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By Gordon Powers
In some ways, higher education isn't a very good investment ? at least not for parents. There's no guarantee or warranty. And you certainly won't see universities offering refunds for kids who spend more time making Mentos eruptions than the dean's list. But there is a payoff for most people.
If you or your children are considering post-secondary education over the next few years, you might want to start a different kind of portfolio ? one based on the numerous scholarship and bursary opportunities available in Canada.
There are more than 50,000 programs geared towards Canadian students, ranging in value from a mere $100 to $50,000 or more ? so it can really pay to do your homework. Understanding the difference between a bursary and a scholarship is important because some you pay back, whereas others are gifts.
Generally speaking, scholarships are awarded by universities and other organizations based on academic performance, extra-curricular activities, sports, financial need, geographic location, ethnic background, etc. Usually you're not expected to pay these back.
In some instances, no application is necessary to be considered for an award. These are generally given out to high-ranking academic students upon entrance to a school or program, or for the highest grade in a course or program after completion. Other than entrance awards, you usually have to apply for the others.
Bursaries, on the other hand, are awarded based on financial need, affiliations, disability, etc. Sometimes they're unencumbered, other times they're more like loans that can be paid back through work terms or job placements.
Here are some tips on how to find the type of support, whether for yourself or your children, which suits your needs.
Reading, writing and researching. Although it may take some coaxing, children should start as early as Grade 10 researching where they want to go to university, what they might want to study, and how they can build the kind of resume that will earn them a scholarship or a bursary. See what kind of deadlines and requirements exist. It's better to know about an essay that's required for a scholarship six months before it's due rather than finding out about it a week before.
Keep a living file. Once you have an idea of the institution you would like to attend, start a living file that you can add to over the years. The file can either be electronic or paper, whichever you prefer. Be faithful to building it up. Save newspaper clippings, advertisements, notes to yourself ? anything that makes you different from the other students applying for scholarships and that could result in you or your child earning valuable gifts to help pay for tuition.
Do your homework. Pay a visit to the financial aid office at your local college or university either on-line or in person. Give yourself lots of time to go through the books, posters and bulletins the school may have on scholarships and bursaries. New sources of financial assistance crop up so make sure you ask if there is anything new you may have missed. High school guidance departments are another excellent source of information.
Check out the web sites that provide a good, reliable scholarship search. Unlike scholarship guides that simply list awards, even when they are sorted by subject matter, these sites can help you filter out awards that you simply don't qualify for. Have a look at www.scholarshipscanada.com or www.studentawards.com.
Who am I and where did I come from? Do you have any veterans in your family?
Have you done volunteer work in the past? Are you part of a visible minority? Has anyone in your family worked for a particular organization that is committed to the field you want to enter?
What clubs at school were you involved in? Were you in any school plays? Did you write for the school paper or yearbook? How about student government? Were you involved with a religious youth group? Did you travel abroad during school to study or volunteer?
These are questions you or your child should be asking because you could qualify for hundreds or thousands of awards depending on your individual and family background.
Be a worthy recipient. For any given scholarship, even the small ones, there'll probably be a lot of students applying, and many of them will in fact be the ideal candidate. Face it: it's them, not you, who will win.
Make sure you know everything about the award before you apply for it. Keep your marks up, study hard and get involved in your community. That way, judges will see for themselves that you deserve the assistance.
What does it mean to be the ideal candidate? First and foremost, your demographic and academic information should match their scholarship requirements. If they want liberal arts majors, an engineering student might be wise to apply elsewhere. Second, what you expect to do with the money should match what the foundation expects you to do with the money ? and that's likely more than simply funding your undergraduate education.
In some ways, higher education isn't a very good investment ? at least not for parents. There's no guarantee or warranty. And you certainly won't see universities offering refunds for kids who spend more time making Mentos eruptions than the dean's list. But there is a payoff for most people.
If you or your children are considering post-secondary education over the next few years, you might want to start a different kind of portfolio ? one based on the numerous scholarship and bursary opportunities available in Canada.
There are more than 50,000 programs geared towards Canadian students, ranging in value from a mere $100 to $50,000 or more ? so it can really pay to do your homework. Understanding the difference between a bursary and a scholarship is important because some you pay back, whereas others are gifts.
Generally speaking, scholarships are awarded by universities and other organizations based on academic performance, extra-curricular activities, sports, financial need, geographic location, ethnic background, etc. Usually you're not expected to pay these back.
In some instances, no application is necessary to be considered for an award. These are generally given out to high-ranking academic students upon entrance to a school or program, or for the highest grade in a course or program after completion. Other than entrance awards, you usually have to apply for the others.
Bursaries, on the other hand, are awarded based on financial need, affiliations, disability, etc. Sometimes they're unencumbered, other times they're more like loans that can be paid back through work terms or job placements.
Here are some tips on how to find the type of support, whether for yourself or your children, which suits your needs.
Reading, writing and researching. Although it may take some coaxing, children should start as early as Grade 10 researching where they want to go to university, what they might want to study, and how they can build the kind of resume that will earn them a scholarship or a bursary. See what kind of deadlines and requirements exist. It's better to know about an essay that's required for a scholarship six months before it's due rather than finding out about it a week before.
Keep a living file. Once you have an idea of the institution you would like to attend, start a living file that you can add to over the years. The file can either be electronic or paper, whichever you prefer. Be faithful to building it up. Save newspaper clippings, advertisements, notes to yourself ? anything that makes you different from the other students applying for scholarships and that could result in you or your child earning valuable gifts to help pay for tuition.
Do your homework. Pay a visit to the financial aid office at your local college or university either on-line or in person. Give yourself lots of time to go through the books, posters and bulletins the school may have on scholarships and bursaries. New sources of financial assistance crop up so make sure you ask if there is anything new you may have missed. High school guidance departments are another excellent source of information.
Check out the web sites that provide a good, reliable scholarship search. Unlike scholarship guides that simply list awards, even when they are sorted by subject matter, these sites can help you filter out awards that you simply don't qualify for. Have a look at www.scholarshipscanada.com or www.studentawards.com.
Who am I and where did I come from? Do you have any veterans in your family?
Have you done volunteer work in the past? Are you part of a visible minority? Has anyone in your family worked for a particular organization that is committed to the field you want to enter?
What clubs at school were you involved in? Were you in any school plays? Did you write for the school paper or yearbook? How about student government? Were you involved with a religious youth group? Did you travel abroad during school to study or volunteer?
These are questions you or your child should be asking because you could qualify for hundreds or thousands of awards depending on your individual and family background.
Be a worthy recipient. For any given scholarship, even the small ones, there'll probably be a lot of students applying, and many of them will in fact be the ideal candidate. Face it: it's them, not you, who will win.
Make sure you know everything about the award before you apply for it. Keep your marks up, study hard and get involved in your community. That way, judges will see for themselves that you deserve the assistance.
What does it mean to be the ideal candidate? First and foremost, your demographic and academic information should match their scholarship requirements. If they want liberal arts majors, an engineering student might be wise to apply elsewhere. Second, what you expect to do with the money should match what the foundation expects you to do with the money ? and that's likely more than simply funding your undergraduate education.
