Creating your own scholarship fund?

[DPTinthemaking15]

So... I have always done my best to helps others. No matter the situation, if I am given the chance, I am going to do my best to help. All of my EC's demonstrate this, but there is one thing I have always wanted to do, and that is create a scholarship fund. I know as a lowly pre-med and a student from a poor background, I don't have the funds to do something like this. I know there are GoFundMe's, but I have never used one and I don't know if something like this would work. Now, let me explain what type of scholarship I would like to fund/begin.

Over the summer I started looking into the expenses of applying to medical school (Plane tickets/car rides, purchasing/renting a suit, hotel rooms, etc...). It is a hefty amount and if you are like me, I come from a VERY poor background. So, what does a student that can barely afford a hotel room think of first, how can I help fellow students struggling with the same issues. My plan is this, create some type of fund/scholarship that provides students with a visa card of some sort. Also, I would like to contact hotel's, suit rental companies, etc... To see if they would offer some type of discount to these "potential" medical students. Here is my issue, I don't know where to begin. Is this a possibility as a pre-med? Any help would be appreciated.

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[Professional Student]

I think it's a great idea, but I don't know how much progress you'll be able to make on it before drawing a good paycheck. I think it would best be accomplished by working with your university's foundation or alumni association to set up a scholarship fund, and also set it up where the foundation makes the necessary purchases for interviewing students. I don't see this working without a University foundation to manage it each year, and I also don't see handing students a visa working out well. I think it work best if a student that has an interview can meet with a representatitive of the endowment and that representative can book flights/hotels/cars/suits. I don't know about other universities, but my university's foundation would be all over this if someone offered to work with them.

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

I think it's a great idea, but I don't know how much progress you'll be able to make on it before drawing a good paycheck. I think it would best be accomplished by working with your university's foundation or alumni association to set up a scholarship fund, and also set it up where the foundation makes the necessary purchases for interviewing students. I don't see this working without a University foundation to manage it each year, and I also don't see handing students a visa working out well. I think it work best if a student that has an interview can meet with a representatitive of the endowment and that representative can book flights/hotels/cars/suits. I don't know about other universities, but my university's foundation would be all over this if someone offered to work with them.

Very true. I am in the beginning stages of presenting something like this to my University or someone that would eat this up. It seems like a lot of hurdles to jump through, but it would be worth it in the end. I like the idea of a University handling this or offering some type of redeemable certificate (that can only be used to purchase suits, airline ticket, etc..). Thank you for your input!