Navigating the financial aid process for college is a twisting road with tuition, grants and loans at every turn. But for a few South students, their journey resulted in significant scholarships to support their education.
Senior Simran Patel applied to Rutgers University, a large state school in New Jersey. The school was not on her radar until she realized she had received the Rutgers Presidential Scholarship, which would cover her full tuition to the school, Patel explained. This redirected her attention to the school where she will be studying Political Science and Philosophy this fall, Patel added.
“Rutgers is very affordable and pretty close to New York City,” Patel said. “It was a good option potentially because of meeting in between saving money and being by where I want to be.”
The Rutgers Presidential Scholarship will allow Patel her pick of law schools, as she can put money she would have spent on tuition towards this next step, Patel explained.
“As opposed to taking out a loan for my undergrad tuition and then being in debt, I’d rather have that money and go where I want for my law degree, being more open to options that may not have been there before the scholarship,” Patel said.
Beyond finding financial support through one’s future university, there are many other aid opportunities available to students, College Counselor Kalene Heaton said. Students can look for federal and state financial aid, as well as private scholarships that are funded by companies or outside organizations, Heaton added. These scholarships are often the least popular because the smaller amounts awarded are seen as less significant, Heaton explained. However, financial aid is usually a mosaic of smaller scholarships, she added.
“A big misconception that students have is they assume a full ride is having one source that’s covering the entire cost,” Heaton said. “But those are few and far between.”
When it comes to finding scholarships, it is important to apply for everything one can, Heaton said. To any student who is pursuing financial aid, they should take the chance, senior Pavan Gorla said. After almost leaving an opportunity unchecked, Gorla was accepted into the Morrill Scholarship Program at The Ohio State University (OSU). The program emphasizes diversity and academic curiosity within OSU, Gorla said.
“I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was because I didn’t think I’d get it,” Gorla said. “Then I realized not that many people get it. So when I got home, we realized this is a big deal. It helped me decide where I want to go to college.”
The Morrill Scholarship Program provides members access to research advising, academic and career support, and charity opportunities, Gorla said. The acceptance also came with full tuition coverage for Gorla. He was set to attend OSU this fall on the pre-dental track when the Wednesday before May 1, Gorla got off the waitlist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), he said.
Even though the Morrill Scholarship Program at OSU came with many academic and social benefits, on top of the financial award, UW-Madison ultimately felt like the best choice for Gorla, he explained.
“I just feel like I’d belong more at Wisconsin,” Gorla said. “It was more like I was listening to my heart instead of my mind.”