Scholarships are a key part of getting ready for college; it’s essentially free money! When the total costs of tuition, housing fees, and more seem to add up, scholarships are a great way to help fish yourself from those overwhelming waters. But where to start? The process of it all can be daunting. Here are some tips to keep in mind.
Be Efficient
There are two different types of scholarships: ones that require essays and scholarships that do not. The scholarships that do not require essays work are in practice, a raffle. You may have a better chance at focusing on scholarships that require essays. Having an essay or two that you’ve refined can be useful for applying for multiple scholarships, making sure to tweak the recycled essay so that it fits whatever prompt you are responding to.
Organization
On another note, being organized is an easy step in making the process of scholarships less intimidating. You can start by simply making a list, whether that be a Google Doc or Google Sheet to record each scholarship you’ve applied to and their due dates. Pay attention to those deadlines and plan accordingly! You should also make sure to be using the same email for your applications so that the reminders and notifications will be sent to the same inbox.
Be Specific
Whether that be for race/ethnicity, location, major, career, or hobbies, there are scholarships for basically any topic. Do not think because a prompt sounds silly that it doesn’t make it legitimate. If you’re struggling to find anything that applies to you, think of what you enjoy doing and research scholarships that fit your interests, as there is bound to be one out there.
Look Locally
Most importantly, look locally and do not just focus on the big scholarships. There are many useful scholarship websites out there like Bold or Scholarships360, but you may find it difficult to win or even be nominated for many of the opportunities on these types of websites. This is due to the fact that these websites are available to students on a national level, which makes the pool of applicants that much larger. These websites are trusted, however you may find your time better spent looking on a more niche level. While these niche-type scholarships may not offer huge totals of money in comparison, they add up over time.
For starters, on Shawnee Highschool’s website, SHS will post scholarships for seniors to apply starting on February 1st. Here, you can find local scholarships specific not just to Medford but to SHS students, which is a great starting point. The Community Foundation of New Jersey is another great resource to find scholarships specific to New Jersey.
Do Not Get Discouraged
Everyone’s journey to college is different. If you do not receive the scholarship(s) you are hoping for, do not give up! Continue to research scholarships at all levels, be prepared, and continue to apply.
