Extracurricular efforts lead to college cash
By Lisa Renze-Rhodes
Indianapolis Star
Three days a week, Meghan Floyd leaves her room in Purdue University's Earhart Residence Hall, crosses campus to the Elliott Hall of Music and finds a welcome refuge in the symphony orchestra.
Matt Kryger • Gannett News Service
When the horns sound and the strings sing, she lets her mind drift far from her freshman engineering studies.
Meghan Floyd practices with Purdue University's symphony orchestra at Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette, Ind. Floyd, an engineering student, receives a $1,000 scholarship for being in the orchestra.
"This is a nice stress reliever," said Floyd, who plays the French horn. "I dance (in my chair) when I'm not playing. I love music. It's something I wanted to keep up with in college."
A $1,000 scholarship she receives for playing in the orchestra has helped ease the way.
She's not the only student who has turned extracurricular interests into money for college. Among the $48 billion in scholarship money available each year in the United States, students willing to dig a little can find money for such activities as playing in a marching band or leading cheers.
Floyd, in fact, has combined the money she receives for playing the French horn with other scholarships and paid for almost her entire first year at Purdue.
Some scholarship experts say Floyd's strategy for paying her school expenses is growing increasingly common.
"More kids will participate for smaller dollars — the $500, $1,500, $2,500 awards — than for the $10,000 scholarships," said Daryl Hulce, president of the Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation, based in Florida.
Often, those smaller scholarships are awarded for extracurricular pursuits.
Just how often is hard to say.
"Many of (the scholarships) come from the Rotary Club, the Elks, businesses, civic groups, alumni — it's impossible to know exactly how much money is out there," said Melanie Corrigan, associate director for the center of policy at the American Council on Education, based in Washington.
The Internet has made finding such money easier. Carmel (Ind.) High School counselor Shelly Rubinstein sees the online aspect of the money hunt played out routinely in her office: "It is becoming an increasingly wonderful tool for students," she said.
Web sites such as FastWeb.com work especially well, because students can plug their own skills and interests into a questionnaire that directs them to potential funding sources.
The Internet has made finding scholarship money easier. Web sites such as FastWeb.com are good resources because students can plug their own skills and interests into a questionnaire that directs them to potential funding sources.
"We hope students are looking on the Web because we feel that the most information is available there," said Greg Tittelbaugh, who works in the office of enrollment services and scholarship clearinghouse at Indiana University. He said that includes information about scholarships nationwide as well as school-affiliated awards.
Where to find the money
For instance, cheerleaders looking for tuition assistance can log on, search, then act on the information returned.
Many students see scholarships as a fringe benefit of participating in an activity they love.
That's the case with Purdue freshman Ted Lippincott, a management major who receives a book waiver worth $350 per semester for being a cheerleader with Purdue's Spirit Squad.
"I have a very strong family tradition at Purdue," Lippincott said. "Both my parents went here, my grandparents on my mom's side, some of my aunts and uncles — lots of family.
"I always wanted to cheer at Purdue, so I decided to try out."
Lippincott's gymnastics and tumbling abilities helped get him on the squad, and his SAT scores snagged him one of three book waivers available to freshman cheerleaders.
"It doesn't sound like a lot, but every little bit helps," he said.
