Story # 1

Emily Taflan
Scholarship Story

WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY?

With tuition increasing approximately 6.4 percent at Washington State University for the 2008-2009 school year, according to the Office of Student Financial Aid, many students are struggling to come up with money needed for school and are not taking full advantage of scholarship resources available.

“I actually have never been to the scholarship office and don’t know where it is,” Yasmin R. Starwich, a pre-nursing student at WSU, said. “I assume it’s in Lighty.”

“I definitely believe that students under-utilize scholarship resources,” said Terry Umbreit, director of Hospitality Business Management at WSU. “They do not spend the time to investigate and complete the applications.”

Most scholarships do not need to be paid back, and for a college student on a budget, this is appealing. If students discover they are lacking the financial backing they were expecting from their scholarship efforts, maybe they are not looking in the right places.

According to the Web site Alternative Student Loans for College Financial Aid, free scholarship services are very handy and tailor searches to specific qualifications. Internet sites can make students uncomfortable because they ask many personal questions. “I feel nervous when an Internet site asks for my address and background history,” said Starwich. “But I still use them, I’m just careful what information I give out.”

To use an Internet scholarship search provider, such as fastweb.com or scholarship.com, a series of profile questions are asked to ensure the search engine matches each user with the correct scholarships. The sites then send emails to their users whose profiles match certain characteristics of particular scholarships. Even though Internet sites can be intimidating, Umbreit said he thinks students should check them out.

The alternative loan Web site also says that students should meet with their school counselors as well as the local library to look for additional scholarships. Veterans clubs and businesses are scholarship resources as well.

Umbreit suggests students look first for scholarships associated with their majors or colleges and then at organizations associated with that major which may offer financial assistance. Umbreit said students should check scholarship resources several times a semester.

Patty I. Winder, assistant director of Scholarship Services at WSU, said, “The stewardship of our scholarship funds are well managed and reach the student population that the donors have specified.” Scholarship funds are being used up, but the ones receiving the scholarships are the students who know where to look.

Winder said, “It is very important for students to file a scholarship application each year.” The scholarship application she is referring to is located at the WSU Web site, as an electronic application that must be resubmitted every year.

“I am confused about who the donors want, no one I know has received anything,” Starwich said. “I have applied for the WSU scholarship every year, have a 3.77 cumulative GPA, and am in need of financial assistance, but have received minimal monetary compensation for my efforts.”

Scholarships are out there. Students need to broaden their searches and try unconventional resources while continuing to persevere through common processes.

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