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Modest time investment results in money for school, living expenses
An investment of less than 10 hours will pay off for Paige Sian in the form of less debt from her undergraduate years, setting her up nicely for the next step in her career journey.
Sian is financing her senior year with money she received after using Central Michigan University’s Scholarship Universe. Scholarship Universe is CMU’s university-wide scholarship portal.
Finding enough money to pay for her senior year without taking on loans puts her in excellent shape to start graduate school with a lot less stress.
“Getting as much of your undergraduate degree debt-free is important to a lot of people,” she said. Sian is double majoring in biology and exercise science. She plans to attend medical school.
Scholarship Universe allows students to find almost every scholarship they qualify for at CMU. Last year, it was expanded from just university-wide scholarships to those available through colleges and individual programs.
That helped connect Sian to scholarships available through both of her programs, including the Health Professions Dean's Endowed Scholarship. Given out by a panel of faculty from the The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, that award carried special meaning for Sian.
“That’s my department, and I like that they saw and chose that for me,” she said.
Through Scholarship Universe, students answer a series of questions, after which they are connected to scholarships they might qualify for. It streamlines a process that once depended on hearing about funding opportunities from other students and a bit of luck.
“Before it was consolidated, you had to be there at the right time and right place,” she said.
Sian said it took her less than 10 hours of work to find enough money to pay for her senior year without taking on additional debt.
Because scholarships are a cash award, money left over after tuition and fees can be rolled over into an account to help pay living expenses like rent and utilities, she said. In fact, several rental properties in Mount Pleasant have payment plans timed to match due dates with dates students expect to receive their scholarship money, she said.
Finding scholarship money for life expenses helps ease stress in another big way. It means Sian can focus on her studies without worrying about finding a job and adding shifts to an already crowded schedule.
Sian said the money will also come in helpful in preparing for entrance exams for medical school, which can cost thousands of dollars. Money from scholarships can pay for those fees, plus costs associated with preparing for the exams.
