Scholarships Not Just for Smartest or Most Athletic

So it’s week 3 or 4 of the new school year and you’ve already paid first and last, bought your books (yeah right) and shopped for the latest look (more likely). You’ve furnished your new pad, paid your tuition, and bought some groceries…and your budget is already in trouble.  Here’s some advice: begin your quest now fro a scholarship that will be a big help come next year. Here’s how.

The general assumption about scholarships for post-secondary education is that they are the preserve of one of two stereotypes: the president of the computer science club or the captain of the football team.

It’s true, there is an awful lot of money earmarked for those who excel academically or in sports. But there's also plenty of funding to go around for those who will never split the atom or score the winning touchdown. The trick, of course, is knowing where it’s socked away - and how to get at it.

There are currently about 15,000 individual awards available from at least 300 organizations in Canada. Sounds like good pickings, but given the rising cost of university or college education, the stakes - and the competition - are escalating.

Not all scholarships require you to apply - some seek you out. In many cases, however, the initiative is up to you.

Close to home

The first step is to determine where the cash is stashed. There are three principal sources of scholarship funding: private-sector corporations, professional / industry associations, and government. Thanks to the Internet, the search process has never been easier - though it's advisable to begin as soon as you zero on in on where and what you plan to study.
Before commencing, it's also a good idea to get a grip on what you bring to the table as an applicant. Your marks may not be the, um, most dazzling ever, but there is often a wide range of other criteria that enter the equation. Financial need is one of the most important measures. Other factors may also play important roles. For example, if you are active in your community or if you form part of a specific ethnic community (think of the Canada Iceland Foundation scholarship, for example), you may have an edge.

Additional considerations may include whether you have volunteered for civic or church programs, participated in extracurricular activities or won special awards. Part-time jobs and work experience, at home or internationally, can also be a selling point, as can second or third languages.

Ask your parents to check with the human resources departments where they work because many companies have scholarships set aside for children of employees. For that matter, so do unions and other employee organizations, as well as veterans’ groups.

If you've got an eye on a scholarship in Canada or the United States, another free search service is the www.studentawards.com. Students provide detailed information to establish a profile - such as desired major, career goals, hobbies, geographic preference. That’s then matched with the scholarships in the database. Studentawards.com also creates personalized application request letters for students inquiring about scholarships.

Yet another good place to search for scholarship information is through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). It maintains a comprehensive list of scholarships, research grants and bursaries, from the Cement Association of Canada Environmental Scholarships Program to the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness Research Fellowship Program in Honour of Stuart Nesbitt White. The corporations on the AUCC list range from Abitibi-Consolidated to Corby Distilleries to Kraft Canada to Royal Bank to Scott Paper and Xerox Canada.

Public money

Individual's universities also offer information on a wide array of available scholarships. On the public sector front, the largest cache of cash is Ottawa's Canada Millennium Scholarship program, which was introduced with a $2.5-billion endowment in the 1998 federal budget. Based on need and/or merit, about 100,000 Canadian students qualify for scholarships of up to $19,200 for 32 months of study (which don’t even have to be consecutive!).

There are two types of Millennium Award: about 95% of them ($285 million-worth every year) are General Awards, doled out based on financial need and a base level of merit. The Exceptional Merit Awards comprise the remaining five per cent, or $15 million.

Bursaries under this program typically range from $1,000 to $4,500, depending on a student's level of need and the province or territory of residence. Rather than applying directly, students go through their provincial or territorial governments, which then review and prioritize the applications for the federal administrators.

To be eligible for a General Award, you must be a Canadian citizen and you must qualify for student financial assistance in a province where you have lived for at least two years (without studying at a post-secondary level.) You must also be enrolled as a full-time student (carrying at least 60 per cent of a full course load) at an eligible institution, and must be pursuing studies that lead to a diploma or certificate.

Detailed information on application for a Canada Millennium Scholarship can be found at www.milleniumscholarships.ca.

International aid

Another government-sponsored source to consider is the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, which is administered by the International Council for Canadian Studies (details are available at www.scholarships-bourses-ca.org). Also on the international studies front is the Foreign Government Awards Program for those at the graduate level or intending to pursue a graduate degree. These awards cover at least six months of study in a wide range of foreign countries. The Organization of American States (OAS) also has several fellowship and training awards programs on offer (details are available at the above website as well).

Of course UC411.com awards 1  Campus and 2 Distance scholarships each year. Entry is easy – simply click on a scholarship icon anywhere on www.UC411.com and you could be taking it easy come next September! 

Experts in the area are adamant that there's more to winning a scholarship than being savvy in rounding up prospective awards. Make certain that you are thorough in your research and meet all the criteria. Be certain to include every relevant morsel of data in your application, never forgetting spelling, grammar and neatness - as you would with any resume. It’s not unlike sending your curriculum vitae as part of a job hunt. After all, you need to get a passing grade to get out of the gate.