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11 Scholar Tips for Scholarships
Chalk Talk #55 11 Scholar Tips for Scholarships
It’s no secret that college can be very expensive. That’s why many students depend on gathering different sources of financial aid—such as grants, loans, and scholarships—to attend college.
Scholarships are a great form of financial aid because they do not have to be repaid; however, they can be very difficult to obtain.
These 11 tips for scholarships, taken from our recently released College Playbook, will help your students master the scholarship search.
11 Scholar Tips for Scholarships:
- Don’t overlook school-specific scholarships: Visit the financial aid websites of the colleges you apply to and explore which scholarship opportunities they offer to incoming freshmen.
- Keep track of deadlines and requirements: Use an Excel or Google spreadsheet to stay organized about what is due when.
- Search near you: Don’t just search nationally. Find out which local businesses, organizations, and civic and professional groups offer scholarships.
- Search what you know: Major brand name companies such as Nike, Coca-Cola, and Google usually offer scholarships. They may not be good matches for you, but they could be worth looking into.
- Look for state government scholarships: See whether your state’s government offers special scholarships. Keep in mind that they are usually awarded to students who attend in-state colleges.
- Check out military scholarships: A massive amount of funding is available to students intending to become military officers either by attending U.S. service academies or participating in ROTC.
- Avoid time-consuming marketing plays: Some corporations offer scholarships that require applicants to collect votes or “likes” on social media. Stay away from these unless your goal is to promote a company for no reward.
- Avoid scholarship scams: Stay away from scholarships that require payment of any kind or generally seem too good to be true.
- Be aware of strings attached: Before applying for a scholarship, know what will be required of you to keep it.
- Talk to teachers and counselors: It’s quite possible they may have had students who won awards in the past but never thought to mention these opportunities. It never hurts to ask!
- Search early: If you can enter senior year with a strong scholarship list and a handful of solid essays, you’ll have more success with scholarships.
Written by college admissions expert Lucas Spielfogel, The College Playbook gives students the perfect play-by-play on how to win at the college admissions process. Your students will benefit from the same down-to-earth advice that has helped students across the nation find the best college for their passion and skills.
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