Because moms need college scholarships, too
June 12, 2012
You've been accepted into a university, selected your major and actually worked out a schedule for daycare and school. You can almost taste the long hours of studying in the library that await you, but you still have to face one problem: the cost.
College expenses are often a struggle to pay, but scholarships for mothers can make the tuition bill a little easier to bear.
For moms in search of a starting place for finding financial aid, here are a few suggestions:
Fill out the FAFSA
Otherwise known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a FAFSA is a good idea for anyone attending university, moms included. By submitting the form, you're essentially applying for government grants and scholarships like Pell Grants and Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (or TEACH) Grants.
Apply for scholarships specific to your interests
If you feel completely lost about scholarships, the best places to look are online, in scholarship-hunting books and your family and friends - they might know of a local one that applies to you. Major-specific scholarships that fit your interests will offer you a better chance, and you might actually enjoy answering some of their questions.
Find scholarships for your degree
Undergraduates are more likely to discover scholarships fitting their intended degree, but students pursuing postgraduate work shouldn't give up hope. There are graduate and postgraduate awards out there, like the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarships and Laurels Fund scholarships, so just keep looking.
Apply for scholarships specific to your life
A lot of financial aid for mothers exists, but the challenge for moms is to actually find it. If you can't find specific scholarships for parents in any financial aid books and no one you know has any suggestions, searching online should help. Potential websites include Soroptimist's Women's Opportunity Awards, Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women and the Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting scholarships.
As disheartening as paying for college feels, if you keep searching, you're bound to find a scholarship that fits your life and education goals. And you might as well apply to all the ones you discover because having more chances certainly won't hurt your chances.
