Rhodes Scholarship 2012-2013

If you are a resident of the United States and plan to pursue an advanced degree abroad, Rhodes Scholarhip provides you a right opportunity to fund your education. Under this prestigious educational aid scheme, 32 students are funded for studying at the Oxford University in England. American president Clinton and poet Robert Penn Warren are two famous alums. Rhodes Scholarship has the privilege of being the oldest international fellowship program.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Whatever strategies you develop must be based on truth. In desperation, parents and students should not indulge in unethical and illegal practices. Speaking out the truth on financial aid application may hurt a little, lying on the application may result into getting severe penalties. Whenever there is a case of fraud, the financial aid administrators send notifications to the US Department of Education.

Strategies to Follow

There are multiple strategies that you can adopt to increase your chances of receiving need based scholarships. Some of the most important ones include -



Remember to save money in parent's name rather than in the child's name. There are many saving options where your saving can be treated as a parent asset. The 529 college savings plan is a good example of that. Prepaid tuition plan and Coverdell Education Savings Account are the other saving option you can use.



Another important strategy to follow is parents can go back to advance their educational qualification along with the children. Or else, you can also have multiple children attending college at one time. The greater the number of family members in college at one time is, the bigger the chances are of receiving more education financial aid.



You may have several necessary expenses. Fulfill those necessities to reduce the amount of money available in cash. Therefore, if there is an urgent need to buy a car or a computer, buy them before you actually file the FAFSA.



Try to minimize capital gains and maximize your contributions towards the retirement fund. If you plan to pay some college education expenses, remember not to pay the amount from your retirement fund. Instead, you should use the cash money present in your bank accounts. Also reduce your educational debt. You should be well informed that a 529 college savings plan has the least possible impact on the student financial aid.



If you have credit card debts and loan balances to repay, pay them off first. Pay off your mortgage as well. Even when you file the FAFSA, you need to select the date wisely. The assets you possess and the marital status of the student will be taken into consideration as per the date of the application.

Community Service

You may be average in terms of academic potential. However, you can win financial aid if you have been actively involved in serving a community. By doing community service, students display their leadership skills, dedication and the noble thought of helping people improve their lifestyle. Some of the most popular community grants are as follows.



The Do Something Awards
Discover Card Tribute Award
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Tyenol Scholarship

Act of Kindness

Your kind deeds done to the community should not go unrewarded. So, even if you are an average student, you can win education grants by doing some acts of kindness and volunteering in the community. You can apply for scholarships like AngelSoft Angels in Action and Hiram College Hal Reichle Memorial Scholarship.

Essay Contests

Several scholarships are available where you can win free money by winning essay contests. These essay contests are held both locally and at state level. Whether you are a high school student, a graduate student or an undergraduate, you can participate in these contests and win free education grants, awarded every year to students who may otherwise be average in educational talent. Before participating in these contests, it is advisable to go through the eligibility criteria for participation.



Popular scholarships awarded by way of essay contests include the following.



AFSA National Scholarship Essay Contest
AIDS Orphans in Africa Essay Contest
Akademos / TextbookX.com Scholarship Contest
Americanism Essay Contest
Calgon Take Me Away to College Contest
Environmental Essay Contest
Holocaust Remembrance Project Essay Contest
Maryknoll Student Essay Contest
MoneyMatters101.com Scholarships
OP Loftbed Scholarship
School Band and Orchestra Magazine Scholarship
Teenage Vision for America Essay Contest
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship
Voice of Democracy Essay Contest

David Letterman Telecommunications Scholarships

Instituted by David Letterman in the year 1985, the scholarship program targets candidates who are average in education but they are gifted with creativity. If you have a creative mind and can prove it through your work, you can be eligible to receive this education aid. Under this program, the winner receives $10,000 while the first and second runner up receives $5,000 and $3,333 respectively.