Many women are desperate to return to school and complete their college education. I was one of them having ruined my financial aid while an undergrad by dropping below the required course credit hours and having to sit out for a semester. That semester turned into almost 9 years. Finally I decided to return to school, and was determined to have someone else foot the bill. I searched high and low, and came up with a number of unlikely sources that provided scholarships for moms of all standing. Whether you’re single, married, or already working, there are organization that help adults pay for school as it is no secret as to how difficult it is to return to college.
At one time it seemed like you only had a small window of opportunity in which there was time to complete a college education. The one thing every adult knows is that time waits for no one, and no sooner than you blink, you have all of the obligations of the “real” world weighing heavily on your shoulders.
Suddenly that quarter off or semester to figure out what it is one to really do with their life becomes a year then three. The course we had planned is now derailed and college becomes a more difficult task to complete. Suddenly there are husbands and children whose needs we tend to and thru no fault of their own, create a financial and time deficit that is almost impossible to overcome.
But for every reason one had to leave school there are a thousand even better reasons to return and finish what was started. Lately there has been no better excuse than the sorry state of the economy. With the rising costs of living every day needs begin to take a toll on household budgets, and the one income salaries that allowed many women to stay at home with children or work part-time jobs are no longer enough to support a family alone. Scholarships for moms allow women to return to college without the financial stress many associate with tuition.
Couple this with the ever increasing unemployment rate alongside the desire of many to re-enter the workplace, many women do not have the educational edge to compete and land meaningful employment. How does one make themselves more attractive to employers who have a gluttony of employment applications? By returning to school and joining many older college moms who have already figured out that advanced higher education is going to be the only route to truly being able to gain employment and achieve the dreams that they have already deferred.
Likewise there are many women who are already in the workforce who have either hit that “glass ceiling”, or are in a field where the only option they have is to make a career change. Again the obvious answer is to return to school and ensure that the education gained is an asset in moving ahead in ones career field.
So with the answer so apparent why do so many women put off fulfilling their dreams of a college education? I can think of only one reason and that would be money. Many are already in a delicate financial situation with the thought of taking on a new household bill unthinkable. This is where it’s important to know your school financing options, and discover and begin to seek the many scholarships for moms that are available.
Where Does One Begin to Find These Scholarships for Moms?
Firstly, we need to have a plan of attack to unearth these gems mainly because they are rarely advertised. Furthermore, they vary from city to city, state to state on who offers them, their names the organization etc. It’d be great to pass a neon billboard advertising free money for college moms, but it just does not happen in that fashion. The first thing you should do is check with your college financial aid office. The way you word your query is the most important minute of the discussion you’ll have with the office.
Instead of asking them what scholarships are available to working moms, or single moms, ask them what third party or institutional(corporations, civic associations, etc.) scholarships have they seen awarded and applied to tuition and fees. In particular did they come from corporations, were there any sources they found odd, any names that stuck out?
Right off the bat this struck gold for me as I uncovered a scholarship offered by the YMCA that was competition based and geared towards adults. They provided 10 full tuition scholarships for moms that once awarded could be applied to the school of your choice, at either an online university or traditional school setting. These organizations provide scholarships for women to recognize their value to society, as well as the challenge facing adult women returning to school.
After you perform your word of mouth search it’s a good idea to check the good old library. Sometimes online sources or either bogus, or just too much information to search thru. Also, there are quite a few scholarship donors who simply do not have an online presence. These donors often will send out notifications to a limited mailing list and a great way to find these postings is a your local library as I found quite a few posted on a bulletin board. Likewise you can find many postings in the individual colleges message boards, for example nursing scholarships posted in the college of nursing.
Let The Internet Guide You To Hidden Scholarships For Moms
Lastly a search through the social media networks can be a gold mine. Between Twitter, Facebook, Identi.ca and blog spots, you are able to partake in a amplified conversation on almost anything. You’d be surprised at what a search of twitter may yield for scholarships for moms as your search term. These networks are where people share their everyday lives and great tips that are there for everyone to view.
Hopefully this will motivate any mom reading this post to get a move on and swallow any fear you may have about going back to school or even going for the first time. I’d definitely suggest checking back often as I will share many pointers on helping you get back in school, being successful and locating helpful scholarships.
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