If you are a student planning on attending college, and are looking for scholarship money to cover tuition, here is what you need to do to make sure that you will be eligible more lots of scholarship money and will be one of the most competitive scholarship applicants out there.
First of all, students must PLAN ahead to get college scholarship money. Not only should you start your college grant and scholarship early (there is a lot of financial aid money out there that is handed out to students on a first-come, first-serve basis, meaning you need to apply as soon as you become eligible), but you should also get involved in activities and excel academically as early as possible, so that you have a good record on your scholarship application and essays.
During a student’s sophomore year in high school, it is important to begin gathering and organizing scholarship applications, beginning to acquire letters of recommendation, writing scholarship application essays, getting transcripts, and taking the SAT’s. Most scholarship applications will require that students provide all of these credentials in order to be eligible for the scholarship money. Along with this, students should also begin saving money for college costs as early as possible, since you do not know how well you will succeed with scholarships.
Even if the money you save up from your part time job only pays for books and a bit of tuition, this will still give a student a nice financial advantage when they get to college.
During a student’s junior year, they should attend any financial aid information seminars held at their school or nearby; these will provide more insight and ideas for how students can obtain more scholarship money for college. Just remember that the more information you have increases your chances of getting more financial aid for college.
During your senior year, you need to get started RIGHT AWAY in getting ready to apply for college and scholarships, otherwise you will find yourself very stressed before long. Apply for your FAFSA pin number as soon as you can (as early as November); most schools require you to complete the FAFSA in order to be eligible for much scholarship money that is available. Get started on writing scholarship essays and completing college applications (even though you can’t submit them until around December) as early as the summer before your senior year. This will give you more time to perfect them later on, and also to apply to extra scholarships later on in the year.
In January of your senior year, start completing the FAFSA form and submit it as soon as possible. The FAFSA can be submitted as early as January 1st, and the sooner you can submit the FAFSA, the better. Also check if the scholars you are applying to require any other forms in order to be eligible for college scholarship money. Review your Student Aid Report (SAR) during March to make sure that the info you submitted on your FAFSA student application is accurate, and also update any current tax information.
Students will receive their college acceptance and financial aid reward letters in April, at which time a student can decide which school/option suits them best. During May, sign and return your financial aid reward letter to the school you choose to attend, and decline any from schools you are not attending.
Students following this timeline will probably have a more relaxed senior year, and will have a better chance of getting more college scholarship money.
One of the most important things students need to remember in order to get money for college is the importance of STAYING involved throughout high school! Get involved in clubs…sports…excel academically…get recommendations…and do everything you can as a student so that you will stand out on writing scholarship essays/applications and when you apply to college. Most important of all, don’t stress and have fun while doing it!
Feb 18, 2009
