A scholarship is money you apply for to help cover college expenses. It is separate from financial aid and does not need to be paid back. There is no shortage of scholarships you can apply to and the earlier you start your research, the more opportunities there will be available to you!
While you will be eligible to apply to scholarships each year you are in high school, there are a significantly greater number of scholarships you can apply to in the second half of your junior year and your senior year. That said, you can start applying for college scholarship money as early as your freshman year. Our best advice is to begin your scholarship search early so you don’t miss out on any good opportunities.
Scholarships are often a crucial part of the college application process, especially for low-income students. This is why it’s important to know where to find scholarships and when high schoolers should apply for scholarships. In this article, we will discuss who can apply for scholarships, how to find local scholarships, where to apply for scholarships online, and more.
To start off, you might be wondering: Are scholarships financial aid? And are scholarships free? Although scholarships may be included in your financial aid award letter, scholarships are separate from financial aid and do not need to be paid back.
Scholarships are funded by community organizations, businesses, religious organizations, and individuals. There are two broad categories of scholarships: those awarded by the school you are attending (these are the scholarships that may be included in your award letter) and all other scholarships. Let’s call the first category “institutional scholarships” and the latter category “external scholarships”.
External scholarships are awarded at local, regional, and national levels.
Alongside geographic restrictions or lack thereof, external scholarships determine eligibility based on one or more of the following: citizenship status, class year, achievements, identities, and/or family relations. Depending on the scholarship, your extracurricular activities and volunteer hours may be important factors as well.
In addition to external scholarships, you may be eligible for scholarships offered by individual colleges and universities. These “institutional scholarships” may be need-based, merit-based, or a combination of the two. Some of these scholarships will require specific applications, while others may be automatically considered upon submitting your college application.
You may need to send in a separate application for some institutional scholarships. This is why it’s important to check college websites to determine whether there are specific scholarships you are eligible for and should apply to. As with external scholarships, institutional scholarship deadlines will vary. This is why it is best to check institutional scholarship availability at the start of your college application process so you can prioritize applying.
Your high school counselor is a good person to ask about scholarships, particularly local and regional scholarships. While there is a lot of information and guidance online about popular national scholarships, you may not find the same amount of information about more localized scholarships. This is why your high school guidance counselor and high school teachers are great resources to turn to when trying to figure out how to apply for local scholarships.
Additionally, there are several websites where you can create a profile that will filter out and recommend scholarships you may be eligible for. Some of these websites include Fastweb, Unigo, Cappex, and Niche. This can be a great way to apply for multiple scholarships at once.
Curious about how to apply for scholarships through Common App? According to its website:
There are thousands of scholarships you may be eligible to apply for. Some scholarships offer more money and benefits than others. In general, the more money a scholarship offers, the more competitive the scholarship. In addition to asking your high school counselor about scholarship opportunities, building a profile on a scholarship search website, and doing some of your own research, you should also consider applying to some of the following competitive national scholarships if you are eligible.
There are a couple of national scholarship programs that you can apply to as a low-income student that cover your full cost of attendance for four years at a given college or university. You might consider checking out the following competitive scholarship programs for low-income students:
If you have a strong history of leadership at school or in your volunteer and extracurricular activities, you might look into getting nominated for the POSSE Scholarship. The POSSE Scholarship is awarded to high-achieving high school seniors with demonstrated leadership in certain areas of the United States. You can be nominated for POSSE if you live in one of the following areas: Atlanta, the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, or Washington, D.C. Those who win the scholarship are awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend one of POSSE’s partner schools.
If you are a Florida resident considering colleges in Florida, you should have your eye on a Bright Futures Scholarship. See our past blog post on the Bright Futures Scholarship here. All college-bound Florida residents upon meeting certain eligibility requirements can receive a Bright Futures Scholarship. The scholarship amount varies based on students’ achievements and whether they hope to apply their winnings to a Florida public or private college. The Bright Futures Scholarship is an incredible opportunity: it can be applied to all Florida public and private colleges! For a full list of Florida schools that accept the award, see this list.
College can be expensive. Many students and families rely on federal financial aid, external and institutional scholarships, and loans to afford a college education. Check out our post on college financial planning for more on these payment strategies.
As you apply for scholarships, it is important that you remain organized and motivated. Write important deadlines in your planner and keep track of all of your application materials in an organized list or spreadsheet. Leave yourself plenty of time to thoughtfully complete the required essays. You may even want to read up on how to write an essay for scholarships so that you’ll feel more prepared. If scholarships require letters of recommendation, make sure you allot plenty of time for your references to write and submit their letters.
Try to apply to a combination of external scholarships and institutional scholarships. Seek out schools that have a good track record of awarding admitted students with need-based and/or merit-based scholarships. And, most importantly, do not be discouraged by rejections. If you are applying for enough scholarships, you are bound to receive them.
In addition to understanding your financial aid package, it’s important to know how to apply for merit scholarships. If you began reading this article with questions such as: Can you apply for scholarships as a junior? Is it too late to apply for scholarships? And what are the best ways to apply for scholarships?, hopefully you’ve gained some important insights.
