Taking Advantage of College Scholarships
“Education changes lives, and scholarships make it affordable.”
-Shay Spivey
Spring Semester brings excitement for Juniors and Seniors in High School in many ways:
- Prom
- Spring Break
- ACT or SAT Tests
- ACT or SAT Preparation
- Spring Sports
- Summer Approaching
- Decisions on College
So, ACT and SAT are not so fun for students…
Also, while many students look forward to the excitement and anticipation of college, the thought of college expenses are “not so fun” for many parents. Shifting some of the “not so fun” college expense responsibility to the student may be a reasonable solution. How can parents and students work together to carry the financial burden? Scholarships.
Year after year, hundreds of millions of dollars are given out in scholarships, which doesn’t just involve academic or athletic scholarships.
In doing a quick Google search for “Strangest College Scholarships”, results included: Duck Calling Contest, Tall Club (for boys over 6’2” and girls over 5’10” …I didn’t take advantage of this scholarship when I was approaching college…), Vegetarian Scholarship, Beef Advocate Scholarship. There are scholarships out there for everyone.
Parents, make it a challenge, chore, or job for your children. Have them apply for one scholarship a day. Yes, they may apply for 100 scholarships, and they may only be chosen or granted 5. But if those 5 scholarships give $1,000 apiece. That is $5,000 that will help in paying for college.
For the 2023-2024 school year, according to College Tuition Compare, the average cost of one year at a four-year in-state public college is $28,840. For comparison, when we wrote this piece a couple of years ago, the 2021-2022 cost was $22,601.
Also, don’t let the dollar amount scare you away from applying. Is the $200 scholarship worth applying for? If your child spends 30 minutes applying for this $200 scholarship and they receive it, that is a $400 hourly wage. What part-time job pays that hourly rate?
We recommend making sure the student has “skin in the game.” Tell them they are responsible for $XX of their college education. The scholarship money is out there to help them pay for this.
Stribling~Whalen Financial Group wants to help make you aware of these opportunities. We found the following websites helpful to explore the opportunities that are out there for College Scholarships:
Locally:
- Most Hall County School has a Scholarship Page on their Website: Cherokee Bluff, Chestatee, East Hall, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Johnson, North Hall & West Hall.
- Have your child visit their guidance counselor to see what scholarships are available.
Nationally:
As always, thank you for the introduction to your friends and family that so many of you have made. We are honored to serve you! As a service to our clients, we are happy to act as a sounding board for your friends and family. If any of them need a second opinion on their financial situation, introduce them to www.striblingwhalen.com or call us at 678-989-0048.
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Regards,
Disclosure:Any opinions are those of Stribling~Whalen Financial Group and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Expressions of opinion are as of this date and are subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that these statements, opinions or forecasts provided herein will prove to be correct.
