Wayland's matchmaker connects students with money
___By Teresa Young
___Wayland Baptist University
___PLAINVIEW--In many respects, Perri McDonald is a matchmaker. But instead of hooking up couples for love, her matches involve hooking up students with money.
___As scholarship coordinator at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, McDonald is responsible for helping students apply for funding to finance their educations.
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PERRI MCDONALD, scholarship coordinator at Wayland Baptist University, says students and parents shouldn't think of private education as too expensive because financial aid is available.
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___McDonald holds the keys to many of the university's endowed scholarships, which are awarded annually based on interest from invested funds. Some of those awards come with strict criteria, such as field of study or intended career goals, while others carry only minimum standards for grade point averages and full-time status.
___In addition, McDonald oversees numerous scholarship funds provided by organizations or companies. In those instances, criteria may be fairly specific--one scholarship is just for women over 50 going back to school; one is for students from a particular county in Texas.
___This is when McDonald's matchmaking powers come into play.
___"I usually check with other financial aid staff or the admissions office in case they are aware of students that fit the bill for these scholarships and need funds," she said. She usually is successful in finding students to fit the profile.
___As a member of the Texas Independent College Fund, Wayland receives many notices of private scholarship funds available nearly for the asking. McDonald has helped several students receive these substantial, annually renewable awards.
___The biggest key for students, she said, is making needs known to those who might be able to help.
___"I usually don't have to hunt them down; if they have need, they'll come see me," she said. "I have a lot of students who just come in and ask if I have any scholarships available. Most of them I can help. There's obviously no guarantee, but at least they can apply and have a better chance."
___With education costs rising nationwide, parents and prospective students may believe private education is out of their reach. But McDonald points out that for those who are persistent and take a proactive approach to finding funds, success usually follows.
___She recommends services like Wiredscholar.com and FastWeb.com as online resources to help track down scholarships based on a student's personal qualifications. She also recommends general web searches for companies or organizations that might offer scholarships or checking with local or hometown civic clubs that give scholarships.
___For prospective and current students, McDonald encourages checking with the academic divisions in the student's major field since many of them have departmental scholarship funds to be awarded. Many schools, like Wayland, also offer hefty scholarships for incoming students based on standardized test scores.
___"It's really important for these high school students to take their ACT or SAT seriously and do well," she said. "If they don't do well the first time, they need to take it again. You don't want to sink your boat before you get it in the water."
___McDonald also urges students and parents not to get discouraged based on the findings of the federal financial aid applications. Although a family might fall into the category of low financial need, many scholarships are not based on need at all.
___"It's not all about the numbers," she said. "I get to know the students, too, and their circumstances and am often able to help those who make their situations known."
___According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, private schools are awarding more financial aid than ever. For the 1999-2000 school year, 84 percent of full-time undergraduates received some sort of aid, including federal, state and institutional grants, loans and scholarships. The average amount of aid received was $13,700.
___The situation at Wayland is similar, with 85 percent of full-time undergraduates receiving aid of some sort and average aid totaling $9,484.
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