GreekChat.com Forums  

Go Back   GreekChat.com Forums > General Chat Topics > Academics


Register Now for FREE!
Join GreekChat.com, The Fraternity & Sorority Greek Chat Network. To sign up for your FREE account INSTANTLY fill out the form below!

Username: Password: Confirm Password: E-Mail: Confirm E-Mail:
 
Image Verification
Please enter the six letters or digits that appear in the image opposite.

  I agree to forum rules 

» GC Stats
Members: 325,123
Threads: 115,503
Posts: 2,196,040
Welcome to our newest member, zsamulpitt5293
» Online Users: 966
2 members and 964 guests
JayhawkAOII
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11-14-2002, 02:05 AM
Hootie Hootie is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 4,114
Question Scholarship/Loans/Grants

Who has them and what do you think?
I am currently scholarship/loan/grant free but am interested in financial aid since I am independant of my family.

My question is what ones do I look for? Like I've heard that some are paid back after you complete college while others start payment immediately. And is a grant something you don't have to pay back? If so, how do they determine who gets them?

Sorry for so many questions! I had origionally wanted to attend another college (4 years ago) and never got financial aid then...so now's my chance!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11-14-2002, 09:26 AM
Kevin Kevin is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Posts: 18,654
I get a partial tuition waiver for playing in the school's orchestra.
__________________
SN -SINCE 1869-
"EXCELLING WITH HONOR"
S N E T T
Mu Tau 5, Central Oklahoma

Last edited by Kevin; 07-09-2012 at 03:02 PM. Reason: 10 years ago, I couldn't spell waiver.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-14-2002, 09:55 AM
PsychTau PsychTau is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Out of Arkansas, into VIRGINIA!!
Posts: 839
This one's long!!!

Hootie--

I have all three!!! First the "easy" one: GRANTS
You need to fill out a "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA). This can be obtained from a University Financial Aid office, or you might be able to find it on the Web (not sure where--if you go thru Univ. Financial Aid websites you may find it). This application is FREE, don't fall prey to these websites that say they'll do it for you for $49.99. (If you can do your taxes, you can do this. If not, someone can help you.) If you are independent from your family, then they only use your income to determine if you qualify. THE BONUS: this also is the application for federal student loans, so it will tell you what you qualify for in loans, but you don't HAVE to accept the loan if you don't need it. HOWEVER, do this as early as you can to make sure everything gets done in time. Grants are free and you don't have to pay them back (they're the best!!).

LOANS: My knowledge is a little rusty on this one, so you may need to talk to a FinAid counselor for more info. Basically there are two types of federal loans: PLUS loans (that your parents apply for) and STAFFORD loans (that are in your name, not your parents). Then there are two ways the interest is handled. One way is that you start paying the interest on the loan as soon as you get the loan, and the other way is that they save up all the interest and you don't pay ANYTHING until 6 months after you leave school. It depends on your financial situation as to what you want to do for that. Just do the FAFSA to apply for a loan. (I'm currently in repayment with my loans, so I know lots more about repayment, but we can go into that later!!)

SCHOLARSHIPS: Free money, based on need and grades/academics/talent. There are tons of them out there (including some from Chi Omega!). Some have no restrictions (as long as you have the GPA, etc.), while some are for certain majors or ask that you do something to "pay it back" (i.e. a teaching scholarship that asks you to teach in a needy, rural school for 2-3 years). There are TONS of places to search for scholarships. . .but there is no need to pay someone to do the searching for you (I've seen that advertised also). The FinAid office should have lots of resources for scholarship info. You can also check out Kaplan.com, Petersons.com, Monster.com, etc. for additional info. I know Chi Omega gives scholarships, I believe NPC does, and I know that Balfour gives a scholarship to Greeks each year (Chi O should have their contact info).

The best thing to do is to sit down with a FinAid officer and tell them your situation in order to get the most current info out there. Good Luck to you!!! Hope this helps!!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 11-14-2002, 10:17 AM
paulaKKG paulaKKG is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Oakton, VA USA
Posts: 58
Lightbulb Financial Aid tips..

I worked my way through college as an independent student, so I understand your confusion well. Financial Aid is confusing!

A few things that I learned in the process:

- Become friends with the Financial Aid officer. They understand the ins and outs of the system well, and are good resources for you. They often deal with lots of faceless (and often rude) students. Be kind and personal to them, and they will help.

- When you are an independent student, the rules change. For example, as a dependant student, only 2% of your savings count towards your ability to pay. As an independent student, 35% count. e.g. You have $1000 in savings as of Dec. 29, that's $350 more you'll have to pay/borrow a year. A good way not to get hurt by this is to pay for things in advance - I used to be sure to pay room and board, utility bills, and books early if I could.

- Look to your GLO's national headquarters for help with scholarships. I thought my financial situation was going to force me to drop my membership; in fact, it helped me pay part of tuition, which in turn let me afford dues.

- Be realistic about the ROI (Return on Investment) of your degree. If you're going to go $40,000 in debt for a degree, and the starting salary for your profession is $20,000 that's not very practical. But going $10,000 in debt so you're can stop being a fry cook and McDonalds might be. I have a very well paying job now, and I think the debt I undertook to get my degree is worth it - but I know many people buried in debt who should have known better to begin with.

Best of Luck!


- Paula P

Kappa Kappa Gamma
Delta Xi - Carnegie Mellon
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-06-2011, 03:52 PM
AlphaFrog AlphaFrog is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: The Ozdust Ballroom
Posts: 14,799
10 Year Old Thread Bump!

Somehow, unless I'm not using the right search terms, there's not a whole lot of college funding talk on here.

