Finding Scholarships. February 2013

Transcription

1 Finding Scholarships February 2013

2 About Us EDge Interactive EDge Interactive has been helping students find schools, scholarships and careers for more than 17 years. The SchoolFinder Group of Websites

3 Presenters ScholarshipsCanada.com Team Cristina Cristina is a recent graduate of Advertising and Marketing Communications from St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology. Prior to graduation, Cristina interned with one of the world s largest media planning agencies. She was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, but decided to make the move to Canada s largest city to pursue her dream of working in advertising and media. Cristina now spends her spare time exploring the big city and taking in all the sights and sounds.

4 Overview Finding Scholarships 1. General Information Costs & the Value of Education 2. Scholarship Facts and Terminology 3. Finding Scholarships Steps & How-To s 4. 5 Tips for Getting Scholarships 5. Useful Resources

5 Poll Question How Do You Plan To Fund Your Education? Parents/Family Part-time Job Scholarships Loans Other tell us in the Questions Box

6 General Information How Much Does It Cost? Just what will it cost to go to school? Tuition is just one of many costs associated with your post-secondary education. Here s a general guide of costs for one year: Tuition Costs $5,500 Accommodation $4,000 Other Fees $750 Food $3,500 Books $600 Phone & Internet $700 Transportation $600 Entertainment $3,000 TOTAL $18,650 Source: This information is complied from school and program profiles on

7 General Information Value of Post-Secondary Education Although higher education is big investment, it is one that will pay off in the long term. Higher education leads to greater job prospects and a higher annual income for graduates. Education Level Annual Income Post-Bachelor $66,535 Bachelor $56,048 University Below Bachelor $47,253 College $42,937 Trades or Apprenticeship $39,996 High School $37,403 Less Than High School $32,029 Source:

8 Poll Question What Do You Need To Qualify For Scholarship Opportunities? An academic average over 80% Financial need Community service or volunteer work The dedication to fill out applications Other tell us in the Questions Box

9 Scholarship Facts Did You Know? There is an award for you There are over 32,000 scholarships, bursaries and awards worth over $103 million available on ScholarshipsCanada.com You don t need to have high marks Most awards (86%) do not require an academic average You don t need to be in financial need Only 32% require you to be in financial need Get involved 10% of all scholarships require school/community service or leadership (that s over $10 million worth of scholarships!)

10 Scholarship Facts Did You Know? Keep searching throughout the year Deadlines occur all year (7% have deadlines in May; 6% are in October or April) Scholarships come at different stages of your academic life - Entrance scholarships are for student going into college or university (19% in our database) Graduate scholarships are for students doing their master s or doctoral studies Automatic consideration scholarships mean you will be automatically considered just by applying to the school (24% in our database) Some scholarships are awarded during your studies (years 2, 3 or 4) and some are awarded at the end of your studies (upon graduation)

11 Scholarship Facts There Is A Scholarship For You! You can t win an award if you don t try - many awards have few applications 59% of scholarship administrators would like more applications for their scholarships 3% of scholarships received no applications at all!

12 Scholarship Facts Get Involved It s not just about grades! Do you play a sport? Are you a leader in your community? There are many scholarship opportunities for activities you may participate in. Take a look at the top activities for scholarship dollars on ScholarshipsCanada.com: Activities Scholarships Available on $C Leadership $10,615,762 Extracurricular Activities $5,829,144 School/Community Service $3,797,939 Athletics $1,305,075 Volunteer $891,985

13 Scholarship Facts More Than Just Universities! Non-Educational administrators include corporations, associations, trade unions, religious organizations, etc. Institution Administrators Colleges 216 Universities 121 Secondary Schools 14 Non-educational 1,131 Here are the number of awards and dollars available: Institution Number Value Colleges 13,572 $12,841,510 Universities 49,198 $64,022,504 Secondary Schools 121 $772,000 Non-educational 7,383 $25,796,877 GRAND TOTAL 70,274 $103,432,891

14 Scholarship Facts Terminology Award: An award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement. A monetary award is usually called a scholarship or bursary. Bursary: A non-repayable grant of money, bursaries are awarded primarily based on financial need, but academic achievement is also considered. Scholarship: A non-repayable sum of money awarded to a student. Entrance Award/Scholarship: Awarded to a student entering his/her first year at a post-secondary institution. Also referred to as an Admission Award. In-course Award/Scholarship: Awarded to students already enrolled in postsecondary studies, beyond the first year level. Activities Scholarships Available on $C Scholarships $81,242,384 Bursaries $16,626,044 Contests $2,908,046

