Feeling pressure to apply for college may be frustrating and it might seem unfair that you have to worry about this while still in high school. Besides that, colleges are becoming more expensive and more difficult to get in to. So what can you do to help pay for a good education? Apply for scholarships.
You might find college and scholarship applications a boring task; however, if you want to go to college, someone has to pay.On average, college now costs around $10,000 per year at a public university when you include your dorm room, meals, books, and fees, to as high as $50,000 per year at a private school; but there are many Web sites filled with scholarship offers, all with different qualifications. You may not think you are suited to any of them, but you probably are. Take advantage of them!
Don’t worry; there are some things you can do to help with the application process. If you do a Web search for scholarships, thousands will come up; BUT be careful! Not all scholarship sites are trustworthy, so make sure you read everything carefully and ask your parents and/or a guidance counselor to check it out before applying.
You may be thinking, “I’m just a sophomore, so I don’t have to worry about this until senior year”. Don’t cut yourself short. You can still apply and, the more applications you submit, the more chance you have of getting money for college. Plus, you don’t want to be swamped filling out so much paperwork during your senior year. Get a head start.
Another tip is to check out scholarship options close to home. Often local businesses, churches, and other organizations offer scholarships that you never knew about. Check with your school guidance counselor to find out where to look.
Watch out because, once you begin making applications, you might get bored. A lot of the questions and essays are similar, but don’t take shortcuts. Spelling and grammar count toward your chances of earning money. And recent news stories show that many colleges are including more unusual questions in their applications in order to get at who their applicants really are. Be creative in answering these questions, making sure you are showing your greatest strengths. (Discuss how to answer all applications with your school guidance counselor, who will have a better idea what colleges are looking for.)
Be sure to keep your grades up and stay involved in school activities. Although it was mentioned earlier that even the average student can get a scholarship from somewhere, doing all these things will only add to your chances and help you get more scholarships than you would otherwise.
So don’t be freaked out by scholarship applications! With a little effort, you can tackle them and you will help save yourself or your parents a lot of money in the long run.
READERS! We want to hear from you...
Do you feel that it’s important to search for other scholarships, or are you counting on getting them through the college you plan to attend?
What places in your community do you think might offer scholarships?
How would you plan to pay for college without any scholarships?
