Financial Aid Finder

TGIF! Before you shut off your computer and go enjoy some well-deserved down time, I’ve got three scholarships you might want to spend some time applying to.

There are going to be a number of really great scholarships with upcoming deadlines over the next six to eight weeks, so now is definitely the time to buckle down on your applications.

This week, I have three great gigs: a $5000 “STOP Hunger” scholarship sponsored by Sodexo (the #1 food service provider on college campuses today); a $1,000 scholarship/lottery from US Bank (there are 40 of these available, which means your odds are better than normal!); and a $1,000 Voices for Animals essay contest.

1. Sodexo Foundation STOP Hunger Scholarships: $5,000

The Sodexo Foundation’s $5,000 STOP Hunger Scholarships encourages and recognizes student leadership in the fight to end hunger in America. If you have been active in community activism to fight hunger and its root causes, you may be eligible to win this sweet scholarship. Eligible applicants are enrolled in an accredited educational institution in the United States, anywhere from elementary school through graduate school. For the last 12 months or longer, they have had a demonstrable commitment to community service projects in the hunger field. The online application includes an essay and a recommendation from a supervisor or colleague in your community service involvement. The application deadline is February 26, 2010.

2. U.S. Bank Internet Scholarship Program: $1,000

For the past thirteen years, US Bank’s scholarship program has provided assistance to hundreds of college students; this year, the bank’s Internet Scholarship Program (more like a lottery than a traditional scholarship) will award up to 40 $1,000 scholarships. Eligible applicants are U.S. citizens and high school seniors or college undergraduates selected at random. The online application will only take a few moments, so why put it off one more day? The application deadline is March 31, 2010.

3. Humane Education Network Voice for Animals High School Essay Contest: $1,000

The Humane Education Network’s 20^th annual essay contest is opening on February 1st, giving you plenty of time to work on writing an awesome essay and getting your application prepared. The network will award a number of prizes, totaling $6,500, with $1,000 to the first prize winner. Eligible applicants must be under the age of 19 and must be attending high school (or be home schooled). Citizens of any nation are eligible to apply. Applicants must write an essay of no more than 1,500 words and no less than 1,400 words, which:

examines either the mistreatment of one animal species or one cause of animal suffering, occurring anywhere in the world, and possible measures to reduce it

Applicants must write their essays in English and cite their sources (a Wikipedia citation doesn’t carry much weight!) The application deadline is March 31, 2010.

If you would like to learn more about college scholarships, please visit the Financial Aid Finder’s section on Scholarships for College. Let us show you how to navigate the scholarship application process, write killer scholarship essays, take advantage of scholarship search engines, and win weird & unusual scholarships.

Good luck with your scholarship applications this week!

Tags: college scholarships, Scholarships, STOP Hunger Scholarship, US Bank Scholarship, Voices for Animals Essay Contest