Scholarship workshop can mean "free money"
The CommuterWednesday, January 13, 2010
A scholarship workshop, sponsored by the LBCC Student Ambassadors, will be held on Jan. 20 and 21 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Diversity Achievement Center (DAC). Sharon Wall, the school’s financial aid processor, will present the workshop and introduce the tools you need to qualify for free money.
In exchange for an hour of your time, you will learn that you can harvest financing for your education as Wall guides you through the application process. Wall said that the main reason students don’t get scholarships is because they don’t apply. She also mentioned that there are a lot of scholarships available based on need, not just grades.
Two workshops are scheduled for greater availability to students. Attendance could mean free money in your pocket, which is especially important in this depressed economy. A pen and pad is all you need to bring to learn the application process.
Maria Ballard, a 25-year-old psychology major, applied for her first scholarship last fall. She applied for two and won one, the $1,200 Peter DeFazio Scholarship for dislocated workers or veterans. Ballard served two years of active duty in the Army at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where she repaired multiple-launch rocket systems.
“It is so easy, you just gotta try it,” said Ballard. “The hardest part of the application process was remembering to turn in my voter registration.” She also said she was a runner-up for a second scholarship.
Ballard said the application process took her less than one hour; she also wrote a one-page essay on her career goals explaining that she was attending LBCC and was transferring to OSU to study psychology. Then she went to the Writing Desk where English/Writing instructor Victoria Fridley went over her essay with her to ensure accuracy before she turned it in.
Ballard said that she will go through every scholarship on LBCC’s website and apply for each one she qualifies for.
Lynne Cox, associate dean of Student Services, said that students have told her that it wasn’t worth the time to apply for scholarships. She said she penciled out the math, and showed them that if they spend four hours on the application process, and win a $500 dollar award, that equals $125 an hour. The process takes approximately three to four hours. The first scholarship you apply for takes the most time; it gives you a template to work off of for subsequent applications. After that, it gets easier.
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