Student Trustee: Take advantage of transfer scholarships for your next chapter

Graphic by James Landgraf

This month, I want to highlight again our food pantry, one of the services that Moraine is proud to provide to its students. In my first article, I explained there were two ways to access it. However, now there is one way to access our food pantry: see a counselor in room U202 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also access food pantries off campus at different locations.

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When looking at all the greats, it’s clear success comes with preparation. But many Moraine students are unaware of a hidden gem that could help them prepare for their future: transfer scholarships.

Many universities have scholarships, some being full tuition, but often, our transfer students are unaware of this important resource!

Over the past few years I have come to learn about a few of these different opportunities. Some important things to note: I am not highlighting all the requirements, not everyone who applies earns these scholarships, and these are not all the scholarships available to our students. You should check with your transfer institution to find out what great scholarships might be available.

Here are a few I know about:

• Elmhurst University Honors Program Scholarship. For this scholarship, you need to be part of the MVCC honors college. Applications open in the second semester.
• UIC has two scholarships that cover tuition for one semester–the specific semester that you are transferring in. Each scholarship has different requirements. The first is the Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Award, which requires you to be part of PTK, the Honors Society at MVCC. The second is the Transfer Merit Tuition Award, which requires that you are admitted in the UIC Honors program.
• Saint Xavier University. This scholarship is full tuition for transfer students. However, you need to be part of a transfer program the university offers known as Guaranteed Admission Agreement. Here is the application for the scholarship, and application to the Guaranteed Admission Agreement program.

What is the best way to maximize these resources?

Start early. Know which school you hope to transfer to, and look at their scholarships. Second, put together your best application possible. Get a second pair of eyes to review any needed essays, and have confidence that your hard work will pay off. Even if you don’t win the specific scholarship you are applying to, having determination will get you far.

Although this is a resource best for early birds, even if you are about to graduate, it still doesn’t hurt to give a scholarship a try.

I wish you all the best of luck!