Running Out of G.I. BILL
Updated: Mar 22, 2021
"What choices do I have to help pay for my last semesters of Law School? I'm going to run out of funding."
This is not unusual, a veteran student changes majors, or don't have a focus during the firat two years of college. For others, the choice of graduate school is too good to pass up. In this particular case, a service member had taken college courses while on active duty. Getting your Associate or your Bachelors before your discharge is a definite advantage. You can use your educational benefits to pursue a doctoral degree,
Here are some basics:
Do the FAFSA application. Don't worry about qualifying for the grant. If you do, that is good. If not, at least you have the option of taking out a low interest student loan. If you are so close to finishing, this may be a good option. Only borrow what you need.
Apply Scholarships. The time and effort can easily be well worth it. There are scholarships that go unawarded. Why? No one applied for the scholarship. Basically, if you don't apply, you have just told yourself "no." I personally would rather have someone else tall me< "no."
How to find scholarships:
The internet is a wonderful resource for starters. Do a search for scholarships offered by your school. For the University of the Pacific, here is the link: https://www.pacific.edu/financial-aid/scholarships
Next search for student veteran scholarships: https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/veteran-scholarships/
Do searches for your major, profession, hometown, hight and weight, ethnicity (DNA test show we all have all kinds of ethnic choices to select from. Ancestry.com and others are good ones, if you need.). Family names, religion, hobbies, family size, married, single or maybe lost or lonely veteran student scholarships. There are some very strange ones out there. For instance, here is one for the Navy Veteran: http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/navy.htm .
For law school, here are just a few I found. It just a sampling.
PECK LAW FIRM SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.collegescholarships.org/financial-aid/scholarship/peck-law-firm-scholarship
Applicant must be an American citizen pursuing a law-related college, graduate school, or law school degree. Minimum 3.0 GPA and essay required. Recommendations letters and resumes encouraged.
No Geographic Restrictions
College junior, College freshman, Doctoral-level study, College senior, College sophomore, Master's-level study
All Majors Eligible
LAW SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.collegescholarships.org/financial-aid/scholarship/law-scholarship
Applicant must be a current undergraduate student at an accredited college or university in the United States who has aspirations to go to law school. Minimum 3.0 GPA and response to the following question is required: What do you hope to accomplish with a law degree?
United States
College senior, College freshman, College junior, College sophomore
Law (LL.B., J.D.)
SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY CONTEST AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR LAW STUDENTS
Applicant must be at least 18 years old who is an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral student majoring in pre-law or J.D. law at an institution in the United States. Minimum 2.0 GPA required.
No Geographic Restrictions
Master's-level study, Doctoral-level study, College senior, College junior, College freshman, College sophomore
All Majors Eligible
