Scholarships and financial aid for Canadian college sophomores

[flyingpig]

I live in Canada and I am a rising sophomore.

Is there such thing as scholarships for current college students? If so where does one apply?

I live in Canada and my parents said they want me to take advantage of the student loan because there is no interest because i will be borrowing money from the government?

Anyone give me some insights?

 

[Angry Citizen]

Might as well go for the loans regardless. There are things like continuing student scholarships, but without knowing what university you're at, it's impossible to say whether they offer them or if you'd have to look at private sponsors.

 

[sourlemon]

I don't know about Canada, but most colleges I know have their own list of scholarships. Beside that, you can search on fastweb.com for scholarships. In the libraries (in the US), they also have books on scholarship. Those are good place to look as well. I personally would look for scholarship before I look at loans.

 

[Anonymous217]

Most people get scholarships entering college, but you don't apply to scholarships during college too often (unless it's a yearly renewal). There are usually annual awards or honors that you can try applying for, but there's still not very many and it's often hard to get. And most of the time, you don't even apply for them. They're simply givento you if they see you did something great (competitions, good undergrad research, minority, etc.).

 

[Choppy]

Most people get scholarships entering college, but you don't apply to scholarships during college too often (unless it's a yearly renewal). There are usually annual awards or honors that you can try applying for, but there's still not very many and it's often hard to get. And most of the time, you don't even apply for them. They're simply givento you if they see you did something great (competitions, good undergrad research, minority, etc.).

I have to disagree with a lot of these points.

Most Canadian universities will have a financial aid office that also administates academic awards. Start there. Scholarships are available at all stages of university and there are many of them - a lot of which go unawarded because qualified applicants don't apply.

Do NOT assume that you're condisidered for an award just because you've applied to a particular program. Some awards are given that way, but not all of them. It can be a bit of a chore sorting through the awards, but if you find one you qualify for - it can be a meal ticket, so it's worth the investment.

 

[Choppy]

Also at the original poster - if you look into student loans, make sure you actually read what you're signing up for. Your parents may be presenting an overly optimistic point of view. Taking out a loan as a student should be a last resort, not something to "take advantage of."

 

[Angry Citizen]

Also at the original poster - if you look into student loans, make sure you actually read what you're signing up for. Your parents may be presenting an overly optimistic point of view. Taking out a loan as a student should be a last resort, not something to "take advantage of."

It is, however, often quite necessary. I would never expect to use grants and scholarships to fully cover my tuition and housing expenses. For the modern college kid (perhaps not in Canada -- I'm not aware of how expensive higher education is there) loans aren't much of a 'last resort'; rather, they're the mainstay of one's financial aid.

 

[flyingpig]

Also at the original poster - if you look into student loans, make sure you actually read what you're signing up for. Your parents may be presenting an overly optimistic point of view. Taking out a loan as a student should be a last resort, not something to "take advantage of."

I am interested in this because my parents NEVER listen to me, but always listen to other parents from OTHER universities.

 

[Anonymous217]

I have to disagree with a lot of these points.

Most Canadian universities will have a financial aid office that also administates academic awards. Start there. Scholarships are available at all stages of university and there are many of them - a lot of which go unawarded because qualified applicants don't apply.

Do NOT assume that you're condisidered for an award just because you've applied to a particular program. Some awards are given that way, but not all of them. It can be a bit of a chore sorting through the awards, but if you find one you qualify for - it can be a meal ticket, so it's worth the investment.

I'd agree with the point in looking at one's specific university. It often depends on what scholarships/awards/honors/FA you're talking about. The best bet would to search at your university first. Then state, national, and international awards/honors/scholarships. My initial post was a reflection of the latter, but the local level really varies a lot and there could be tons of money circulating or none.

 

[hglov]

check out scholarship websites, there are lots of free scholarship information. Some good sources are (not limited to):
College Board (require log in)
Scholarships.com (require log in)
Scholarship Search Database (not log in, so you can browse directly like scholarships in Canada )
Scholarships experts (require log in)
Fastweb (require log in)