Scholarships >> Applying for Scholarships >> Middle Class Struggle
Middle Class Struggle
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Posted 4 months ago Everyone is always talking about how there are millions of scholarships out there for all kinds of people and they are easy to find. If thats true, then can someone explain to me why I havent received a single penny for college yet? Im not trying to tute my own horn but I think im a pretty ideal student. I graduated with a 3.8 plus all the honors and AP classes a kid can handle. I was Senior Class Treasurer and Secretary of the International Club. I was a senator for my advisory class for 4 years straight and I had countless community service and leadership experiences. And like I said, they are not offering me ANYTHING. My parents are immigrants from Ethiopia and they came here with virtually nothing. They went to school and now they have great jobs and make more than the average american family. The problem is that they make too much to qualify for ANY financial aid whatsoever. But they dont make nearly enough to pay for my college eduaction comfortably. And on top of that my brother is going to be enrolling in college next year so they are going to have 2 tuitions to worry about. Our middle class standing puts us in a difficult position that no one really pays attention to. All the scholarships out there are based on financial need and no one wants to give them to the people who "appear" to have enough money. Does anyone have a solution to my cause?? -Sarah Alebachew |
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| Posted 4 months ago Wow. Although I don't have an answer to your problem I can definately relate. My family is also middle class and because of their income I wasn't eligible for ANY financial aid. Sucks huh. Maybe if I weren't such a procrastinator I'd actually have some money for my education by now...I feel so stressed sometimes when I wonder how I'm going to pay for college, or the fact that I'll probably have to loan my way through it. So, I guess my life after college will be one of educational gain and financial debt. -Brittney L |
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| Posted 4 months ago I can empathize, too... My main hope is scholarships. Unfortunately there really isn't any kind of help for people like us other than what is available to everyone. Good luck to both of you. |
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| Posted 4 months ago Sarah, You do sound like an ideal student. You are going to find success. Never give up. The thing is, the system is not really a meritocracy. The truth is that social advancement is a multi-generational process. Kids with rich and powerful parents really do have a HUGE advantage. That being said, there's no reason you can't succeed. Social mobility is common, despite the deck being stacked against us. Yes, I said us. I'm still fighting and I'm sure I always will be. But maybe my kids will start on a more advantageous footing.
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| Posted 4 months ago To each of you, I was just admitted to a prestigious university and expected that scholarships would follow. For my career heretofore, I had worked for non-profit cultural organizations and then for the past eight years I had been working very hard in the development of a project that won me a place in the graduate program but had never provided me income. Needless to say, I had nothing saved, received only a small fellowship from the university, then learned that every graduate school usually costs as much as this one does. I have to say, instead of feeling honored, I felt a little duped. I still grapple with that notion but recognize that going forward with the education is the better option. I am looking to use the skills I've developed through developing my own project to enter contests, and this is what I suggest for you who are smart and come from modest means, but not modest enough to warrant scholarships. Go for the scholarships and contests that award merit, ability to express a dream and put your best effort forward. Write, make a video, paint, whatever it is and put two feet into it. Even if you don't win, you've made something and used skills that you can use for a long time. Don't sit around this summer! Make something! |
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| Posted 4 months ago
I'd suggest to each of you, to continue praying the favor of God on all applicants. I'm a firm believer, the quickest way to be of a success, is to help someone else become one. God bless you, and I wish you well. Mrs. Daphany |
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| Posted 4 months ago I have been struggling with the middle class problem as well. I am going out of state, and my parents will only pay in state tuition. Is there any way to communicate that to my University so they understand that I don't have access to all of my parents money? -Rebecca |
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| Posted 4 months ago in my experience, scholarship boards see lots of students like you who have been successful in high school with just as many extra curriculars and leadership positions... but to stand out to them, you have to dig deep. think of a way to stand out in your essay, may it be a personal experience that you've struggled through and purservered or something you've never told anyone before. ive had friends that had great life stories and didnt take advantage of their life experiences when it came to college because they felt "embarrassed" but honestly these ppl will not see you, and no one will ever know. they'll just send u ur check and u can only benefit. this is what i did and i won eight scholarships including one very generous one form berkeley.
