Question:
My nephew is graduating from high school and has received many scholarships but none from his first choice school.  He is an excellent student.  Is there some help for him?

Answer:

It is very noble of you to be helping other people achieve their dream in life.  I feel anyone who helps other people always learns more from the experience than what they give.  Now let’s see if I can help you to help your nephew.

The first thing to realize that there are so many opportunities for paying for higher education that no one source can ever have it all. Not even my books have everything. There are literally thousands of sources out there and it is basically a numbers game.  The more places you apply the better your chances of getting the money. It’s like looking for a job.  If you knock on a door and they turn you down, you don’t go home and wait for them to change their mind.  You go to the next door and then to the next door and then to the next.  This is the only way to get anything out of life.

Another thing to remember is that there are plenty of money sources for people of all incomes.  So when someone turns you down just because you make too much money that only pertains to that one program and not to all money for higher education. I put 2 boys thru college and paid only about half price because of other sources of grants and forgivable loans. And I have a considerably high income.

There are scholarship research companies that will charge you hundreds and even thousands of dollars to search for scholarships based on your characteristics, but believe me no one will ever find as much money as you will, if you know where to go to look.  You can have access to the best information on college money for only $3.50.

Many different researchers and publishing companies, including myself, have published books that identify 99% of what is available.  These are all available in books and no one book has it all. If you purchased all these books it would cost you hundreds of dollars, at least.  So instead, go to your local Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc., purchase a $3.50 cup of coffee and find a seat next to the scholarship section.   Spend a day going thru all the books and taking notes of those money sources that sound like possibilities.  After going thru one or two books you will see that many of the books have the same programs that you can just skim over and get right to those programs that are unique.

Also be sure to check your state government. Every state has a number of programs for people living in the state or going to school in the state.  One of our sons was able to take advantage of two Maryland programs while he was studying at College Park.  Below is a list of what we have for Maryland but be sure to contact the office or information on any new programs that might be available.  Programs continue to come and go and the best opportunities come from when you identify a program that is not officially listed as of yet.

Maryland Higher Education Commission

Maryland Higher Education Commission
State Scholarship Administration
The Jefferey Building
16 Francis Street, Suite 209 410-974-5370
Annapolis, MD 21401-1781 Fax: 410-974-5994
www.mhec.state.md.us

General requirements: Applicants must be Maryland residents, unless specified for in-state or out-of-state schools.

Programs Available:

• $2,000 To Full- Or Part-Time Students (Senatorial Scholarship Program)
• $200 To Full-Time Or Part-Time Students (Delegate Scholarship Program)
• $1,500 To Take A Vocational Education Course (Tolbert Grant)
• $3,000 A Year For Smart Students (Distinguished Scholar Program)
• $4,800 To Get A Degree In Nursing (Maryland State Nursing Scholarship)
• $3,000 A Year To Become A Teacher In Maryland (Teacher Education Distinguished Scholar Program)
• Grants To Dependents of POW's, Fire Fighters, Police Officers, and Safety Personnel Killed Or Disabled In The Line OF Duty (Edward Conroy Grant)
• Grants to Study Physical Therapy (Physical and Occupational Therapists and Assistants Scholarships)
• $7,500 A Year To Study Family Practice Medicine (Family Practice Medical Scholarship)
• Grants To Study Law, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Or Pharmacy (Professional School Scholarship)
• Tuition, Fees, Room and Board To Become A Teacher (Sharon Christa McAuliffe Critical Shortage Teacher Scholarship)
• $2,000 To Study Child Care, Full Or Part-Time (Child Care Provider Scholarship)
• Free Tuition To Fire Fighters, and Rescue Squad Members Who Want To Study Full Or Part-Time (Reimbursement of Fire Fighters, Ambulance, and Rescue Squad Members)
• Student Loans If You Work For A Non-Profit (Loan Assistance Repayment Program (LARP))
• Up To $8,300 Per Year To Students In Extreme Financial Need (Guaranteed Access Grant)
• Up To $3,000 Per Year For Students From Low Or Moderate Income Families (Educational Assistance Grant)
• Money Towards Tuition And Fees To Study And Practice To Be A Nurse In Maryland (State Nursing Scholarship and Living Expenses)
• Tuition Reimbursement To Medical Residents and Physicians Specializing In Primary Care Who Work In Undeserved Areas of Maryland (Loan Assistance Repayment Program in Primary Care Services)
• Non-resident Nursing Students Pay Resident Rate At Maryland Public Colleges (Health Manpower Shortage Program Tuition Reduction for Non-resident Nursing Student)

Here are 2 other sources you should also check...

Look for new federal programs that did not make it into anyone’s source list yet.  All federal money programs for education are described in a book called the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. This book is available at your local public library or the U.S. Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov. You can also search the contents of this book for free on the web at www.cfda.gov.

You can also help to identify money sources for higher education from a free information clearinghouse that offers free research either on the web or on the phone on any education topic. For example, you can search for information sources on topics such as scholarships or financial aid for graduate students. What do you have to lose? It’s FREE. Contact: Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), 800-LET-ERIC (538-3742), www.eric.ed.gov.

Personally Go Through All Programs

I know you were probably looking for a single source that your nephew can apply to that will solve the problem.  But the world is too big and complicated to be able to do that without charging a whole lot of money.  The best we can do at a reasonable price is to educate you and direct you to where the best sources are. 

Always remember that by personally going thru the programs yourself you will always find more opportunities than by just going thru indexes or key word searchers.  The opportunities lie in you making a connection that no one else sees.  Only you, and your nephew, are in the best position to see those possibilities by making those connections.

This is the main reason I wear question mark suits.  With the overwhelming amount of information there is out there, the world can present answers to you on anything.  The harder thing to do is to be able to ask the right questions.

Matthew Lesko
Best Selling Author and Entrepreneur
www.lesko.com