“Be aggressive. Scholarships don’t come knocking on your door, you have to go find them,” said head counselor Alan Loper when asked what the first step is for students to obtain scholarships.
Most seniors have completed the first step of getting to college, applying. The next step is to find funding for tuition, room and board, books, food, traveling, and other expenses. Here is a guide to receiving that aid. Loper suggested exploring any outlets that may offer financial assistance. Options include your parents’ employers, sororities or fraternities you are interested in joining, your church, and the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend. Loper is confident that the 2003 graduating class will succeed in finding money. Seventy-four percent of last year’s class was eligible for the Hope Scholarship. The financial aid through sports, talent, academics, service academies, work-study, grants, and loans totaled to $4,405,131. Loper recommended a visit to the Georgia Student Finance Commission located in Tucker, where an adviser will help you seek financial assistance for free. Go to www.gsfc.org for more information, or see your counselor to make an appointment.
Counselor Katherice Marnell said, “The best resource for scholarships is the internet and I highly recommend www.fastweb.com.”
The majority of the senior class agrees and counts surfing the web as a popular source of aid. Marnell also coordinates the monthly “For Seniors Only” newsletter. She emphasized all students are welcome to visit her office if they have any questions or would like to look through her box full of brochures and other vital information.
Students may also visit the career center in the counselors’ office, which features numerous college and scholarship books. Loper noted the Scholarship Handbook by the College Board as an essential source that can be found in the office.
Maryann Erigha, who recently signed a track scholarship at the University of Notre Dame, offered this advice to athletes needing assistance, “Put yourself out there. You can contact the colleges personally by getting the coaches’ phone numbers from the school’s website. I have many friends who have done that and gotten full scholarships.”
Searching for help can be right under your nose. Chamblee’s very own media center is offering a scholarship of 500%.
Ms. Judy Davidson said, “We get so much money from fines, so it [the scholarship] would be a good way to benefit students. We hope they’ll use it towards college books.”
Students applying must enroll in a college/university program, have a minimum 3.0 average, and write a five-hundred-word essay, among other requirements. The deadline is February 3. See a librarian for more information.
There are many directions a student can take to obtain financial aid, but the most important advice is to be attentive and aggressive.
SAT Prep instructor Marti Macon-Gee said, “Be very tenacious in pursuing athletic, academic– all scholarships. Explore every possible avenue.”
