Homeschool Scholarships

Is it too late to find scholarships for fall?

The deadlines for most of the major scholarships have come and gone, but many students are still scrambling to find scholarship funds for the Fall 2011 semester. Are there any scholarships still to be found? Yes! For those determined to look under every rock for college money, there are some that still need to be turned over. The best way to find these is to sign up with one of the scholarship search engines. They still list a number of ongoing competitions, and will tailor the list according to your personal profile.

For the remaining contests, creativity is often what matters most. Those who have a talent for writing essays will likely score most of the wins, but there are also contests that award other artistic endeavors. You won’t know what’s there until you take a look! You may find one that fits you perfectly. It isn’t time yet to give up on fall scholarship funds. Get back to work! There’s still money to be made.

Tags: college scholarships, fall 2011 semester, FastWeb, homeschool scholarships

New UW Homeschool Scholarship

Current and prospective homeschooled students at the University of Washington have a new scholarship opportunity, thanks to the Homeschool Advocacy Project at UW. A $1000 scholarship will be awarded, based primarily on an essay addressing one of the following prompts:

1. In what ways has homeschooling provided you with a unique education? How do you expect having been homeschooled will influence your experiences in college and beyond? Support your claims with specific examples.

2. What are the grounds for the legal or moral right to homeschool? Should people have the right to homeschool? Why or why not? Be sure to address both sides and cite evidence when appropriate.

3. Address the issue of government involvement. Should school districts keep track of and monitor homeschoolers? If so, to what extent? Should homeschoolers have to demonstrate to the government that they are on track educationally? If so, why? Cite research to support your claims.

Essays will be judged on overall content, structure, writing mechanics and use of supporting evidence. Deadline is June 30. For more information, visit the Web site here.

Tags: home school scholarships, Homeschool Advocacy Project at UW, homeschool scholarship, scholarship essay, University of Washington homeschool

AWANA scholarships: add CIU; subtract OKWU

We’ve updated our AWANA Citation scholarships page after learning about two significant changes. Unfortunately, Oklahoma Wesleyan University no longer offers the scholarship. On a much more positive note, Columbia International University will, for the first time, offer $2000 Citation scholarships beginning with the 2011/2012 school year.

CIU is an excellent Bible College, located in Columbia, SC, that offers a variety of additional majors. It has a reputation for being accommodating to homeschool students, with approximately 1/3 of each incoming freshman class consisting of students previously homeschooled. To learn more about CIU, visit their Web site here. To visit our page with a list of approximately 40 colleges offering AWANA scholarships, click here.

For those unfamiliar with AWANA scholarships, they are typically guaranteed scholarships that reward years of hard work by the student. Most schools offer scholarships for only the highest award, the Citation, but some also offer scholarships for the Timothy and Meritorious awards. AWANA is popular with homeschoolers, as much of the work can be incorporated into a homeschool curriculum.

Tags: AWANA Citation scholarships, CIU, CIU scholarships, Columbia International University, home school scholarships, homeschool scholarships, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, OKWU

Scholarships & homeschool transcripts

Today we added a page to our site addressing the importance of homeschool transcripts–not just for college admissions, but also how they play a part in the scholarship game. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much effort and time should be spent on transcripts and the supporting course descriptions and portfolios. Check out our new “Transcripts” page here.

Tags: home school transcripts, homeschool course descriptions, homeschool scholarships homeschool transcripts home school scholarships

Sonlight: $92,000 in homeschool scholarships

Congratulations to the Sonlight Homeschool Scholarship winners for 2011! Sonlight will award a total of $92,000 to 13 graduating homeschool students over the next four years. Lauren Dahl, from Romania won the $20,000 scholarship. Winners of the $10,000 scholarship are  Christopher Avrit of Antioch, TN and Southeast Asia; Allison Dahl of Romania; Carol Losey of Central Asia; and Audrey Ward of Hendersonville, NC. Winners of the $4,000 scholarship are Kira Clark of North Bend, WA; Maria Cupery of Grand Rapids, MI and Turkey; Christian Daniel of Lawrenceville, GA; Caleb Little of Columbia, SC; Johanna Raquet of Beavercreek, OH; Trevor Phillips of Cary, NC; Joshua Whitman of Wichita, KS; and Natasha Parsons of Pine, CO.

Some of the colleges these students plan to attend are Cornerstone University, Lipscomb University, Colorado Christian University, Patrick Henry College, Calvin College, Auburn University, Covenant College, Clemson University, Cedarville University, LeTourneau University, and the University of Northern Colorado.

