Helping students find cash for college

Angelique Flores

High school prepares students for college. But after the acceptance

letter arrives, the next question is: How do you pay for it all?

Scholarships and grants are the answers for many, but trying to figure

out how and where to apply can be daunting.

That’s where Adrienne May of Huntington Beach comes in.

May runs Student Grant and Scholarship Services, a home-based business

that provides students with lists of available grants and scholarships.

“She was a lifesaver,” said Temple Johnson of Cypress. “That was the

money I needed to get in there.”

Johnson looked up May when she was trying find a way to pay for her

undergraduate classes at the University of Phoenix in Irvine. In just a

few weeks of working with May, the coed received $3,500 in grants.

“I was surprised at any amount money that I got. I really didn’t know

I could get that much,” Johnson said.

May started the service seven years ago, after running into trouble

finding grant and scholarship information when she was working on her own

schooling.

“I thought it would be nice if I had someone guide me through the

maze,” she said.

May charges students a $100 one-time processing fee in exchange for a

guarantee that if the student doesn’t qualify for at least six grants and

receive at least $300 in aid, she’ll return the money. She said has made

only 25 refunds--some of which went to students who changed their minds

about going to college.

Students looking for financial help must attend an accredited school

and fill out an application that asks about the student’s major, career

plans, financial status, race, heritage, gender and age.

May uses that information to search a database of more than 300,000

listings. In about two weeks, she provides a list of grants and

scholarships that the student can apply for during the following 15

months.

“It is so important to keep a good grade-point average, and not be out

working,” May said. “This takes stress off a student who might otherwise

be waiting on tables or working in the retail industry. That’s a lot

harder to do than to spend 15 minutes to get scholarship money.”

Most grants run between $2,500 and $5,000, May said, and on average

most students receive at least one offer.

May advises students to start applying for financial aid at least

eight months before college classes begin.

Many of the grants and scholarships come from multimillion-dollar

corporations and private organizations.

“There is a lot of money out there that people don’t know about

because most people don’t advertise,” May said.