It is no shock to anyone that college is expensive. It used to be that getting in a good school was the hard part of planning your future, but now we have years worth of loan payments to worry about, that could not only effect where we go to school, but our financial situation post graduation.
With more students than ever crumbling under the pressure of paying for their education, it is even more important to look into any options available for scholarships and financial aid. While it may take extra time and effort, it’s well worth it in the long run and can save your thousands on your education costs. Here are several resources that can help for your education.
Check With Your High School and Local Organizations
Not all high schools offer scholarship opportunities, but it’s worth looking into if they can help you in any way. Most likely, your guidance counselor should be able to direct you to school-approved websites and local organizations that are taking applicants for scholarships. Though you most likely won’t make big bucks from a local scholarship, every little bit counts.
Check With Your Intended University
This is important for two reasons. First, you need to make sure to meet with the financial aid department to discuss your future payment plan and all the options available to you. Usually you will need to know a little bit about your financial aid plan and intended scholarship offerings when you receive your acceptance letter, but it wouldn’t hurt to follow up with them and ask about any other opportunities you could take advantage of. Even if they have nothing else to offer you, they could probably provide you with some helpful resources.
Internship Websites & College Specialty Sites
Internship websites, college blogs, and other college lifestyle websites are a great way to find national or statewide scholarship opportunities. Applications for these scholarships will vary, from essay contests or video submissions to simple questionnaires. A few sites to peruse are College Confidential, College Data, Big Future, and ScholarshipOwl. Even if you just stumble upon some blogs from recent or soon-to-be college freshmen, getting tips and resources from students in the same situation as you can be helpful, and networking with them can help expand the amount of ground you cover in your search. Your high school or future university should also be able to direct you to some websites that they partner with or hold in high regard.
Another great site is Scholarships.com. It’s an excellent resource for not just finding scholarship offerings, but they provide tons of tips on searching, applying, and securing a scholarship. With a plethora of information on private scholarships, government grants, and student loans, scholarships.com is definitely a site you should peruse when looking for college tuition aid.
Have any college scholarship tips to add? Feel free to comment below!
