase. Log into your account using your same log in as you use for the school computers. Click on Financial Aid. You can search by name or alphabetically or complete the Financial Aid Selector Tool to be matched with potential scholarships. If you have trouble on the Career Cruising site, see Ms. Freeze or Mrs. Lockey in the Guidance Office.

Scholly - an app you can purchase to be matched with scholarships. Click here for more information on this resource birthed out of the show Shark Tank. Scholly

SallieMae- has several tools to help families plan for college savings and a scholarship tool that searches 3 million scholarships worth over 18 Billion Dollars. www.salliemae.com

College Green Light: http://www.collegegreenlight.com helps first generation & underrepresented students connect with supportive colleges AND scholarships

MI-SEARCH: http://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid a search site for Michigan Residents

Cappex: http://www.cappex.com - scholarship search engine that has you fill out a profile and finds potential scholarship matches for you

Discover Sponsored College Search: THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES: http://www.discover.com/student-loans/scholarships/careers.html# Search by career interest, ethnicity, religion, sports interest and more!

Collegeboard: http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search - answer some basic questions to get a listing of scholarships for you, view the deadline and search for scholarships.

NextSTEPU: http://www.nextstepu.com Scholarship search, $10,000 awards, Digital Magazine, College Matching, Career Search tool

FastWeb: www.fastweb.com a searchable database of over 400,000 scholarships, fellowships, grants & loans

Bank One Sponsored College Scholarship Site: www.supercollege.com

Christian Connector: search for Christian Colleges and scholarships http://www.christianconnector.com/

College NET MACH 25:www.collegenet.com the fastest search on the Web

Peterson's College Quest: http://www.petersons.com/ has a database of about 2,000 resources that cover 69 academic majors.

Catching the Dream - for Native American students registered with a tribe. The organization will help you find scholarships, proofread your essays, and offers supplemental scholarships from $500-$5,000. http://catchingthedream.org/

Black Excel Scholarship Gateway: http://www.BlackExcel.org/link4.htm

Gates Millenium Scholars: http://www.gmsp.org/ a resource for African American, Hispanic American, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian Pacific American applicants

Hispanic Scholarship Fund: Scholarship opportunities for Hispanic students http://www.hsf.net/

National Association of Black Journalists: Students should be attending a four-year university. A grade point average of 3.0 is desirable. Eligible students must be majoring in journalism - print, photography, radio, or television http://www.nabj.org/

Arts Recognition and Talent Search Awards: These awards are granted to high school or college students (17-19 years of age) who show talent in dance, voice, music, art, photography, jazz, visual arts, writing, or other creative areas. You must audition or submit a portfolio or tape. The award is to be used for freshman year in college. Award amounts: from $100 to $3,000. Deadline is June 1 or A1 (for registration in specific regions). http://artsawards.org

Society of Women Engineers: These scholarships target women who are majoring in engineering or computer science. Award amounts are from $200 to $5000, and at least 90 are granted. The deadline for students already in college is February 1, but is May 15 for high school seniors entering an accredited program. http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org

Ron Brown: The award: leadership, community service, all fields. The deadline is usually in January. This is one of the most prestigious scholarships and it's very, very competitive.http://www.RonBrown.org

Jackie Robinson Foundation: The award is $6,000 per year. Number of winners: about 100. It's renewable. Academic merit, leadership, community service, all fields. Deadline is usually in April. http://www.JackieRobinson.org

United College Fund: The UNCF is one of our major scholarship gateways. The awards are of varying amounts and there are a great many under different names and requirements (Grandmet, Duracell, for example). The deadline is usually December. http://uncf.org/

Kodak Scholarships: The award: varying amounts to $5,000. Number of awards: Varies for those studying in film/cinematography at U.S. colleges http://motion.kodak.com

Intel Science-Talent Search: The award is from $5,000 to $100,000. There are approximately 40 awards in this prestigious competition. You must present a scientific research projecthttp://www.intel.com/about/corporateresponsibility/education/sts/index.htm

One of the biggest myths about scholarships is that they are won based solely on academic merit. As a result, a lot of qualified students don't even apply for scholarships that could award them the recognition they deserve and the help they need. High grades and test scores are significant but being a positive, well-rounded person is just as important. Writing an interesting essay is key.

1. Fill out application on line if possible. Otherwise, print carefully and legibly in ink.

2. Use Spell check.

3. Be completely honest about grades, experiences, memberships, qualifications, family finances, and other information.

4. Keep developing an academic resume of all your activities. As you participate in school, church, community or other activities update your resume. You can use Career Cruising to keep all this information in one spot.

5. Don't forget to include unpaid work experience. Jobs show initiative and that you know how to budget your time well.

6. Don't leave a space blank, if it does not apply to you write N/A.

7. Talk to students who have already won the scholarships of interest and find out what worked for them.

8. Carefully follow instructions. If the scholarship asks for an essay with a word limit, do not exceed the limit.

9. Proofread everything before sending it. Have a second set of eyes double check your work.

10. Supplement applications with personal letters of recommendation and personal statements that tell your story or explain any gaps in your education history.

11. Strictly observe deadlines and even strive to submit applications early.

12. Remember to send thank you notes to those who wrote letters of recommendations and to the scholarship committee when you have been awarded the scholarship.

14. Know what you want and why. You should be able to explain your goals and know what steps you will take to reach them. If you are undecided about a major/career choice - pick what best suits you at this point. You can always change your mind later. It looks better to have a specified goal, than an unspecified one.

Web resources:

Find your local Michigan Community Foundation: www.forgoodforever.org

1. While the presentation may be free, the services aren't. You may be pressured to give a check or credit card number to sign up for the service.
2. You are told that the program can adjust your income and/or assets to make you eligible for financial aid. Such practices are often illegal.
3. The service tells you they can only answer specific questions after you have paid for the service.
4. The service requests extensive personal and/or financial information.

Just because the seminar is being held at a local library or school doesn't mean it is legitimate.

Report Scams to:
National Fraud Information Center: www.fraud.org
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): www.ftc.gov
Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org
United States Postal Inspection Service: www.usps.gov/postalinspectors/fraud