Scholarships
"Bright Flight" Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarships - QUALIFYING ACT SCORE GOES UP TO 31 FOR '07-08
Minimum qualifications: Score in the top 3% of all Missouri high school students taking the ACT or SAT test in their senior year. For academic year 2008-2009, the minimum ACT is 31 and the minimum on the SAT is 790 Math and 780 Verbal. Recipients must enroll in the academic year following graduation from high school. U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident. Missouri resident. Award amount: $2000 per year.
Enrollment Requirements: Full-time enrollment is required. Center for Distance Learning and Independent Study (CDIS) courses DO NOT COUNT toward Bright Flight's full-time enrollment requirement.
Application procedure: The Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) will receive student's approved Missouri college or university choices from their ACT or SAT assessment records along with student's ACT and SAT composite score(s). Eligible students will receive approval letters from MDHE. To be eligible for the 2008-09 academic year, a student must achieve a qualifying composite score by the June 2008 ACT and SAT dates.
Renewal: Satisfactory academic progress and full time enrollment.
Surfing for College/Scholarship Information
Junior year is the time to immerse oneself fully in the college search process. In addition to the resources available through the SLUH Counseling Center, there are now dozens of websites dedicated to college planning, financial aid, scholarships, and testing. If your family has an internet provider, these services are free.
Scholarship Scams
How can you be aware of scholarship scams? They usually have a particular set of characteristics. Watch out for these warning signs:
- Application fees or other fees
- Guaranteed winnings
- Everybody is eligible
- Unsolicited opportunities
- Typing and spelling errors
- No telephone number
- Mail drop for a return address
- Operating out of a residence
- Masquerading as a federal agency
- Time pressure
- Unusual requests for personal information
- Notification by phone
- High success rates
- Excessive hype
- Disguised advertising
- A newly-formed company
Searching for Scholarships
We receive many calls each year from parents asking about companies that will search for scholarships for fees ranging from $40 to $1,000! (See Scholarship Scams.) Our position has been not to endorse any of these companies. Both the College Board and the National Association of College Admissions Counselors have policies stating that these companies have not been able to deliver what they promise. There is at least one of these companies in each state that is currently being sued by parents because of fraudulent promises.
The question then becomes HOW can you get information about private scholarships. Access through the internet is the easiest way to find scholarships.
Often individual organizations send the counseling department scholarship applications. A list of these scholarships is maintained showing the name of the scholarship, the due date, and minimum criteria for the scholarship. This list is posted on the bulletin board in the counseling office. Every week or so, the list is updated with the new scholarships received. Students are welcome to look over the list and see if they qualify or are interested in any of the scholarships listed. If there is a scholarship listed that the student is interested in, he can get a copy of the application to complete.
Scholarship information specific to a college or university is available in the individual folder that the colleges or universities maintain in the counseling office.
Sites for Scholarships
www.wiredscholar.com
www.fastweb.com
These two sites have a database of more than 180,000 scholarships, grants, fellowships and loans representing billions of dollars in private sector funding for college students living in the United States. Note: these Web sites are funded by different groups primarily associated with financial institutions such as banks and credit card companies. Students and their families who have accessed this in the past have received some unsolicited credit card applications and other information from financial institutions.
