How to Optimize your Scholarship Search

By Bethany Stewart

​     People always discuss how stressful applying to college can be, but another, less debated, part of the college process that can be just as stressful is applying for scholarships. Trying to win a scholarship can be overwhelming. Many students do not even know where to begin when searching for scholarships that they want to apply for. Senior, Rachel Scheinberg, commented, “When I was looking into scholarships that I was eligible for I was so overwhelmed. I had no clue where to start.” This is not something unusual for a high school senior to experience around this time of year. Here are some tips to get you started on your scholarship search.

1. Start by looking for scholarships that come directly from the college you plan on attending. Most colleges will have a page with the specific additional scholarships that the school offers. (This is outside merit scholarships that come from the college). You should check these every couple of weeks, as new opportunities will arise as the year goes on. Some of these will be major specific.
   
   
2. The next place to look for scholarships is at your school’s guidance office. Typically, there will be a folder or binder filled with college specific scholarships as well. These may overlap with the ones on the college’s website, but it is important to be through and check both places to start. Your school’s guidance office will also have a list of local scholarships, these may be different from the local ones that will come up in the next steps of your scholarship search.
   
   
3. The next step would be to search for local scholarships offered through various community organizations. These scholarships have a limited number of potential applicants, giving you a greater opportunity to win. This includes your local church, a county Chamber of Commerce, local hospitals, rotary clubs, Lions Club, etc.
   
   
4. Now that you have looked into local scholarships, you should search for scholarship opportunities on the state level. There are many scholarships offered to residents of a specific state. The organization include the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as other government sponsored organizations or companies.
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5. Another way to find scholarships that you qualify for is through Google searches. This means that if you have something unique about yourself, such as being ambidextrous, you can search google and say “scholarships for being ambidextrous.” Also, if you work, search job specific scholarships. There is a scholarship for students who are employed as golf cart caddies. These students are eligible to win a full ride to college for their specific employment.
   
   
6. The final route that you can take is looking through scholarship websites such as fastweb.com and Niche.com. These sites will search through millions of national scholarships, and based on the information you provide, will filter out scholarships that you qualify for. This should be your last search for scholarships, as winning a national scholarship is more difficult. There are millions of other people who have applied for this scholarship as well, so it is best to focus on the scholarships that you have a higher chance of winning first, and only apply to these scholarships if you feel as though you have strong potential to win.
   
   

     Ultimately, looking into and applying for scholarships will take time and effort, but following these steps can help to maximize the time you take doing so. Senior, Kunal Aghera, claims, “I started using a spreadsheet to organize my scholarships, and it has helped me so much.” This tip to maintain a spreadsheet can ensure you will not miss important deadlines. Finding a scholarship that fits you is hard, but these tips will help you narrow down the options. Good luck with your scholarship searching!