Seek and you shall fund

Finding the scholarships with your name on them

By R.J. Ignelzi

   If you think college scholarships are only for the Albert Einsteins and Michael Jordans of the world, think again.

   "Scholarships don't go only to the most brilliant students, the neediest of needy or the most spectacular athlete. Anybody might be offering scholarships. The trick is knowing how to look for ones you're eligible for," said Chris Vuturo, author of "The Scholarship Advisor" (Random House/Princeton Review Books), which lists more than 500,000 scholarships and outlines strategies for sleuthing them out.

   Vuturo may be young, but speaks from experience. As a student at a small Catholic high school in Louisville, Ky., he knew his middleclass parents didn't have the resources to pay for his college education. So, he got busy.

   After months of research and applying for nearly every scholarship he might be eligible for, Vuturo was offered a total of $885,782 in scholarship money. He eventually accepted an award of $68,000 to attend Harvard.

   While much of the money he was offered was in the form of college grants, he also was awarded money from companies, foundations and state sources, including State Farm Insurance, the state of Kentucky and the Educational Communication Fund.

   After college, Vuturo won a Rotary Scholarship for travel and study in Australia. He also attended the London School of Economics on a graduate scholarship. Currently, he's at Duke University in a three-year program of study to earn both an MBA and a master's degree in environmental management on -- you guessed it -- yet another scholarship.

   "There's a certain amount of grunt work to searching out a scholarship, but it can really pay off," said Vuturo.

   High school guidance counselors agree.

   "There are some misconceptions about finding and applying for scholarships. Some students just want to fill out one application and get lots of money, but that usually doesn't happen," said Deanna Herson, guidance and counseling coordinator at Francis Parker School in San Diego. "There's a lot of work involved. It's often necessary to search out and apply for 20 or 30 or more scholarships just to get a decent amount of money."

   Once you know what categories of scholarships you may be eligible for, it's time to search out the various money awards in those areas. There are three major sources of scholarship listings -- high school guidance counselors, resource books and the Internet. Experts recommend checking out all three.

   GUIDANCE COUNSELORS

   Frequent visits to your high school counselor can pay off. The more you drop by, the more your counselor is going to think about you when new scholarships come through the office. Although, you'll still have to do a lot of the work yourself, the counselor can at least help point you in the right direction.

   "It's really a good idea to keep in touch with the counselor. From mid-November through April of the senior year, the student should be checking in every two to three weeks with my office because I have new scholarships rolling in all the time between those months," said Herson.

   RESOURCE BOOKS

   Stopping by the library regularly is also a good idea. There are dozens of big, fat reference books listing thousands of scholarships. Be prepared to do a lot of writing or bring plenty of change for the copy machine.

   Herson recommends "The Scholarship Book" by Daniel Cassidy (Prentice Hall) and the "College Cost and Financial Aid Handbook" (College Board), both of which detail the various scholarships offered by specific colleges. Another good choice is the "Chronicle Financial Aid Guide" (Chronicle Guidance Publications).

   And, of course, Vuturo suggests his own book, "The Scholarship Advisor." These books are available at bookstores, libraries and usually at school guidance counseling offices.

   THE INTERNET

   The Internet is a terrific tool for scholarship searching. However, because there are so many scholarships listed online, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially for the computer novice.

   Vuturo recommends using a search engine such as Infoseek, Alta Vista or Yahoo to look up companies and organizations with which you may have an affiliation. Any scholarships they may offer will be detailed on their home pages. Or, just type in the word "scholarships" and you'll find more choices than you'll know what to do with.

   Also check out some of the free or very inexpensive scholarship search sites on the Web. FastWeb (http://www.fastweb.com) is a popular and easy one. Just fill out the basic application, and then every time you log on after that the Web site will present you with scholarships for which you are eligible based on the information you put in your application. The Web site is updated every day, so each time you log on, there probably will be new scholarships. FastWeb gives you the contact address and a form letter, so all you have to do is print the form letter and mail it off.

   Also check out the Financial Aid Information Page (http://www.finaid.org) and the Princeton Review's scholarship site (http://www.review.com).

   Herson encourages students to maneuver through the scholarship search Internet programs very slowly to get the most out of them. Answer all the questions, be patient and follow directions.

   There are also two computer programs, Expan and College View, that can match up scholarships to eligible students. Both programs are available in many high schools.

   While Vuturo admits the computer scholarship search sites are valuable, he doesn't advocate relying on them solely to find scholarships. "If you only let the computer do the searching for you, you'll never really know all the possibilities out there," he said. "By doing some of it on your own (via books, and Internet key word searches) you become used to the process and you find out what's available. You may also get some potential hits for next year."

   KEEP LOOKING

   While the best time to start looking for scholarships is usually the beginning of the senior year, it's still not too late for seniors to get scholarship money.

   "There's still another batch of scholarship deadlines set for early spring. It's getting late to apply, but it's not too late," Vuturo said. And, just because you did or did not get a scholarship when college finally begins doesn't mean the search is over.

   "The scholarship search will likely become a yearly event," Vuturo said, noting that most financial awards are for a set amount or a single year. As your academic interests, career aspirations and place of residence change, the scholarships for which you are eligible will change as well. And, new scholarships are being offered all the time.

   Look around campus, say the experts. Scholarship opportunities are often posted in the library, college paper and on bulletin boards in the career center and financial aid office.

   The important thing is to keep checking all scholarship sources and not to give up, Vuturo said. "The worst thing that can happen is that (the scholarship committee) can say 'no,"' he said. "But, at least you've gone through the process and learned more about yourself along the way. And, you probably came out of it a better person."