Some senior high students already may be seeking financial aid, and students in their junior year will be thinking of that most important question. What financial help can I get to further my education? According to Chase’s Calendar of Events, November is National Scholarship Month. November is a time to increase awareness of the need for and importance or scholarships, as well as to acknowledge and celebrate the positive impact of private-sector scholarships on access, choice and success in higher education.
     At the Rapides Parish Library, we have numerous items to help you solve the BIG question: WHERE IS THE MONEY???
     Billions of dollars are given to students every year to help pay for college. Last year, private donors gave more than $7 billion in financial aid to help undergraduate students pay for college. Yet, to the average person, the task of scholarships, grants, and prizes appears to be nearly impossible. In Peterson’s Scholarships, Grant and Prizes, you will find more than 3,950 scholarships/grant programs and prize sources that provided financial awards to undergraduates in the 2005-06 academic year. Also in this publication you will find a section entitled: Find an award that’s right for you. It paints a complete picture of the financial aid landscape, discusses the connection between honors students and scholarship eligibility, provides important tips on how to avoid scholarship scams, and offers insight into how to make scholarship management organizations work for you.
     The College Board Scholarship Handbook is a no-nonsense guide to more than 2,100 college scholarship, internship, and loan programs. The hardest part of applying for college scholarships is finding out which ones you qualify for. This publication is the fastest, easiest way to identify private, federal, and state funding sources for your college education. This user-friendly guide speeds you straight to the latest details on scholarships targeted to who you are, where you are, and what you want to study.
     Need money for college? You may find it in The Scholarship Book. Most of the scholarships, grants and loans DO NOT require good grades or proof of financial need. Some require no more than filling out a form. In this invaluable resource, you will find the single most comprehensive listing of private-sector awards offered by a wide range of corporations, unions, trust funds, religious and fraternal organizations, associations, and private philanthropists, all eager to provide you with the financial assistance you need to continue your education.
     Written with the full cooperation of the military, How the Military will Help You Pay for College: the High School Student’s Guide to ROTC, the Academies, and Special Programs. This book provides a great service to high school students who are trying to determine ways of financing their college experience. It covers scholarships for graduating high school seniors going directly to college, appointments to West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine academies, scholarships and college-credit programs for men and women on active duty, and all the colleges with Army, Navy, and Air force ROTC units. From Boston to Berkeley, West Point to MIT – the military is supporting education at colleges across the country. How the Military Will Help You Pay for College tells you all about it.
     Ms. Brenda Harvey is the Circulation Manager of the Main Library.