Scholarships: now that you're in, how do you pay for it?

I can't believe how much university/college tuition has risen over the last few decades!  If you're a senior that has decided (back on May 1) which college you'll be attending, you might be overwhelmed about how to fill the gaps that you likely have in your financial aid package.

After all those essays from the admissions process, you're likely to want to take a break from anymore writing or submission of applications - but  don't!  Applying to scholarships is actually worth your while as there are many students that do sit back and relax and don't even bother to apply.  This ups your odds of getting some aid.  And, many of the times, you won't need to submit  a  personal  statement.  And very likely,  you'll find that you can recycle a lot of the work that was completed back in the fall!

LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS
We highly advocate for prioritizing application to local scholarships.  There are many of them, while at a lower gift, you're more likely to actually receive the award.  There are a few places in which you can search for all types of scholarships, specifically for local scholarships...

• Talk to your guidance counselor, coaches, club/association leaders/teachers; these adults will be most in the know about scholarships related to your school and extracurricular activities
• Reach out to your local community hubs such as libraries, community centers, religious organizations, and cultural centers

ONLINE SEARCH
You can find both national, regional, and local scholarships online.  Our favorite websites for the search are:

• ​Unigo: www.unigo.com
• College board: bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search

Again, if you don't apply, you won't get anything!  And lots of smaller scholarships can make a significant dent in tuition costs.  So, while we aren't telling you to avoid the big, prestigious scholarships, we do encourage you to apply to many of the opportunities that may have smaller awards that have less competition and better your odds of securing funds.  

Best of luck on the scholarship search and application process!

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