WHAT IS A SCHOLARSHIP?

A scholarship is ‘free’ money awarded to a recipient who has fulfilled the requirements laid out by the benefactor of the scholarship. The money is typically designated to help pay tuition, books, housing or other educational expenses. Some scholarships are awarded one time and others are re-occurring. In other words, if you meet the eligibility requirements they can be awarded to you in following years. This is generally dependent on two things: meeting minimum grade requirements and actually filling in the form the following year. • • •

Benefactor’s may be

• Alumni of schools. Businesses / Corporations Athletic Organizations Charitable organizations etc.

CAN I WIN A SCHOLARSHIP?

Millions of scholarships are offered each and every year and some years scholarships go unclaimed.

Winning a scholarship depends on several other things: • • Selecting appropriate scholarships Folks, it’s a numbers game – the more you apply for, the more likely you are to win. Remember you can’t win if you don’t apply!!!

• • Fill in forms correctly.

File on time – in other words, meet the deadline!

Those students who win are the ones who make a plan to do the work…..and yes it is work!

I suggest that scholarship searching become a family affair or a group affair. • Select an evening. Use available resources such as my web page, scholarship books, and any other resources you can find.

• Parents can fill in the generic information such as name, address, phone number etc. and then circle or highlight or in someway mark the section of the scholarship that the student needs to complete.

• Students will often be asked specific questions such as:    How will this scholarship money help you?

What do you plan to study at college?

How will you contribute to the community once you are educated?

• Often scholarships require specific essays or ask you to submit samples of your writing. Sometimes essays used for college applications can be ‘recrafted’ to fit a scholarship.

WHAT TYPES OF SCHOLARSHIPS EXIST?

• • • • • • • • • • • Merit Scholarships Need based scholarships Heritage based scholarships (Chinese, Latino, Polish, etc.) Activities scholarships (sports, religious, leadership, community involvement, etc) Accomplishment scholarships e.g. art, writing, dance Location Scholarships for specific regions e.g. Ventura County Community Foundation Scholarship

VCCF scholarship due January 12

Alumni Scholarships Special Circumstances (amputee, brain injury, orphan, parent, etc.) Field of Study (the program you’re interested or currently in) Affiliation (companies, religious groups, unions, and associations, that you or your family are affiliated with) Activities (sports, religious, academic, leadership, community involvement, etc.)

MIDDLE CLASS SCHOLARSHIP FOR UC AND CSU

This is a new program that began in the 2014-15 academic year that provides undergraduate students with family incomes up to $150,000 a scholarship to attend University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campuses. Requirements: Be a California resident attending a UC or CSU; be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or have AB 540* student status; meet certain income and other financial aid standards; maintain satisfactory academic progress; not be in default on a student loan; and, must not be incarcerated.

Apply: Complete a 2014-15 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov

or the California Dream Act Application at caldreamact.org

. Use the California Dream Act Application if you do not have a Social Security number (SSN) or if you have a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) number. Make sure your email address is listed on your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application.

If your family earns up to $100,000 per year: You may be eligible for a scholarship of up to 40 percent of the mandatory system wide tuition and fees: The maximum award amount is a lesser percentage of mandatory system wide tuition and fees for each academic year: 2015-16 (20%), 2016-17 (30%), 2017-18 (40%) Students whose families earn between $100,001 and $150,000 per year: May be eligible for a reduced scholarship of no less than 10 percent of the mandatory system wide tuition and fees.

MCS scholarships are not set amounts and may vary by student and institution: The award is determined after you are awarded any federal Pell Grant, Cal Grant and institutional need-based grants for which you are eligible. If you are selected to receive a MCS, you will be notified by the Commission.

BLUE AND GOLD OPPORTUNITY PLAN

This is a financial aid program intended to expand access to UC for lower-income students.

UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will ensure that you will not have to pay UC’s system wide tuition and fees out of your own pocket if you are a California resident whose total family income is less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for financial aid — and that's just for starters.

Blue and Gold students with sufficient financial need can qualify for even more grant aid to help reduce the cost of attending.

How to apply: FAFSA/California Dream Act Application + Cal Grant GPA Verification Form (you will be automatically considered when you submit these forms by March 2; there is no separate application for this program) What's covered

 If you are eligible, your system wide tuition and fees will be fully covered by scholarship or grant money. The plan combines all sources of scholarship and grant awards you receive (federal, state, UC and private) to go toward covering your tuition and fees.

 Students with greater financial need can qualify for even more grant support to help defray other educational expenses (like books, housing, transportation, etc.).

 You don't need to fill out a separate application to qualify for the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan. You will receive the benefits of the Blue and Gold plan automatically if you qualify.

Eligibility requirements

 Submit a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form by March 2  California resident or have AB 540 status  Demonstrate total family income below $80,000 and financial need, as determined for federal need-based aid programs   Be in your first four years as a UC undergraduate (first two for transfer students) Meet other campus basic requirements for UC grant aid (for example, be enrolled at least half-time during the academic year, meet campus academic progress standards, not be in default on student loans, etc.)

