You may have a lifelong dream of becoming a nurse, yet
you don’t have the financial backing to make your dream come true. Well, don’t give up, there are scholarships
that can help you achieve your dream.
Searching Your School of Choice
Start with your first choice of a school. There are so many scholarships it can be a
little unnerving, so it's best to narrow things down, and you can start that by selecting your
first choice of schools. Many
scholarships will require very detailed information regarding where you plan to
attend school, so it is good to have a choice lined up. Have your information organized, know where
you hope to attend school, and have the reason for your decision, the more
information you can provide the better.
Be sure to consider what type of nursing you are interested in, a
Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, etc. Also determine if the school you are most
interested in generally has available spaces, or if there is usually a waiting
list. If your intention is to begin
school soon, you may have to select a school based on available spots for new
students.
Search Available Scholarships
The first step to searching for a scholarship is to
check with your employer if you are working.
Many employers offer scholarship programs to earn a bachelor's or
advanced degree. If your employer does
participate in scholarship programs, contact your human resource department to
inquire as to what you need to do in order to get started and apply. Some additional local areas to check for scholarships
are:
- Your employer (Employee Based Awards)
- Scholarship-focused nonprofits
- Large corporations (Pepsi, Xerox, etc.)
- Foundations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.)
- Unions
- Advocacy and political organizations
- Religious organizations
- Social/community clubs and organizations
- Service organizations
- Religious organizations
- Social/community clubs and organizations
- Service organizations (Rotary, Elks, etc.)
The criteria for scholarships vary drastically. There are scholarships that are geared toward
students that pursue a specific career, while others may be aimed toward
applicants from a particular state, or country.
Some scholarship programs are in place to serve people from disadvantaged
areas, so be sure to keep checking, you are bound to find a scholarship that
will be of benefit to you. Other local
scholarships may be available if you fall into one of the following
categories:
- Demonstrated commitment to community service or volunteer work
- Commitment to pursue a valued career, academic, or research interest
- Learning or physical disabilities
- Demonstrated commitment to fine arts or performing arts
- Demonstrated athletic achievement and talent
- Economic need
- Underrepresented minority group
- Student is a gender minority in their field of interest (Ex: male nurses)
- Birthplace (for students from a particular city, state, or country)
- Student is the first to go to college in their family
- Contest / essay contest winner
- Going back to school; single parent
- High academic achievement
- High standardized test scores
- High standardized test scores
Organization
It's imperative that you get organized prior to
narrowing down your list of potential scholarships. The more you have organized, and the better
prepared you are to respond when you are asked to submit additional
information, the better chance you will have of getting a response
immediately. When a nursing school
receives information that a scholarship is going to be available, they often go
down the list of applicants, and the person or people that are able to submit
required documents right away stand a much better chance of receiving the
scholarships that are available.
Consider making separate folders that hold copies of
all necessary paperwork that you may need to provide for a scholarship
program. If you are not in a school
program, college or other when you begin to seek out scholarships, you are
actually at a slight disadvantage. You
can certainly still apply and receive a scholarship; however you may have to
forth a little more effort.
Applying for Nursing Scholarships While in School
If you are still in a school of any kind, you should
have the ability to speak with your school's financial aid or advisor's
office. They generally have firsthand
knowledge of available scholarships, and can provide direction for you. Keep in mind that in most cases you should
begin applying for your scholarship even prior to submitting your application
for school. Check with your school
counselor or financial advisor and find out when you should begin the process
of submitting scholarship applications.
Internet Search for Scholarships
Don’t rule out searching for a scholarship online,
however, be extremely cautious. Many
people will opt to do an online search for a scholarship as their first
starting point. If you are lucky you may
find one quickly, however, it's more likely you will put through page after
page of providing your information, only to get nowhere. If an internet site requests a fee for
scholarship information, be advised, this is probably not a legitimate offer.
Demographic Research
If you are willing to relocate to attend nursing school
there may be scholarships available for nursing schools in areas that have a
severe nursing shortage. Larger cities
are your safest bet for scholarship offers due to nurses being in demand. You may be familiar with student loan
programs that offer to forgive the loan in certain circumstances; however,
there are also scholarships that have similar guidelines. Many rural areas that suffer economically do
not have adequate health care available.
There are some scholarships that may offer to pay for all of your
nursing education with the understanding that once you are licensed, you will
work in one of the areas in need.
Generally there is a two year work commitment required, so you would
need to be willing to obligate yourself to that. In the event you don’t fulfill your
commitment, then the scholarship converts into a student loan, and you are
responsible for paying for your education.
Military Scholarships
If you are willing to serve your country for a period
of time, you would qualify for a military scholarship. This requires some dedication, and patience,
you most likely would not be able to attend nursing school immediately, as it would
require you to perform some military service first.
Field of Interest Nursing Scholarships
Perhaps you have been touched by someone with cancer in
your life, or lost a loved one. If you
have a desire to work in a specialty field, such as a cancer care specialty
nurse, you may be able to secure a scholarship through the organization that
provides research for the particular disease or condition.
Medical Supply & Pharmaceutical Companies
You may not be aware, but medical supply and
pharmaceutical companies often have many scholarship programs available for
nurse education programs. Johnson &
Johnson has a very large variety of nursing scholarship programs, and are
adding more each year.
Scholarship Criteria
When researching scholarships that may be appropriate
for you, be sure to first look at the criteria and make sure you qualify. It can be very frustrating to spend time
filling out applications and gathering paperwork only to realize you do not
qualify for the scholarship. There are
some common scholarships requirements that you can expect to meet:
- GPA- most nursing schools require at least a 3.0 grade point average
- Proper identification- plan to get certified copies of your birth certificate and social security card prior to submitting applications. It can take time to get them in order, and you want to be as prepared as possible
- Legal Residency- most scholarship programs will require you to prove citizenship and legal residency status, although there are some scholarships geared toward those with work visas.
If nursing is a career that you feel is well suited for
you, pursue obtaining a scholarship so that you can attend school and fulfill
your career goals. If your desire is
strong enough, there is almost always a way to attend nursing school, as
nursing is a profession that is always understaffed.
Tips for Scholarship Preparedness
- Ensure you have all pertinent documents on hand well before you begin the process of filling out applications. Make sure you have your social security card, state ID or driver's license, birth certificate, and proof of citizenship.
- Make folders to hold a set of documents for each scholarship application that you submit. It will save time and frustration to be well organized. Make copies of all of your documents and separate them into the folders, they will be ready to attach to the applications as you need them.
- Write consideration letters and submit with each application. Be sure to include reasons that you desire to study in the field of nursing. You never know, a letter may be the entry you need to a particular program.
- Start your search well in advance of the time you plan to attend school. Generally 12-18 months is the time frame needed to secure scholarship acceptance.
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