What You Should Know About Scholarships
By Maria Estarellas, Sat Dec 10th

When it's time to go to college, the word "scholarship" isconfusing for both students and parents. We automatically thinkabout student loans, FAFSA, tuition and fees, EFC, grants, andwork study. But what we don't realize is that knowing more aboutthe scholarship process could save us thousands of dollars whentrying to cover the cost of our kids' education.

Scholarships are "free money" given away by the government,private institutions and organizations, charitable foundations,schools, universities, clubs, etc. Unlike loans, scholarshipsare not repaid to the scholarship provider.

Some of the scholarships available are:

- Athletic Scholarships - National Merit Scholarships - AcademicMerit Scholarships - Professional, Career, and TradeAssociation-Sponsored Scholarships - FAFSA - Work Study - Ethnicand Religious Scholarships - Community Organization SponsoredScholarships - Special Scholarships - Alumni Legacy Scholarships- Transfer Student Scholarships

With so many scholarships, how do you know which one to apply toor where can you go for an application?

Some scholarships are based on your kid's grades or financialneeds, while others are awarded based on ethnic groups, athleticor artistic abilities, or given to students interested in aparticular field.

In some instances, your kids don't have to have perfect gradesto apply for a scholarship, and some don't even ask for anyproof of income.

For example, the Work-Study Scholarship will require your kid towork part-time for the money given and most jobs are on campus.

Finding information on scholarships on the Internet can bedifficult because you won't find everything you need to know tofinance your child's education.

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year ago, when my daughter was going to college, I searchedthe Internet and the only thing I found simple to do was fillout a FAFSA application. Since I didn't have time to search theInternet at the moment, and because other information I foundwas so confusing, I decided just to fill out the application anddid nothing else.

I promised myself that for the next year, I would search inadvance because even though my daughter got some financial aid,I was convinced that there had to be other resources out therefor her education.

That's when I came accross a guide written by a father that wentthrough the process of getting a scholarship for his child, whospent time talking to financial aid officers at manyuniversities and discovered that just filling out the CSSProfile and FAFSA financial aid forms and meeting some deadlinesis only half the battle in acquiring Federal Pell grants,college need-based grants, and Federal Stafford and Perkinsloans.

I learned how college financial aid offices actually determinewhat federal aid and state grants will be given out to potentialstudents and if you know in advance how to prepare yourself toreceive the maximum amount for your child's college education,you will obtain better results.

Once you know where to find the information and when and how toapply for a scholarship, it will be easy to obtain financial aidfor your kids.

For more information, visithttp://www.1mykids.com/scholarships.html

Maria Estarellas

About the author:Maria Estarellas is the webmaster for http://www.1mykids.comInformation on How to Apply for Scholarships, Parenting Tips,Crafts, Games, School Projects and Essays, Music Downloads,Clothing, Candles, Hobbies for Mom and Dad, Information on Howto Start Your Own Online Business, Mortgage Tips, Beauty Tipsand More. meg2@aweber.com