15 Poll Question What Is The Hardest Part About Finding Scholarships? Finding out where to look for opportunities Figuring out the criteria and whether or not you are eligible to win Filling out the application Other tell us in the Questions Box

16 Finding Scholarships Where To Start? Before you begin you search for scholarships, take some time to think about these factors: Year of Study (entrance, first, second, third, fourth, final year, graduate) Special Circumstances (amputee, brain injury, foster child, parent, etc.) Financial Need (pertains to your income, check with the scholarship administrator for more details) Academic Average (usually your last year of study marks) Source:

17 Finding Scholarships Where To Start? Other factors to consider include: Heritage (Aboriginal, Chinese, Polish, etc.) Field of Study (the program you re interested or currently in) Affiliation (companies, religious groups, unions, and associations, that you or your family are affiliated with) Activities (sports, religious, academic, leadership, community involvement, etc.) Location (where you live and go to school) Source:

18 Finding Scholarships Starting Your Search Step 1 - Go to and set up your FREE account

19 Finding Scholarships Starting Your Search Step 2 - Fill out your Scholarship Search Profile to get matched to opportunities.

20 Finding Scholarships My Matching Scholarships Step 3 Get matched to opportunities by clicking on My Matching Scholarships Use the filters to sort your list by current, expired or without deadlines.

21 Finding Scholarships Keyword Search Step 4 Try using the keyword search to find scholarships. You can find scholarships based on the name of the scholarship, a school of study, a field of study and the scholarship administrator.

22 Finding Scholarships Stay On Top of Deadlines Step 5 When viewing your list of scholarships, make a note of each scholarship s deadline and plan your application strategies accordingly

23 Finding Scholarships Stay On Top of Deadlines Step 6 Sign up for Scholarship Alerts to make sure you never miss a deadline

24 Finding Scholarships Scholarship Profiles Step 7 - Click on the name of a scholarship to view the full profile. Look under details to find out if you are eligible. Contact information will tell you where to send your application and who you should call for help.

25 Finding Scholarships Scholarship Favourites Step 8 - Bookmark scholarships you would like to apply for by clicking add to My Favourites

26 Finding Scholarships Scholarship Application Process Step 9 When you re ready to start applying for the scholarship opportunities you have found, make sure you are prepared by having your reference letters, personal statements, cover letters or resumes on hand. NOTE: Every scholarship will have it s own unique application and submission criteria. For more information on applying for scholarships, visit:

27 5 Tips for Getting Scholarships Following These Steps

28 Scholarship Spotlight The DreamBIG Contest Tell us your big dreams and how winning a scholarship could help make them come true! Upload your video (5 mins or less) to our ScholarshipsCanada.com Facebook page or by at info@scholarshipscanada.com Check out reambig/ for details

29 Useful Resources Featured Scholarships The DreamBIG Contest Value: Up to $1,000 Deadline: March 1, 2013 Retail As a Career Scholarship Value: $1,000 Deadline: March 29, 2013 University of Lethbridge School of Graduate Studies Fellowship Value: $15,000 Deadline: July 2, 2013

30 Useful Resources ScholarshipsCanada.com Facebook Connect with us on Facebook:

31 Useful Resources ScholarshipsCanada.com Twitter Connect with us on Twitter:

32 Useful Resources Alternative Funding CanLearn.ca Education information from the Government of Canada ScholarshipsCanada.com/atffin/provloan.asp Information on student loans in each Canadian province Fastweb.com A free website for US scholarships Canadian Banks Search your bank s website for scholarships, student loans and alternate funding opportunities E.g.

33 Useful Resources Important Resources ScholarshipsCanada.com information on Canadian Scholarships SchoolFinder.com information on Canadian colleges and universities (and high schools) Career-College.com information on Canadian career colleges StudyinCanada.com information on Canadian schools for international students GradSchoolFinder.com information on Canadian graduate schools LanguageSchoolFinder.com information on language schools Books4Exchange.com a website where you buy and sell used textbooks Once you sign into one of these sites, you can use your username and password on ALL the other sites.

34 Useful Resources Webinar E vents Find more webinars on our Events Page -

35 Feedback and Questions Tell Us What You Think! Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback and if you would like postcards mailed to you. EDge Interactive 67 Mowat Ave., Suite 533 Toronto, ON M6K 3E Cristina Matteis at: