What makes YOU qualified to talk about college scholarships for unschoolers, Andi?
Hi! I'm Andi. I made this lens. (A 'lens' is Squidoo's word for a user-made page. You can make one too!)
I'm qualified to talk about unschoolers and college scholarships because I will be attending my top-choice college this fall with 30% of the costs in scholarships and grants. (My second-choice college granted me full-tuition and housing.)
I believe that any student can go to college without the costs burdening them for life - even (and especially!) unschoolers.
Spotlight on: What Colleges Don't Tell You
What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kid into the Top Schools
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
This book is amazing.
Elizabeth Wissner-Gross has written an excellent guide to becoming a college's dream student.
Secret #20 is awesome: Think like a homeschooler.
Talent Scholarships
Talent scholarships can come from the college or an outside organization.Inside the college, these are often for theatre, music, religion, journalism, athletics, debate, and art. Some will be for majors-only, others are available to anyone with an interest. They almost always require an audition (or portfolio viewing) and/or interview.
These are not dependent upon grades or test scores - just pure talent. They are sometimes renewable, though the renewal may depend on grades.
Ask your prospective colleges for a list of talent scholarships.
Also, just because a scholarship isn't listed, doesn't mean it's not available. I got playwriting scholarships from colleges that had never done that before, because no one had ever asked if the theatre scholarship was applicable. If your field of interest overlaps the field of the scholarship, they may be willing to consider you.
Also check on the internet for scholarships for people of your skill set/talent.
Photo copyright 2007 Neva Spell, used with permission
Resources
Home School Friendly Colleges & Universities
A large list of private and public colleges and un more...0 points
Virtual High School
VHS is a good resource for those seeking proper ed more...0 points
Core Courses for Graduation
PDF guide to general and elite graduation requirem more...0 points
Donna Young's Homeschool Resources
Transcript templates0 points
Oklahoma Homeschool Transcripts
Examples of homeschooler's transcripts.0 points
FastWeb Scholarship Database
Free database of scholarships and grants.0 points
Spotlight on: Cracking the ACT
Cracking the ACT, 2008 Edition (College Test Prep)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 10/11/2008)
This book really helped me through my ACT test.
(My ACT score got me a $7,500/year renewable scholarship!)
Your Standardized Test Scores
Many unschoolers balk at the thought of sitting in a public school some Saturday morning, filling in bubbles with a #2 pencil.Many parents balk at the thought of spending $100,000 on their child's four-year education.
When it comes to the test, I agree with parents. Taking the $30 four-hour test can save students (literally) tens of thousands of dollars. My ACT score is saving me over $30,000 over the next four years. (To put it in perspective, that amounts to $7,500 per hour that I took the test)
At many colleges, you have to have at least an ACT composite of 23 to get a merit scholarship. The average student gets a score of 20.
This makes it incredibly important to study for your test. Yes, it's boring. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's worth it.
Writing or No Writing?
You have the option of taking the ACT with Writing or the regular ACT/No Writing. Check with your college to see what they prefer - my colleges didn't care about the writing portion. Since it costs extra and they didn't care, I didn't take it.
The writing portion has the potential to boost your score. On the flipside, that also means it could damage your score.
Basically, the writing portion is to measure your paragraph structure. Since this is incredibly rule-y and unlike how many great writers write, many unschoolers don't take it.
Check out your prospective college's web sites to see the requirements for scholarships.
Photo copyright 2007 ccarlstead. Used with permission.
Put Up Your Dukes!
Fetching blurbs now... please stand bySpotlight on: College on a Shoestring
How to Go to College on a Shoe String: The InsiderÆs Guide to Grants, Scholarships, Cheap Books, Fellowships, and Other Financial Aid Secrets
Amazon Price: $19.46 (as of 10/11/2008)
For anyone looking for ways to afford college, this book is a great resource. A lot of things are covered that the average student might not consider. Not only finding money to go to school, like scholarships and grants and loans, but also ways to cut costs, such as gas-saving tips, ways to save on food expense, health-care costs, and living expenses. There is also a great section on how to avoid scams, which is something I think most college students seeking money need to watch out for.
~ Cynthia Nichols
Other Scholarships
Private scholarships Some employers provide scholarships (such as Claire's), as well as churches, foundations, and other organizations.
Where to Find Private Scholarships
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