Cal-SOAP/Kern County Scholarship

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The Cal-SOAP/Kern County Scholarship is offered through the Southern San Joaquin Valley Cal-SOAP Consortium to aid graduating seniors who demonstrate financial need in attaining their goal of attending a community college or university. Students must begin attendance in Fall and carry a minimum of 9 quarter units or 11 semester units. The Cal-SOAP/Kern County Scholarship was established in 2007 and offers both first time scholarships to Kern County seniors and renewals to previous award winners.  This year approximately 40-60 new scholarships and 40 renewal scholarships will be awarded. All graduating seniors and previous recipients of this scholarship are invited to apply. Amounts of the scholarships are as follows: $1,000 for students attending community/junior college, $1,000-$2,500 for students attending a CSU, $3,000 for students attending a UC, $4,000 for students attending private or out-of-state institutions. We strongly encourage all students, regardless of financial need, to apply. Funding for the Cal-SOAP/ Kern County scholarship is made possible by The College Access Foundation of California.  Complete an Application 

Application deadline is April 1, 2008.


Frequently Asked Questions:


Q: How many scholarships do you give out?
A: Though the exact number of scholarships varies due to the specific amounts earned by the award recipients, we awarded 42 scholarships for the 2007/08 school year and we plan to award a comparable amount for the 2008/09 school year.

Q: What is the Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA and why do you ask for it?
A: The SAR is a report FAFSA sends you regarding their findings. If you file online, you will instantly be able to look at you SAR. You can also return to your account at fafsa.ed.gov to view and print your SAR any time after you have submitted. Similar to many other scholarships, we use the Estimated Family Income (EFC) calculated through the FAFSA to determine financial need. However, we do not take the number given by FAFSA as a literal amount that we expect your family to contribute and financial need is only one of many areas we look at when awarding a scholarship.

Q: What happens if I go to a school different from the one I put on my application?
A: If you have received a scholarship and you decide to attend a school that is different from the one you originally reported, your award amount can be affected. For example, if you planned to attend Columbia University you would have been awarded $4,000 because it is an out of state school. If you then decided to stay near home and attend CSU, Bakersfield, you would still be guaranteed an award, but it would be for $1,000. If the change went the other direction, you planned to attend CSU, Bakersfield and then decided to attend Columbia University, we would try to accommodate the change by increasing your award. However, this may not always be possible, depending on the amount of money we have yet to distribute, and when you contacted us about the change.

Q: When will I be notified about my scholarship? Will I be notified if I do not receive a scholarship?
A: Award winners will be notified at their high school’s financial aid Awards Night. If your school does not have an awards night, you will be notified at the beginning of June. If you are not awarded a scholarship or if you are put on the alternate list, you will be notified by mail in June.

 

Scholarship Requirements:

  • Must be a Kern County graduating Senior.
  • Must currently attend a Kern County High School or a Cal-SOAP High School.
  • Must have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA to qualify for a community college scholarship.
  • Must have a minimum of a 2.8 GPA to qualify for a CSU, UC, Private or Out of State scholarship.
  • Must demonstrate some degree of financial need.

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Scholarship Tips and Tricks:

  • Read ALL directions before you begin your application
  • Begin collecting information you need, especially if you are depending on others as you will for transcripts and letters of recommendation.  It takes time to gather all of the information, so plan ahead.
  • Know your deadline.  A late application is alsmost never accepted.  Don't miss out on a scholarship because you are unsure of the deadline.
  • Vigorously avoid mistakes on your essay and application.  Always spell check, proofread, and allow at least one other person to proofread your application and essay for errors.
  • Display the most outstanding aspects of yourself.  Consider asking one person who knows your strengths and struggles well to read for content.  They may bring up important information about you that you have left out.
  • Stay organized.  Keep track of deadlines and materials required to complete your application.  Check and double-check your application before you send it out. Keep a folder containing all of the scholarship information you use in case of emergency.
  • Do not rely on your parents to do all the work.  You are applying for the scholarship, not your parents.

Avoid The Most Common Mistakes Made on Scholarship Applications:

  • Not following directions.
  • Missing the deadline.
  • Not typing your application or sending in a sloppy application.
  • Forgetting to spell check, and to proofread after you spell check.
  • Not including information such as transcripts or recommendation letters.
  • Not fully answering the essay question or another question asked.

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