The Hunt for Scholarships

Recently, my youngest son has applied and been accepted to attend the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. My wife and I are so happy for him as we both are proud alumni of the University of Alabama. We, like many other parents around the state, are on a desperate hunt for scholarships. As the cost of college gets increasingly more expensive, the need for scholarships gets increasingly more important.

My wife and I recently found out that students bound for the University of Alabama are eligible to apply for student loans that only cover about 19% of the total college bill for one year. What, only 19% of the total bill? That’s right. Back in the days when I attended the University of Alabama, students were able to apply and get student loans that covered 100% of the total cost. Nowadays, things have changed. It becomes the burden of working parents to either get a Parent Plus Loan, or to seek out as many scholarships and grants as possible.

The Student Financial Aid resources page serves as a guide to library resources that may be used to help you locate, evaluate, and utilize information about grants, scholarships, and loans. The page is divided into three sections: library catalog subjects, library databases, and websites. The library catalog subjects will lead you to books owned by one or more of the public libraries in Jefferson County. Library databases may be accessed in a public library or from your own computer if you have a valid library card. Internet websites can be accessed from any computer.

Andrei Jones
Five Points West Regional Branch Library