Begin your scholarship research as early as possible, especially if you are a low-income student. Some scholarship applications are more intensive than others, so you want to make sure you have plenty of time to prepare. You’ll also want to make sure that you are familiar with everything you need to know about FAFSA. If you have more questions about how to apply for scholarships as a senior or how to apply for scholarships online, reach out to learn more about our services. Our team members have all the resources to make sure you are on track.
You can start applying for college scholarship money as early as your freshman year of high school and as late as the spring semester of your senior year. The earlier you start, the more opportunities you’ll have available to you!
In today's job market, showcasing positive character traits and soft job skills is essential. Employers seek candidates with industry-related experience and hard job skills, but also value those who demonstrate personal values, habits, perspectives, and work ethic.
The rules of crafting your college application essays are generally the same. Here’s what to not to do on your college application essays.
Without proper guidance, students write their college application essays the same as they would write a five-paragraph essay in their English class. The difference is, college application essays like the Personal Statement and supplemental essays require introspection and a narrative approach.
There are seven prompts to choose from on the Common App for your personal statement essay. If you aren’t sure which prompt works for you, read our blog post on Choosing A Personal Statement Topic. There are hundreds of supplemental essay topics that a student could potentially write about, but the rules of crafting these college application essays are generally the same.
In this article, we will review common college application mistakes to avoid. We’ll also provide plenty of examples so you can review these mistakes in context. You also want to be aware of what topics to avoid in college essays. So if you’re curious about common application mistakes and cliche college essay topics to avoid, read on for further insights!
Imagine you meet the admissions officer through a mutual friend and this is the first time you’re meeting. You likely won’t talk about politics and religion. The same goes for your application essay.
While you can talk about these topics if they are important to you, it’s extremely important to speak on them in a way that will not offend your reader. Always be respectful. Context is also important. If you are applying to a religious school or a school known for having similar political values as you, you can discuss your views more freely.
It’s also important to remain optimistic in your college essays. Topics about overcoming personal challenges can demonstrate positive personality traits such as compassion, resiliency, and maturity. It’s equally important, however, to avoid sounding too nihilistic. College admissions officers do not need (or necessarily want) to hear about your darkest moments. They’d much rather hear about what excites and inspires you. Keep this in mind as you consider what you should put in your college essay.
While your college essay should be personal and introspective, again, there is no need to overshare. There is a lot of pressure to write mature and moving essays. In the end, though, your college essay shouldn’t be a political, social, or religious manifesto; it should be about getting into college.
The following excerpts are both political. While the first excerpt balances tone and content well, the second excerpt is too controversial for a college application essay. Let’s take a quick look at some of the do’s and don’ts when approaching political topics.
The next faux pas students make on their college application essays is rehashing accomplishments that were previously mentioned in their application. This is another important consideration when thinking about college application essay topics to avoid.
Listing your academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities, and community work are redundant. An admissions officer doesn’t want to hear about how you’re the president and/or leader of all of these clubs and that is what makes you so great. They want to get a greater sense of your personality and how you interact with the world. The best college essays are introspective, unique, and self-aware.
Remember, admissions officers read thousands of essays. They want to read essays that excite them and are memorable. So, what do you write about in your college essay? Ideally, your college essay should inspire admissions officers to view the rest of your application from a new perspective.
While your high school GPA and level of course rigor are important college application factors, they should be highlighted in other sections of your application. There is no need to write about your academic accomplishments in your essay. The following examples both discuss extracurricular activities. Let’s take a look at what they could have done better.
Finally, some students get caught up writing a story about a personal role model. This can be a parent, a friend, or a teacher. However, students tend to make the focal point about that person and not about themselves. In the end, the reader learns more about the student’s parent, friend, or teacher and nothing about the student.
College admissions officers want to know what inspires and excites you. When this is a person, however, it’s important not to focus on them too much within your essay. After all, your college essay should be about you!
Like with any important piece of writing, give yourself enough time to write several drafts. Seek out feedback from a few trusted individuals, such as your high school guidance counselor, an English teacher, or a parent. Avoid asking too many people for their opinion, however. This will likely lead to confusion and overediting.
You’ll also want to make sure that your essay is grammatically correct. If there are significant errors in your essay or other common app mistakes, admissions officers may believe that you do not take your college applications seriously. In some cases, they may even question your ability to write at a college level and therefore, succeed in college classes.
During your college research, pay close attention to what you should not write about in a college essay. You may also want to explore topics such as what happens during the college admissions committee review and reasons college applications may get rejected.
College application season can be a stressful time of year and it’s important to learn as much as you can about the different parts of the process. Whether you need help keeping track of important deadlines or knowing how to fill out financial aid documents, such as the FAFSA, remember to ask for help when you need it.
Here at Prepory, we have the resources to help students succeed. If you have dreams of attending a highly-selective college, such as an Ivy League, reach out to learn more about our services and how we can help you reach your college goals.
