Scholarship Opportunities

Where do you look?

  Make a trip to the Office of Financial Aid and pick up the "Guide to CU Scholarships" or look at their web site: http://www.colorado.edu/finaid

  Check the reference desk at Norlin Library to locate resources that list scholarships

  Departmental bulletin boards and faculty advisors

  Professional organizations in Economics (i.e. Omicron Delta Epsilon- check http://www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org)

  Churches and community/social organizations to which you belong (social fraternities and sororities for example)

  Honorary organizations to which you belong: Phi Kappa Phi (http://www.phikappaphi.org), Golden Key (http://www.goldenkey.org), Mortar Board (http://www.mortarboard.org), etc.

  Your parents' work or social organizations

  Make sure to apply to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)- national deadline is March 1 (apply earlier if possible): http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

  Search via the internet:

  Remember there is no one magical source of scholarship information. It is a search process that requires time and patience and the perusal of a lot of incompatible scholarships before you find the right one(s).

WARNING: Never pay for scholarship searches!
Scholarship scam alert: http://www.finaid.org/finaid/scams.html

How to make yourself a strong candidate for scholarships:

  Strive for excellence in challenging classes. Go beyond getting good grades.

  Get work/internship/volunteer experience in your field. Internships through Economics, contact Jane Lillydahl (jane.lillydahl@colorado.edu). Internships through Career Services: (www.colorado.edu/careerservices/).

  Expand your knowledge of the world, people, places, and events in any way you can--by reading, travelling, participating in intercultural events, etc. The Study Abroad office is in room 1B45 of the Environmental Design Building and their web address: www.colorado.edu/OIE/StudyAbroad/.

  Get involved in interesting extra-curricular activities that are meaningful to you--there are no formulaic "best" activities. Get CU club and other information from the Student Activities web site: www.colorado.edu/studentlife/activities/.

  Seek out leadership positions--this doesn't mean you should try to be president of five different clubs. Choose carefully and be an active player in the group(s) that you are in, rather than trying to rack up titles on your resume.

  Consider submitting essays to contests.

  Get to know people, especially professors, advisors, administrators, employers--if they don't know you they can't tell you about scholarship opportunities they are aware of for which you might qualify, and they won't be able to write you strong letters of recommendation.

  Apply for small and large scholarships--they can work like building blocks.

  Recognize you have to apply in order to be eligible. There are times when scholarships come to you, but more often you must go to the scholarship. Don't sell yourself short!

  Don't give up if you are turned down--many highly qualified people are turned down for scholarships, but persevere and find other scholarships that suit their interests.