Free Money For MCC Students
Andrew Wild
Attending college can get very expensive, so figuring out how to keep costs under control is important, and scholarships are available to help.
Knowing how to find them can be tricky and require some effort on students’ part, but can pay off when school is said and done.
One of the more common places to look is the MCC’s web site, which has scholarships listed for students. MCC also has relationships with the major universities, and has transfer scholarships available online.
Not all scholarships are online, though. Knowing where to look is an area students trying to get scholarships sometimes falter, according to Ricardo Montano, financial outreach specialist at MCC. In this advanced age, when almost everything can be done on the Internet, students think finding scholarship opportunities online is the only way to go.
“Students should look everywhere, (for instance) in their community. Check with your work, who your parents work for, your church if that’s your thing,” Montano said.
Looking for local scholarships can increase the chance of receiving one and meeting with a scholarship provider.
Sometimes students can be their own worst enemy when it comes to finding free money for school.
“Everyone is looking for the full ride. They don’t see it if it’s less than $1000,” Montano said. “Every little bit helps and people should apply to as many as they can, and not just the large scholarship amounts.”
If it takes a student two or three hours to fill out some scholarship applications, and they get one for $500, that’s a good hourly wage.
“I’ve been searching for a way to pay tuition costs. I had a loan a while ago,” Aaron Zart, student, said. “I’ve been digging around for scholarships, looking a little at the ASU’s web site, and the TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) grants for students going into the education field. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of a 3.0 GPA. If so, I’ve got to bring that up.”
“Sometimes students can count themselves out, thinking ‘I’m not that 4.0 student,’ ” Montano said. Not all scholarships are dependent on GPA.
Getting scholarship applications done early won’t hurt. Procrastinating can “make or break the enthusiasm of the students,” according to Montano.
“If you procrastinate, you’re more worried about tuition being due, or I need my books,” Montano said.
MCC has a general scholarship application on its web site, where students can fill out one form and it will be sent to anywhere from five to 20 scholarship providers.
“Realistically, take what you need, not as much as you’d like. It adds up fast. If you are transferring to a university you may need more student loan funds later,” Montano said regarding keeping student loan debt down.
Total financial aid dispersed this semester totals $35,451,023 with 29,864 applicants. Of that, there were $19,228,102 in grants, $14,756,623 in loans, and $1,377,671 in scholarships.