For information about Sonlight scholarships, visit our List of Homeschool Scholarships page.

Tags: 2011 Sonlight scholarships, Cedarville University, Cornerstone University, Covenant College, home school scholarships, homeschool scholarships, Letourneau University, Patrick Henry College

‘Constituting America’ college scholarship

Constituting America’s We the People 9.17 Contest for 2011 is now accepting entries from college students. Create a short film, song, public service announcement or PSA video for a chance to win a scholarship and other great prizes. High school students are also eligible. We consider this a great opportunity for homeschooled students. Deadline is June 14.

www.constitutingamerica.org.

Tags: Constituting America, home school scholarships, homeschool scholarships, We the People 9.17 Contest

May 10 Deadline: Kimball Memorial Scholarship

There are only six more days to apply for a private scholarship designed just for homeschoolers. The Kimball Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station, is available to high school seniors as well as former homeschoolers who are now attending college. First place is a $300 scholarship; runners-up are entered into a drawing for a week’s vacation at the historic Life Saving Station. An essay or other creative work is required, except for applicants who scored higher in writing on their SAT or ACT than in reading or math. For more information about the scholarship, visit Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station’s Web site here.

Tags: home school scholarships, homeschool college scholarships, homeschool scholarships, Kimball Memorial Scholarship, Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station

Scholarship search engines for homeschoolers?

When we first became aware of scholarship search engines, we had reservations about using them. They required a lot of personal information, and we doubted they would offer much help for a homeschooled student. We had read numerous negative comments, complaining that they were a waste of time. However, being quite desperate for college funds, we signed up with FastWeb. There was no reason for choosing that particular college scholarship search engine, other than the fact it was the first one we heard about.

What we learned about FastWeb was that if used correctly, it can bring numerous scholarships even to the doors of homeschoolers. It was through FastWeb that we learned about some of the scholarships that our son ended up winning, such as the Elks Most Valuable Student Award for $1,000, the Hall/McElwain Scholarship for $1000 and the Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship for $4,000.

The key is to not waste  time in applying for scholarships where you don’t excel in at least one of the required areas. For example, if you’ve contributed hundreds of hours in volunteer service, focus on the scholarships that emphasize community involvement. If you have good grades and SAT/ACT scores, but not great ones, it’s probably a waste of time applying for scholarships that appear to concentrate primarily on academics. If you’re relatively good at writing essays, look for essay contests that feature a subject you are interested in.

FastWeb selects scholarships based on the profile you provide. They do a decent job of tailoring them to your specific needs and interests, but it helps to delete those that aren’t realistic for your situation. Otherwise, the process can seem overwhelming. While going through the list, you can mark as a “favorite” those that you think you may be uniquely qualified for. You may also want to delete the listings deemed “promotions” as most are just drawings intended to get you to sign up with more search sites. We initially signed up for a couple of these, and then realized there was very little new information gained by registering with numerous sites. We found it best to choose one, and stick with it. After narrowing your selection to a manageable number, organize by date so that you don’t miss upcoming deadlines.

Our consensus is that scholarship search engines work great, as long as you’re willing to take the time to evaluate which of their scholarship selections are genuinely suited for you.

Tags: FastWeb, homeschool scholarships, homeschool scholarships for college, scholarship search engines, scholarship search sites

Update on homeschool grad injured in accident

Many of you have followed the story of Ben Suprunowski, the homeschool graduate seriously injured while on Christmas break from Eternity Bible College. Ben’s picture, along with the rest of the 2010 homeschool graduates on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula, was the first post on the Share your Experience page of this site. Ben’s journey to recovery has been an amazing one, and a new video has just been posted. You can view it here. To continue following updates from Ben, visit his blog at http://bensuprunowski.com.

Tags: Ben Suprunowski, Eternity Bible College, Eternity Bible College student in accident, homeschool graduate injured in car accident, Long Beach Peninsula homeschool graduates

Oregon & Washington “Trees in Forest” Essay

Homeschool students are on equal footing with other students when it comes to this essay contest. All high school students in Oregon and Washington are invited to enter the Youth Nature Writing Contest at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. The theme is “Trees in the Forest.” To enter, write a 500-word true story about trees or forests. It could be a hike you’ve experienced or thoughts you’ve had about trees. Cash prizes will be awarded for the best three essays, and the top ten will be awarded certificates. Entries are due by March 31. Visit the Lewis and Clark National Park Web site for more information.