After graduation, I plan to major in Robotics and Autonomous Systems without any debt. I worry that many scholarships might overlook me. I have a single parent who supports two kids, but their income is around $90k. My grades are not very competitive for scholarships (I have a 3.6 GPA) and my ACT score isn’t great either (25). I’m still waiting on my SAT results. As for extracurricular activities, I co-preside over a not-so-successful robotics club (we haven’t won anything yet), I’m in NHS, and I placed about 4th in a section of a MESA Competition. The only sport I participated in was E-Sports with just three members, and we didn’t win any competitions.
Because of my average resume, I feel like I’m stuck in a tough spot for scholarships. I seem too wealthy for need-based scholarships and too underqualified for prestigious ones. With those being the main types, I worry I’m out of options. I only began applying for scholarships in September/October, but I’ve been turned down for every application so far. Plus, it’s tricky to find scholarships that cater to my major since most are looking for electrical or mechanical engineering students, and I can’t find many that aren’t highly competitive general STEM scholarships. Am I making this more complicated than it is, or is this a sign that community or trade college might be my best bet?
You should shift your perspective a bit. If you need funds for college, you have financial needs. Check the details, and if there’s no specific income limit mentioned, go ahead and apply. Sure, some scholarships may be out of reach, but most should still be available. Some even view an income under $100,000 as qualifying for financial need.
Your involvement might not be highly competitive nationally, but there are still scholarship opportunities out there. Applying for national scholarships is good practice even if they’re competitive; it could help you land local scholarships too. My son was in a similar position with a 3.8 GPA and an ACT of 23. He applied to 95 scholarships and won 14 (half were local). Now, he’s in college without debt and plans to transfer to a university after completing his associates at community college, saving him about $50,000.
Essays will play a big role in your success. Get someone to help you present yourself positively and show your passion. Also, can you mention engineering with a focus on robotics and automation? Even if you have to describe it as mechanical engineering, that should work since they’re related. My son’s university offers a mechanical engineering major with a robotics minor, so there are connections.