Financial Aid Finder

TGIF friends! Friday means it’s scholarship time here at the Financial Aid Finder. As financial aid award letters start rolling out, I’m guessing a lot of you are thinking more seriously than ever before about earning scholarships for next year.

I can help you make your search for scholarships a little easier every Friday by posting three of the most promising scholarship opportunities with upcoming deadlines.

This week, I have a student essay contest about World War II, three Daughters of the American Revolution scholarships for current and rising medical school students, and the Through the Looking Glass scholarships for students with disabled parents. Be sure to check the Financial Aid Finder’s section on Student Scholarships if you need help with filling our your scholarships applications or writing your scholarship essays.

1.  Student Online E Pluribus Unum Essay Contest: $1,000
The National World War II Museum invites high school students to share their thoughts on the question of “E Pluribus Unum”: How Then/How Now? Describe in your own words (1,000 or less) how people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences can best come together to ensure a vibrant, successful country. Use World War II as your starting point to demonstrate your thesis with historical exams of our country learning — or failing to learn — these lessons. Your essay should be an opinion piece, not a research paper. Entries will be judged for originality, clarity of expression, adherence to contest theme, historical accuracy, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The first place winner will receive $1,000; second place winner will receive $750; and third place winner will receive $500. Each of the three winning essays will also be posted on The National WWII Museum’s website. Submissions must be emailed to The National WWII Museum by the deadline (see website), but only the first 500 valid entries will be accepted.

2. DAR Scholarships for Medical School Students: $20,000
Daughters of the American Revolution annually offers three scholarships for medical students — which, if you are applying to med school, you know is a big deal. There are precious few scholarships for doctors, so definitely check these out. Each of the scholarships awards $5,000 annually and may be renewed up to four year, for a maximum award of $20,000. To be considered for any of these three scholarships, one needs only submit one application.

•    Alice W. Rooke Scholarship is for outstanding students who have been accepted into or are already pursuing a medical degree at an approved and accredited medical school.
•    Irene and Daisy MacGregor Memorial Scholarship is for outstanding students with high scholastic standing and character who have been accepted into or are already pursing a degree in psychiatric nursing at the graduate level. The scholarship committee prefers to award this scholarship to a woman.
•    Dr. Francis Anthony Beneventi Medical Scholarship is for students with a minimum GPA of 3.25 who have been accepted into or are already pursing a medical degree at an approved, accredited medical school. This scholarship is not automatically renewable, but invites winners to reapply for consideration for up to four year.

Application for the DAR medical school scholarships is due April 15.

3. Through the Looking Glass Scholarship: $1,000
The National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families offers high school seniors and college students whose have parents with disabilities two separate scholarship opportunities:

•    High school seniors who are planning to attend college next fall and have at least one parent with a disability, may win one of five $1,000 awards
•    Students currently enrolled in a college or university, who are under the age of 21 and have at least one parent with a disability may win one of five $1,000 awards

The scholarship committee judges all applications on the basis of academic performance, community activities and service, letters of recommendation and an essay describing the experience of growing up with a parent with a disability. Applicants must be willing to participate in an optional survey about young adult children of parents with disabilities. The survey will be emailed to you after your completed application is submitted. All application materials, not including the survey, must be postmarked no later than the deadline (see website).

Good luck with your scholarship apps!

Tags: Daughters of the Revolution scholarship, E Pluribus Unum Essay Contest, medical school scholarships, Through the Looking Glass scholarships