on another note, i also applied to a lot of community scholarships. i think these are your best bet because there are less students competing and you can talk about ur community service and they'll actually know what you are talking about. for my district, theres a website that our school board updates every month for scholarships... try googling it for your district and on the note with your brother going to school soon.... when that time does come, ur financial aid application has a part where it asks about ur siblings... for me, i had a sibling that wasnt considered a dependent because she was older... but my parents were helping her with graduate school so i went to the financial aid office and talked to my financial aid officer about it and i was able to get my financial aid adjusted. it just takes some time, you can always get around things if you try hard. and after i went to college, my second semester, i didnt even apply to anything and i got an email from the school informing me of a scholarship that i won from a donor who wanted to remain anonymous. so in time, the money will start coming. lol i applied to over 30 scholarships but eventually it'll start coming! good luck and i hope i helped! |
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| Posted 4 months ago i feel ya...my mother currently dosent have a job, but b/c they go off how money you have n the bank and NOT how much your parents make( which for my mother right now is nothin) we r n a bind! its ridiculous that money may not last till my mom gets a job! and tution has to be paid for by august and i've signed a lease for an apt this semester YIKES!
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| Posted 4 months ago Me too! I had almost the exact same credentials as Sarah A. President of Health Occupation Students of America, VP of Interact Community Service Club (Rotary sponsored), etc, etc. But NOTHING. I have to go to community college this year because I can't get the money together to go to a 4 year university. And getting scholarships for transfer students is even harder than high school students. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in student loan debt like my mom! I've been applying for scholarships for almost two full years now. It really does feel hopeless. |
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| Posted 4 months ago Hmm... Fortunately, I found out that my state offers a scholarship to its residents. Perhaps you should look again for state and federal aid, and talk to financial aid people at your college. And cool, another HOSA chapter president! |
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| Posted 4 months ago Thanks for the suggestions and stories guys.. at this point it really does feel hopeless. But I'm just going to keep on trying and eventually i might come across something. I think that this struggle is really under-represented and there should be some type of financial aid out there for people in this situation. I'm really surprised how such an obvious problem could be ignored like this. |
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| Posted 4 months ago Try searching : ESFNA Scholarship Program |
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| Posted 4 months ago Hey omg i have gone through the same problem every time i want to go to school i get pused back because my mother who is a single parent of 4!! makes to much in there eyes!!! I have struggled with this all i can do is pray!! and apply to scholarships but it has just been no luck for me!! Trust me there are a buch of us going through the same thing you are!! Welcome to the club! |
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| Posted 4 months ago dude seriously. being a middle class person doesnt benefit anything. ive been applying for so many scholarships. writing essays. doing videos. and you know who gets these, the lower class people, and the rich kids. middle class people dont get anything. and it hurts because ive been searching for scholarships for over three years and absolutely nothing came out of my graduation except graduation money |
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| Posted 2 months ago So TRUE, middle class always misses out. I even turned to the internet to start making some money, just filling out surveys and stuff and getting paid for it. lol. if anyone wants to give it a try the link is Reform is never for the middle class, although that's who it ShoulD be for becuase we carry the country. cheers, josh
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| Posted 2 months ago I just signed up with fastweb and found out that only three scholarships are available to me in Michigan. I am over 45 years old and unemployed. My past employer kept me over worked and under compensated for a chance to continue my associate degree in business. I hope that fastweb is not another scam preying on the less fortunate. Thanks for the prayers, but that really doesn't pay for food or home. I don't mean to be cruel, it just does not comfort the person with the pressures of finding a job or career at the end of college. Regards |
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| Posted 2 months ago no David Mich, fastweb is not a scam. There is a scholarship for everyone, you just have to search for it.
last year i won a $500, and $250 dollar scholarship from this site.
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| Posted 2 months ago Best thing you can do is to work a year to establish that your independant then start applying for all the financial aid scholarships that you can and don't turn down stafford loans, its better to get in school even if you have nothing but stafford loans or bank education loans than to not be in school at all because the last thing you want is to wake up at 39 and realize you spent the last 20 years struggling and missing out on a better life and many opportunities. |
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| Posted 2 months ago Even the smartest students might not win scholarships. Why? It all depends on how your scholarship application looks. You need to learn how to make it stand out from all the others and get the judges to sit up and take notice of it. Learn how to do that here: http://www.how2winscholarships.com Good luck! |