At the event I was at last week, I met a professor from the NY Film Academy that told me that he would recommend me for admission - and being that he also gives out their scholarships, etc, he is authorized to do so...

Anyway, I'm looking at attending either a one or two year musical theatre program (depending on what I can afford), starting Fall 2012. My family would be making the move to NYC, and I'm going to need all the grant/scholarship help I can get to be able to afford NYC. I'll go ahead and fill out my FAFSA when I do my taxes in February, but I would like to go ahead and start researching scholarships. I've started looking online, but I feel like I've spend half the day taking surveys and about to be had at any moment. Can anyone recommend REPUTABLE places to look for scholarships? Also, is it too early to start to apply for scholarships for Fall '12? It's been a good 10 years since I did this the first time around!
__________________
Facile remedium est ubertati; sterilia nullo labore vincuntur.
I think pearls are lovely, especially when you need something to clutch. ~ AzTheta
The Real World Can't Hear You ~ GC Troll
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-10-2011, 09:35 PM
AlwaysSAI AlwaysSAI is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: The river of hopes & dreams.
Posts: 2,992
Send a message via AIM to AlwaysSAI
^^^^Have you looked on CFNC dot org? I don't know when it originated, so you might not be familiar with it.

It markets itself as the place where you can "Plan, apply, and pay for college".

There may be some scholarships/grants on cfnc that are NC specific, but I don't think all of them would be.

Have you looked into what ASA offers at all? I know all three of my orgs have scholarships that a graduate student can apply for. Speaking of--I know SAI has some scholarships. I know some of them can be awarded to non-members. Lemme go look at that.
__________________
ΣAI
ΑΓΔ
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-24-2011, 12:31 AM
DubaiSis DubaiSis is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Back in the Heartland
Posts: 5,424
According to my sister, www.fastweb.com is the holy grail of everything college money.
__________________
"Traveling - It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller. ~ Ibn Battuta
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-24-2011, 03:54 AM
knight_shadow knight_shadow is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Texas
Posts: 14,143
Quote:
Originally Posted by DubaiSis View Post
According to my sister, www.fastweb.com is the holy grail of everything undergraduate college money.
FYP

It's not helping me now nearly as much as it did when I was 17 lol
__________________
*does side bends and sit-ups*
*doesn't lose butt*

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 10-23-2011, 12:53 AM
AGDee AGDee is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 15,390
Quote:
Originally Posted by knight_shadow View Post
FYP

It's not helping me now nearly as much as it did when I was 17 lol
I agree. I have had a really hard time finding any opportunities for someone in grad school part time. When I was looking at the FAFSA, I even realized that the tuition I am paying for ME to be in school doesn't even count on that. They only count the siblings of the applicant, not the parents, and both of her parents are in grad school right now. So not fair!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 10-23-2011, 01:13 AM
NinjaPoodle NinjaPoodle is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: On the beach. Well....not really but near it. :0)
Posts: 13,535
Quote:
Originally Posted by DubaiSis View Post
According to my sister, www.fastweb.com is the holy grail of everything college money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by knight_shadow View Post
FYP

It's not helping me now nearly as much as it did when I was 17 lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by AGDee View Post
I agree. I have had a really hard time finding any opportunities for someone in grad school part time. When I was looking at the FAFSA, I even realized that the tuition I am paying for ME to be in school doesn't even count on that. They only count the siblings of the applicant, not the parents, and both of her parents are in grad school right now. So not fair!
I agree on all parts especially since I'm a nontraditional student. I've found some on fastweb, but mostly I'm looking for photo specific companies I would consider working for, but also churches, non profit groups greek community, just anywhere any company. I tell people my story because networking can go a long way. You really need to be creative when looking because you really never know where the $$ could come from.
__________________
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. ** Greater Service, Greater Progress
Since 1922
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-08-2012, 02:19 AM
NinjaPoodle NinjaPoodle is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: On the beach. Well....not really but near it. :0)
Posts: 13,535
Scholarship website update:
I still use Fastweb but some new ones have popped up since then.
Cappex seems to be pretty good. I found that if you've been on these sites for some time, you need to update your profile to reflect your current situation.
__________________
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. ** Greater Service, Greater Progress
Since 1922
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 07-08-2012, 01:36 PM
HQWest HQWest is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,027
A couple of the NPC groups also have graduate fellowships - some are regional or profession specific so there are some for women who maybe dont have the highest GPA but represent a specific area or have continued to participate after the college years.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-08-2012, 07:35 PM
NinjaPoodle NinjaPoodle is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: On the beach. Well....not really but near it. :0)
Posts: 13,535
Quote:
Originally Posted by HQWest View Post
A couple of the NPC groups also have graduate fellowships - some are regional or profession specific so there are some for women who maybe dont have the highest GPA but represent a specific area or have continued to participate after the college years.
Do you know if they are only graduate fellowships? I'm an undergrad looking for anything art (photography) related, older students, and for women.

Should I just check the individual NPC members sites or do they have a special site, etc..?

thanks
__________________
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. ** Greater Service, Greater Progress
Since 1922
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 07-08-2012, 07:41 PM
DeltaBetaBaby DeltaBetaBaby is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: ILL-INI
Posts: 7,208
Send a message via AIM to DeltaBetaBaby
Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle View Post
Do you know if they are only graduate fellowships? I'm an undergrad looking for anything art (photography) related, older students, and for women.

Should I just check the individual NPC members sites or do they have a special site, etc..?

thanks
I've never seen an NPC offer them to non-members.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 07-09-2012, 10:10 PM
NinjaPoodle NinjaPoodle is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: On the beach. Well....not really but near it. :0)
Posts: 13,535
That's what I was thinking but it's worth looking into.
__________________
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. ** Greater Service, Greater Progress
Since 1922
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.