|  |
| |
Are Merit Scholarships an Option?
By Dr. Thomas O. Phillips
|
 |
| |
|
|
Virtually all good colleges, public and private, in North
Carolina have financial aid to help accepted students to attend. The
bulk of aid available from colleges will be need-based aid:
combinations of scholarships, grants, loans, and work programs
awarded based upon financial documents that you and your family
submit. A great percentage of students who receive aid to attend
college, whether public or private, do so on need-based packages.
For a smaller group of students who have achieved unusual
distinction in one or several ways, college also may offer
merit-based aid to recognize such achievement and recruit that
student to the school. Merit aid comes in a variety of stipends and
requirements, but would likely be awarded by the college not on the
basis of any financial document, rather on the basis of special
talents, skills, academic or other achievements of the student.
These scholarships can range from modest grants of several hundred
dollars to comprehensive merit packages to provide for all, or
nearly all, direct costs of education.
Many students -- not just those top few in the high school
class -- might qualify for merit aid, depending on one's talents and
the interests and selectivity of the school offering that
scholarship. While merit aid can often help a student choose a
suitable and desirable school, merit aid alone should not be the
sole determinant of where one chooses to attend. College scholarship
officers will urge students to accept merit aid if it helps them to
choose a school they have studied thoroughly, visited fully, and
appreciate accurately.
Merit aid comes in several forms, described below.
|
| |
|
Academic Scholarships
|
| The majority of merit-based
scholarships offered to students in North Carolina employs as a
primary criterion the combination of high ability and high
performance in courses. Thus, factors such as grade point average,
rank in class, number of AP or IB courses, and SAT I, SAT II, or ACT
scores help the college officials judge you in the context of fellow
applicants. Often the "numbers" are viewed in the even greater
context of course load, campus and civic leadership, talents,
achievements beyond the high school, and writing. Do you have an
intellectual passion that might accord with an academic strength of
the school? Does your combination of grades and leadership suggest a
visible campus leader and model student? Does your writing --
expressed in required or voluntary samples -- show a mature
analytical ability? Often such scholarships require campus
interviews for finalists, and this offers the student a useful
opportunity to learn more about programs, faculty, and student life.
Some scholarships will help you gain preregistration or preference
in housing; others offer programmatic features such as lectures and
dinners; still others provide supplemental sponsors but may offer
little by way of other such perks. As with any scholarship offer,
know fully the value of the scholarship as against the comprehensive
budget; the renewal requirements; and any enhancement of career or
graduate school placement the program might provide. |
| |
|
Talent-based Scholarships
|
| Many schools that offer the
academic scholarships noted above also offer more specialized
scholarships for particular talents. Prominent among them are
scholarships for athletic talent at institutions eligible under NCAA
rules. (This can refer to gymnastics as much as to football, cheer
leading as much as to lacrosse.) Prospective student athletes should
be both careful and aggressive about letting a school know of your
interest; high school coaches often are essential middle persons in
such a process. But there are many other scholarships offered at
different schools based upon other forms of talent, including art,
music, debate, science or math aptitude, dance, cheer leading,
business skills, theater, oratory, and others. There are a large
number and wide range of such scholarships, which often reflect
faculty interest in developing or sustaining certain activities and
courses of study on a campus. As with any scholarship in which you
have possible interest, you should inquire early and fully about
such programs, to learn requirements, odds of winning, and
expectations of recipients. Often a letter to the school, outlining
your own skills, accomplishments, and academic or talent honors, is
a good way to establish a dialogue with a college, which in reading
of your record may invite you to consider or apply for certain
awards. One good, enduring rule of thumb: don't be shy! |
| |
|
National Merit and National Achievement Scholarships
|
| The National Merit Scholarship
Corporation offers scholarships to students based upon academic
record initially identified through the PSAT given in the junior
year of high school. A majority of scholarships is awarded to any
eligible student through the National Merit program; some awards are
offered specifically to African-American students through the
National Achievement program. In both cases, high testing skills are
confirmed by a corresponding academic record, and students who
become finalists compete for three types of awards. (Approximately
one in three finalists will receive a National Merit or Achievement
award.) There are a limited number of one-time, nonrenewable
national awards, generally for $2,000. There are a large number of
corporate-sponsored awards, which vary in stipend and are generally
renewable. Both these types of grants are transferable to any chosen
institution. The third type, college-sponsored awards, are specific
to a sponsoring college and can vary greatly in stipend, even to
full tuition or more. |
|
| |
|
Scholarships Based upon Background or Ethnicity
|
| While all colleges seek the
most widely representative student body, not all colleges have
scholarships which work to further or insure diversity. But some
schools offer scholarships based upon race, ethnicity, region,
alumni relations, even first-generation college history, in order to
make their first-year classes as diverse as possible. Of particular
note is the Ron Brown Scholarship program, a nationally competitive
program for African-American students that provides fellowships of
up to $10,000 to use at any school. |
| |
|
Special Scholarships at the Local, State, and National
Levels
|
|
Local institutions, regional companies, and national private
foundations or groups offer scholarships, such as Rotarians, Elks,
Lions, local school systems, local and state women's clubs, music
club federations, local and state DAR, NC Junior Miss and other
academic and talent pageants, Optimist oratorical contests, and many
others. As with all such scholarship opportunities, perseverance and
early planning are keys to possible success. The junior year of high
school is an appropriate time to write letters and make phone calls,
using your high school guidance office or the Internet as resources.
All NC colleges and universities, and many other sponsoring agencies
like the sample above, have full and informative websites that can
answer loads of questions in a simple and inexpensive way.
Above all, start early and don't miss deadlines for
scholarships, most of which have separate applications (whether
college or outside agency). North Carolina is blessed with a wide
range of excellent public and private colleges, and other sponsoring
agencies, that commit merit funds to attract the best of North
Carolina students. Remember that finding a college is finding the
right match of your interests and personality with those programs
and people at a particular place. Merit aid, like need-based aid,
can be a pivotal part of your decision to attend the college of your
choice. Work hard in school and you will have much to offer those
colleges eager to share with you their financial support and their
hopes for what you can become with a quality education as your
foundation.
Dr. Thomas O. Phillips is Associate Director of Admissions
and Scholarships Officer at Wake Forest University. You can visit
Wake Forest University on the web at http://www.wfu.edu.
|
|
|
|
|
