Let's Talk Money

Unless you've just hit the lottery and become an overnight millionaire, you absolutely HAVE to read this. It's important . . .

Each February Nassau invites applications for more than 100 scholarships, all to be awarded to currently enrolled NCC students (in other words, folks like you).

The scholarships are as varied as the people who apply for them.  Some are for students who will be graduating from NCC this May.  Others are for students who still have a semester or two (or more) to go before finishing their degrees.

Some scholarships are for full-time students; others are for students who attend Nassau part-time.

Some scholarships are open to the student body at large; others require students to have been active in campus life (e.g. participated in a club or played a sport); to be enrolled in a specific curriculum; to be planning a career in a particular field; or to be doing something else that distinguishes them.

Do you have to be a straight A student to be in the running for a scholarship?  No.  Good grades never hurt, of course, but there are many scholarships for students with respectable gpa's, though not perfect ones. 

If you're thinking that you could never win a scholarship, time to chuck that notion.  Applying for a scholarship doesn't guarantee you're going to receive one, but not applying definitely puts you out of the running.  No one at NCC (or anywhere else) gives money to people who can't get around to completing an application.  It doesn't take all that long, but you still have to do it.

Here's how to get started.  First, go to www.ncc.edu/aboutncc/givetoncc/scholarships for some general info about scholarships, including how to set up an account and begin completing the application.  To see what scholarships are available, click the link titled "The College-Wide Scholarship System."  This will take you to a list of awards, including their criteria and dollar amounts. 

From there it's a matter of completing and filing the application, which can be done online, anytime before the February 26 deadline.

If you have questions or would like some help in completing applications, you can go to one of the Scholarship Information Workshops scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4 (11:30 a.m., Cluster B, Rm. 218) and Tuesday, Feb. 11 (5:30 p.m., Cluster B, Rm. 218). Someone will answer your questions and walk you through the process.

Also, if you're a part-time student at NCC, check out what's available through www.collegeadjuncts.org.  Click the "For Members" and "Scholarships" links and you'll get a list of awards plus a downloadable application.

Winning a scholarship won't get you onto Forbes Magazine's list of the world's billionaires, but it will certainly ease the cost of tuition and textbooks (and who can quarrel with that?).  It will also serve as a reminder that effort and achievement count and that taking your education seriously pays off in more ways than one.