Scholarship Applications

Well, friends, it’s that time of year again – time to submit your UM-Flint scholarship application! With less than a month until the deadline (which is February 15th if you haven’t heard yet), we want to be sure that you’re taking the time to take advantage of some of the FREE money being offered by the university and generous donors around the area. The great thing about this application is that by simply completing this one app, you’re automatically applying for more than 100 scholarships!

When you log on to SIS and click on the ‘Financial Aid’ tab, you’ll see the link for the 2013-2014 Scholarship Application. As you can see here, there are just five quick steps to completing your application.

While you’re working through it, take advantage of the services we have on campus to help you out, especially when writing your mini-biography and personal statement.  You can read Financial Aid’s “Writing a Scholarship Essay/Personal Statement” for some tips and samples of what you should include in your personal statement and there are some prompt questions there, as well. Once you’re finished writing it, leave yourself enough time to head over to the Marian E. Wright Writing Center and have one of their highly trained staff look over it for you for FREE.  You can set up an appointment online or you can walk in any time they’re open. Taking this steps means your work is flawless.

Guys, there are no excuses for why you shouldn’t apply! I’ve heard from plenty of friends that they won’t get anything because they “don’t have the grades” or their “parents make too much money.” What you have to realize is that there are individuals looking to support the education of people just like you; you who happens to be really active in a campus club or in the community, you who spends a lot of your time working on campus to make UM-Flint the awesome place that it is. They’re trying to help the future nurses, the future lawyers, the future ANYTHING. All you have to do is fill out an application and write about how awesome you are (without bragging, of course).

Take the time to go through the application and definitely look through the last section that asks for supplemental material (due to Financial Aid by February 22).  I’m my own example of one of those people who didn’t think they should apply for whatever silly reason. However, I’ve been awarded scholarships each year for my community service involvement and all I had to do was write about my experiences, which have been awesome to reflect on each year. There a lot of different scholarships out there, sometimes based on your major, your community involvement, if you work on campus, etc. Take the time to find the ones that fit you.

Make sure you leave adequate time if you need to request recommendation letters, as well. Faculty and staff in particular are being bombarded all of the time for those letters, so if you give them the proper time and the right materials (like what you’re applying for, a copy of your resume, etc.) there’s a better chance that they’ll generously take the time to do the aforementioned bragging for you. 😉

Be sure to fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), too. That became available January 1 if you haven’t already begun yours, and the priority filing date is March 1 (The school code for UM-Flint is 002327).  To be considered for need-based scholarships, you need to file your FAFSA by February 22. They also use the FAFSA to determine your spring/summer aid if you ever take classes during those semesters, so turn it in and don’t miss that Spring/Summer Aid deadline of February 15 either (there’s a separate application on SIS).

So, folks, your take-home message is to APPLY FOR THIS FREE MONEY! We all know that college isn’t cheap and there are plenty of resources out there to help offset some of those costs.

PS. While you’re working on the school’s scholarship application, think about poking around on some of these websites for other scholarships, or even doing some Google searches. There are people and organizations out there who believe in the things you’re doing and want you to succeed just as badly as you do. All you have to do is take the time to look!
Fastweb
Scholarships.com
Cappex
Zinch

Good luck, guys, and don’t miss those deadlines!

2013-2014 Scholarship Application – Friday, February 15
Spring/Summer Aid Deadline – Friday, February 15
Supplemental Material – Friday, February 22
FAFSA (for need-based scholarships) – Friday, February 22
Priority filing for FAFSA – Friday, March 1