For juniors and seniors who want to go to college, scholarships are an important part of the application process.
There are scholarships for many fields and people. To receive a scholarship, a student does not have to be an A student; some scholarships are directed towards people coming from specific backgrounds as well.
At Waterford High School, there is a College and Career Center headed by Mrs. Sweeney next to the library. Sweeney says students should look for local and regional scholarships before trying to apply to scholarships on the national level.
Looking for scholarships at the local and regional level can increase a students’ chances of getting the scholarships because many people do not apply to the scholarships offered locally. Sweeney says, “Every year, there is at least one local scholarship that doesn’t receive applications.”
To find out more about local scholarships, students can ask financial advisors about local scholarship opportunities, ask their parents’ employers, their places of work, their places of worship, or where they volunteer.
According to the Federal Student Aid, students should look for scholarships on government-funded financial aid websites, scholarship-based departments at school, businesses in the community, organizations based in a student’s specific field, the local library, or ethnic organizations that apply.
Another tip given by Sweeney is to “find your niche.” What this means is that there are general scholarships that all students can apply to, but there are many scholarships that are very specific in their requirements of the student applying.
According to Sweeney, most scholarships require applicants to fit into at least one of five categories: based on community service, merit, need, specific career after college, or niche specific to the scholarship. Most scholarships will also require an essay, recommendation, or transcript.
Some scholarships are based on academic achievements in high school, some based on niche topics, and some are simply based on financial need within the home.
The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) also advises students against waiting until the last minute to submit their applications for scholarships or to go looking for them. They also advise against looking for the highest scholarship value when applying, as well as avoiding cliche terminology when writing the entrance essay.
Sweeney advises students to make sure that the scholarship they are applying for is not a scam: “Never pay to apply for a scholarship and stay away from “no essay scholarships” or any scholarship that guarantees financial aid.”
According to the National Society of High School Scholars, all legitimate scholarship programs have access to students’ FAFSA accounts, so keeping in mind that legitimate scholarships do not need banking information.
The Federal Student Aid, says that while students are applying for scholarships and other student aid, they must be aware of the total amount of money that they are receiving. Students may receive money from several different sources, but the total amount must come to the total of tuition and fees.
If students are applying for financial aid from their college or career school, then the student must alert the school of how much money they have already received from other sources, if any. This will allow the college or career school to accurately calculate how much financial aid that they will give to the student.
When applying for scholarships, be sure to keep in mind these tips and tricks to further success in acquiring scholarships.
