How hard is it to obtain a scholarship?

[karma_gypsy]

I've been debating now, for almost a year, about doing distance education courses at the Gemological Institute of America. The unfortunate thing is that Financial Aid and grants aren't an option for distance education students, but they do have a nice list of scholarships and their requirements (most of which are relatively nothing). Some give out $500, others in the thousands. This courses are quite spendy as well as the equipment they require and I kind of don't want to bury myself in student loans.

How hard is it to obtain a scholarship? I don't think their student body is that massive, but it's probably safe to assume that I am competing against others and I'm afraid that I may not stand out against some of other students (i.e. not have the connections or experience they may have in the industry) ...

Does anyone else have any experience in scholarships?

[Broomjockey]

The only ones I've done are non-competative. As long as you meet the requirements, you get it. The only advice I can give are "apply for any and all that you meet the requirements for." That and double-check the rules of them. Occasionally you'll run across one that says if you applied for X, you can't apply for Y.

[karma_gypsy]

Really? I always assumed that all scholarships were competitive .... but then again, I a newb to the whole process ...

But that's positive news indeed. Thank you.

[Broomjockey]

Nope. Three years in a row, I got the Jason Lang Scholarship, and the only requirement is above a 3.something (4 or 5, I think. Can't remember) GPA. Then you're sent a little form saying you qualify, please fill this out. Send it in, few months later, you get money.

[Eric the Grey]

Strange. Every scholarship I've seen (through fastweb) was a competitive one, and not worth the hassle to enter, IMO.

Where do you go to find these?


Eric the Grey

[Broomjockey]

Most colleges have departments where it's part of their job to keep track of all the different scholarships available to students. Which department it is depends on the school. Also, regional governments often have lists. Non-competative scholarships are not very common, however.

[Eric the Grey]

I may have to check, both for myself and my fiance. I'm trying to convince her into going back to school and getting the certificates she needs for daycare. She really wants to keep working with kids, but doesn't want to stick with the toy store.


Eric the Grey

[AdminAssistant]

It depends on the school. Since you're talking about trade school - I really have no idea because I have no experience with it. The best I can suggest is seeing if they have a financial aid department (they should) and talking to someone there.