Scholarship research tips
Never pay someone to help you find a scholarship. You can find all of these for free. The point is to make money, not lose money!
1. Get organized – Create a filing system so that you can keep track of all of the scholarship applications you have submitted and easily locate documents such as your transcripts, test scores and essays.
2. Create a separate professional email address for your scholarship search. Use perhaps your name or initials no funny stuff. It can feel overwhelming to be bogged down by emails, so a separate email account for scholarships can simplify the process. Monitor and manage on a weekly basis, remove your email address from sites you no longer find helpful.
3. Be aware that some schools (and employers) will search online for social media accounts or profiles when evaluating your application – what you present to the public is extremely important in the online world.
4. Dedicate yourself to the search. Searching for and applying for scholarships takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of time, but it can really pay off. Start with a school you are interested in - review the financial aid/scholarship search web page, bookmark - review often - mark the deadlines in your calendar.
5. Start your search where you plan to attend, as the school will often have privately funded scholarships by department, category, or classification. Use online scholarship search engines that match your profile to scholarships opportunities, and then check at your school and in your community.
6. Do not avoid applying for scholarships because they require an essay. This increases your odds! If you need help writing a personal statement or college essay, you can always come to Guidance and we can help with tips on how and what to write.
7. Talk to friends and family members – let everyone know that you are looking for advice and assistance in learning about how to earn scholarships. There are many organizations participating in offering financial aid assistance, so the more you put the word out, the more opportunity you have to better your odds.
8. Students, who are eligible, and are planning on higher education, should complete the FAFSA. (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online. You can complete the FAFSA Forecaster now, and then January 1st of your senior year, log on to submit your application. www.fafsa.ED.GOV
IT IS FREE – there are similarly worded websites that charge a fee, so be careful make sure it says ED.GOV!