VENTURA PROMISE

Nancy Mayerson reported to the Ventura Star Newspaper that this past fall that more than 1,100 Ventura County high school graduates attended their first year of Ventura College free of charge, thanks to the Ventura College Promise. The “Promise” encourages students to further their education and reach their academic goals. Promise students have a higher retention rate because 82 percent attend Ventura College full-time —versus 46 percent of the general student population —and use the services available to them on campus, including the Lending Library and scholarships for year two. Promise students also can participate in the Promise Peer Mentoring program, where a peer mentor is available to answer questions and provide guidance.

Expenses covered by the Ventura College Promise include the per-unit cost of classes, the Student Rep fee, the Health fee, and the Student Center fee. Students may take as many units as they wish as there is no minimum or maximum number of units that must be taken while enrolled in the Ventura College Promise.

To qualify, the recent Ventura County high school graduate must:  Make a commitment to attend Ventura College for the two consecutive Fall/Spring semesters they are eligible for the Ventura College Promise, immediately following their high school graduation.

 Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/  Complete a Ventura College application for admission www.venturacollege.edu

and the Promise Application   Take the college's assessment examination in Math and English.

Work with a Ventura College counselor to develop an education plan and goal; and/or enroll in a counseling workshop.

HOW DO I FIND SCHOLARSHIPS?

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Check the scholarship bulletin on line. New additions frequently appear and are organized by month due. Scholarship Lists Check scholarships posted in Bridges.

Scholarships in Bridges Check our school and public library for scholarship books.

Ask if your parent’s employer offers scholarships.

Create your own scholarship search by using key words Hispanic + single parent Greek heritage + merit scholarship Diabetes + college scholarship Recommended Scholarship Search Engines There are hundreds of search engines that ‘mine’ the same data for available scholarships. I suggest you register with no more that three of these search engines. My personal favorites include: www.FastWeb.com

, www.scholarships.com

, www.finaid.org/scholarships and a new favorite is Cappex https://www.cappex.com/ Use Twitter As you search different sites about paying for college, be careful of the “free money” ads you may see. These may be scholarship scams, If you read the following lines, be careful: “The scholarship is guaranteed, or your money back;” Or, “You can’t get this information anywhere else;” Or, “I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship” Or, “We’’ do all the work”  Check out these sites for more information about scams:  www.finaid.org/scholarshipscams  www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

TWITTER FOR SCHOLARSHIPS?

Do you tweet? A great source for college scholarship searching that many students and their parents might overlook is Twitter.

Twitter is rich with current information and using the search feature is a great way to find new scholarships, scholarships with approaching deadlines, and scholarship tips.

Twitter chats are another wonderful way to learn about scholarships and hear from experts in financial aid, college admissions, and just about every aspect of the college process.

A few Twitter feeds you can try include @ScholarshipsUSA and @winscholarships

TIPS ON WINNING SCHOLARSHIPS

TOP TEN TIPS FOR WINNING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS (FROM FastWEB) Apply only if you are eligible

. Read requirements and directions carefully.

Complete application in full.

If a question does not apply, note that on the application. Do not leave a blank.

Follow directions.

Provide everything that is required, but do not supply things that are not requested – you could be disqualified.

Neatness counts.

Always type the application if you can, or if you must print, do so neatly and legibly.

Make sure your essay makes an impression.

Be personal and specific. Include concrete details to make your experience come alive.

Watch all deadlines.

Don’t send the materials in late – they will be refused.

Take steps to make sure your entire application gets where it needs to go.

case it comes apart.

Place name on all pages of the application in

Give it a final ‘once-over.’

Proofread carefully. Ask another person to read it over before you submit it.

Ask for help if you need it.

Visit your counselor or Mrs. Kapala in the Media Center.

Remember: your scholarship application represents you!

Your ability to submit a neat, timely, complete application reflects on you.

WHO CAN HELP ME WITH SCHOLARSHIP QUESTIONS?

Media Center Staff Counselors If possible, contact the scholarship committee or contacts using links on their page. Frequently, larger scholarships will have a FAQ page to assist with their most common questions.

I THINK MY INCOME IS TOO HIGH, SHOULD I APPLY?

Scholarships may or may not have financial requirements.

More and more we are finding scholarships that are need blind because they are serving specific populations.

Some examples of these special populations include: Native Americans Methodists Vegetarians Athletes Twins Science geeks…….and so forth!

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COLLEGE GOAL SUNDAY LOCATIONS FOR FAFSA

Location Pacifica High School 600 E. Gonzales Rd.

Oxnard, CA 93036 Get Directions Santa Paula High College & Career Center 404 N/ 6th St Santa Paula, CA 93060 Get Directions Santa Paula High College & Career Center 404 N/ 6th St Santa Paula, CA 93060 Get Directions Carpinteria High School 4810 Foothill Road Carpinteria, CA 93013 Get Directions Contact Elmer Umipig 805-278-3134 [email protected]

Glenda Learn 805-525-4400 x 9030 [email protected]

Glenda Learn 805-525-4400 x 9030 [email protected]

Darcie Campbell 805-684-4107 x 233 [email protected]

Distance from FTHS 4.43 mi.

9.68 mi.

9.68 mi.

18.29 mi.