The cost of attending a private university, like Harvard, has increased by 13% in the past five years.
Because I had a lot of demonstrated need, sought outside scholarships, and worked during college, I was able to graduate from Harvard completely debt-free.
Even if you don’t have demonstrated need, though, there are several things students and parents can do to maximize their financial aid.
Having a stellar application is the number one tip to getting the best possible financial aid package (you can read my seven best college application tips.). A strong application puts your student in the running for merit scholarships from schools.
Many top colleges offer full-tuition or even full ride — including room and board — scholarships. If you qualify for these because of your great test scores, grades, and application, you will typically be invited to a scholarship weekend. It’s at these weekends, which include interviews and info sessions, where the decisions about scholarships are made.
I wanted to share some of my best tips to ace those scholarship weekends and maximize your chances at a full ride scholarship.
1. Do your homework ahead of time
Scholarship weekends should not start the moment you land on campus. You want to do whatever you can to stand out even before you get to the interview. You should spend several hours, if not more, preparing for these scholarship weekends. This includes prepping for interviews and scheduling meetings with professors and coaches in advance.
Even if you spend 20 hours on the prep work, that could net you $5,000 an hour or more! Don’t skimp on the prep work. It will pay for itself many times over.
2. Meet with potential sponsors
Scholarship weekends are a great time to schedule meetings with professors, coaches, and anyone else at the college that is doing something that interests you. Look for unique programs, research you’d like to be involved in, and special classes they offer. This is a chance for you to see if the school is a good fit and get some inside information.
It’s important to let the organizer of the scholarship weekend know you’re meeting with professors outside of the planned events. You can do this in a tactful way by checking in with them on schedule and offering the opportunity up for other students who might want to meet with the same professors.
3. Practice, practice, practice
You absolutely must practice interviewing before the real thing. This doesn’t mean you write out a script and memorize it. That will sound horrible! But you do need to practice the stories you want to tell that highlight the important impacts you’ve made and what about the school is so appealing to you. Practice with parents and friends. Record yourself. Get comfortable talking about yourself and your accomplishments.
4. Raise your hand
Often at scholarship weekends there are info sessions, model classes, and many other opportunities for students to ask questions. You absolutely must take advantage of this.
Think about questions ahead of time during your prep work and make sure they aren’t questions you can easily find the answer to online. The best questions are personal and ask for advice. Be sure to get a business card or contact information from anyone you speak to.
5. Remember that someone is always watching
It’s very easy both in scholarship weekends and general alumni interviews to forget where you are and start to joke around and cut loose. It’s important to remember, though, that in an environment like a scholarship weekend, you are always being evaluated. If you wouldn’t say something in front of your teacher or grandparent, maybe keep it to yourself. This doesn’t mean you have to be fake or robotic, but it’s critical that you are always respectful.
6. Believe you ARE going to that school
No matter how you actually feel, it’s important that during the scholarship weekend you are 100% committed to attending that school. A school doesn’t want to offer a student a full ride if they think you might turn it down. It’s OK if you’re not totally sure where you’re going. For this weekend, you are. It also will help you be more open to attending the school and get a deeper appreciation for it. Excitement is contagious, and you want to be catching!
7. Be grateful
Send thank you emails to everyone you meet and talk to. If you want to kick it up a notch, which I really recommend, send handwritten thank you notes to the professors you met with. They took time out of their schedules to meet with you. Show them how much that meant to you by taking the time to write a note and mail it. Very few people do this, even though it is a really easy step. It will make you stand out.
If you want even more tips for creating your absolute best college application to help you get those invitations to scholarship weekends next year, get my Ultimate Guide to the Common App.
Jessica Yeager is a graduate of Harvard and MIT with over ten years of tutoring experience. As a senior in high school, she gained acceptance to Harvard, MIT, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, and Columbia. She is the founder of Impress the Ivies and host of the Dream College Summit. Her students have gotten into elite schools, like Harvard and Carnegie Mellon.
