The College Insider #1

^{_{Good afternoon. This is the first edition to The College Insider, a newsletter for all things scholarship, college admissions, college tips, finance, internships, career, and more.}}

In this week's issue:
🏆 Last-chance scholarships (April deadlines!)
🎓 Secret financial aid negotiation tactic

Next week we will go into scholarship winning tips and local/state scholarships. In the future the newsletter will show lists of scholarships separated by age, grade, hobbies, major, interests, geographical locations, and identity.

🗓️ April Scholarship Roundup: Last-Chance Opportunities!

🔥 Quick Deadlines – Apply Now!

• Entergy Power Your Future Scholarship ($5,000) – Due Apr 9 (HBCU STEM majors)

• Foot Locker UNCF Scholarship ($5,000) – Due Apr 10 (UNCF member schools)

• Charles W. Frees, Jr. Scholarship – Due Apr 11 (St. Louis-area male students)

• Dunkin’ Philadelphia Regional Scholarship Program ($5000) — Due April 15 (PA, DE, NJ)

• Dunkin’ Baltimore/Metro DC Regional Scholarship ($2,500) — Due April 15 (DC/MD)

• Dominion Energy Equity Scholarship ($10,000) – Due Apr 15 (Southeastern states)

• CDM Smith STEM Scholarship ($7,500) – Due Apr 18 (Engineering majors)

• IBTTA Foundation Scholarship ($5,000) – Due Apr 18 (Transportation-related fields)

• Brave of Heart Scholarship – Due Apr 21 (Children/spouses of COVID-19 healthcare heroes)

💡 Pro Tip: Set calendar reminders! Many deadlines close at 3 PM CT or 11:59 PM ET.

🎯 Who Qualifies?

• High school seniors, undergrads, grad students, and international students (see specific scholarship details at the linked website for more details)

• GPA requirements range from 2.0 to 3.0+

• Geographic/field-specific opportunities (STEM, HBCUs, regional, etc.)
  

📢 Financial Aid Negotiation: How to Get More Money for College

🎓 For High School Seniors (Getting Acceptances Now)

You hold more power than you think! Colleges want you—and you can use that to your advantage. Here’s how:

• Leverage Competing Offers
  Did a similar (or even slightly lower-ranked) school give you a better financial aid package? Politely email your top-choice school’s financial aid administrators with those details.

• 🚨Important notes to keep in mind

  1. (note that you should be emailing specific people at the institution not solely the generic financial aid email)

  2. The below quotes are thought starters, meant to guide the direction of your email, actual templates and more details will be shared in future newsletters but I want you all to start developing these negotiation emails and a good place to start are the quotes I’ve listed below

• Why This Works
  Colleges care about yield rate—the % of admitted students who enroll. Once they accept you, they want you to say yes. Negotiating won’t risk your admission!

💡 Pro Tip:
Even if the other school isn’t a peer institution, frame it as a financial necessity:

🏫 For Current College Students (Already Enrolled)

Your school has a huge incentive to keep you from dropping out. Use these strategies:

• Highlight Changed Circumstances
  Lost income? Medical bills? Layoffs? Explain how your financial situation has shifted.

• Dropout Rates Matter
  Schools hate losing students—it hurts their rankings and funding. They’d often rather give aid than lose you.

🔥 Key Takeaway

Whether you’re a prospective or current student, always ask. The worst they can say is no—but they might just say yes.

🚀 Next Steps

1. Gather documentation (competing offers or proof of financial changes).

2. Email financial aid—politely but firmly. (better yet set up an in person meeting or call for future follow up discussions after the initial email)

3. Follow up if you don’t hear back!

💬 Success Story:
One student secured an extra funding at Pace University just by asking after using my financial aid negotiation tips. Could that be you?

Did You Know? Over 100 Million Dollars in Scholarships go unclaimed each year— read more about the article that explores this here.

Till next time,

The College Insider