Don’t wanna be forever a-loan

Student Advocate Office and Financial Aid offer scholarship searches and tips

 

HOLD IT — SAO also assists students with resolving holds and balances. Photo Credit: Leah Seavers

HOLD IT — SAO also assists students with resolving holds and balances.
Photo Credit: Leah Seavers

New semesters bring new opportunities to secure scholarships, but many students can be plagued with questions about how to find scholarships and where to look for them.

The Student Advocate and Financial Aid offices at Liberty University have provided the answers.

Each semester, the Student Advocate Office (SAO) holds scholarship search classes for students interested in discovering creative techniques to search for external scholarships.

External scholarships are one of the most unused resources — many students simply don’t know they exist or how to acquire them.

One of the main goals of the scholarship search classes is to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to uncover and secure the scholarships available to them.

“Oftentimes students will have to leave (an institution) for financial reasons,” Student Advocate Kat Rippy said.

“The goal is to see students find a resource that isn’t a loan but helps them make it from day one to graduation and start their adult career without loan debt.”

Unlike loans, students are never required to pay back scholarship money awarded to them.

A common misconception many students have regarding scholarships is that they are solely academic or athletic, but that is not the case.

While many scholarships conform to that criterion, a large number of other scholarships are awarded to students based on non-academic achievements, family heritage and more.

Through resources such as the scholarship search classes, the SAO aims to make students more aware of these facts.

The classes are offered in two parts: Scholarship Search 101 (SS101) and Scholarship Search 102 (SS102).

In 101, students can learn general tips and techniques for finding outside scholarships, how to search and apply for them online and avoid scams and maintain organization in the application process.

SS101 classes for the spring semester will be held Feb. 2, Feb. 27 and April 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in DeMoss 2192 and April 18 in DeMoss 1113.

Following 101, SS102 partners with the Undergraduate Writing Center to help students write effective proposal letters for already-established outside scholarships and requests to develop new scholarships.

The class is also designed to assist students in writing essays for applications that require them.

Students can attend this semester’s 102 classes Feb. 6, March 7 and April 4 and 20 in DeMoss 2192 from 6 – 8 pm.

A list of dates and sign-up links is accessible on the SAO webpage.

In many ways, Liberty’s SAO acts as a middleman in student affairs, whose objective is to be as accessible as possible to ensure that students have all of the information and resources they need.

“If you (do not) have the answer, come ask us,” Rippy said.

“If we don’t know the answer, we know who does.”

For students in search of financial advising, the SAO points in the direction of the Financial Aid.

The Financial Aid Office strongly encourages students to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as possible, usuing their Federal Student Aid (FSA) IDs and adding Liberty’s school code (010392).

Early submission of the FAFSA allows students time to go through verifications and review their financial aid award packages.

Additionally, students should complete their FAFSA early as many need-based scholarships are awarded through FAFSA submission and are disbursed to students on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In addition, a FAFSA submission is required every year by each student in order for them to receive both federal aid and Liberty aid.

ALL TOGETHER NOW — SAO helps students with everything from roommate problems to  financial aid. Photo Credit: Leah Seavers

ALL TOGETHER NOW — SAO helps students with everything from roommate problems to financial aid.
Photo Credit: Leah Seavers

The Financial Aid office recommends that students speak with their employers, large corporations, scholarship search engines and local businesses to find unconventional scholarships that are often overlooked.

McSherry recommends that students watch out for scam artists that are using fake scholarships.

“Students should avoid any scholarships that require application fees, fees to view the scholarship eligibility requirements or unusual requests for personal information, such as credit card information or social security,” McSherry said.

The U.S. Department of Education has tips to avoid scams and steps to report them at studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/scams.

In addition to handling scholarships and financial counseling and advising services, the Financial Aid office provides a free, one-credit financial literacy course, FNLT 101, which uses one of financial expert Dave Ramsey’s books to teach students about financial
responsibility.

Open enrollment for the course is accessible through the Financial Aid webpage or at liberty.edu/FNLT.

Estes is a feature reporter.

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