One of the big subjects you hear a lot about when you are getting ready to apply for college is "scholarships". Scholarships are money given by either an institution or an individual towards a student's college tuition, and it DOES NOT have to be paid back.
There are two types of scholarships: private and public
Public Scholarships: usually come into account right after you apply for a public school, and typically based on "Merit" or grades and test scores. The amount you could be eligible for will vary based on that.
Private Scholarships: provided by companies, individuals, or private institutions, they are not necessarily based on merit, but will have their own requirements.
Which means - YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE GOOD GRADES OR TEST SCORES TO QUALIFY FOR CERTAIN SCHOLARSHIPS! There are many different types of scholarships out there for the most random things and they don't always require that you have good grades. So don't count yourself out yet on getting money towards school!
Other Things to Know:
- all scholarships have a due date for when they must be turned in; check them carefully so you don't miss it!
- there are quite a few scholarships that require that you have filed the FAFSA before applying for the scholarship; read the scholarship requirements carefully
- NEVER pay money to apply for a scholarship! Those are scams!
- a lot of scholarships require a short essay, don't be scared off! write one essay to reuse for each scholarship that requires something similar.
And the most important thing: DON'T ASSUME THAT A SCHOLARSHIP WILL HAVE TOO MANY APPLICANTS, MOST SCHOLARSHIPS GO UN-APPLIED FOR!
Now get out there are start applying, scholarships stack so get as many as you can and maybe you won't have to pay for tuition at all!
You can find some scholarships I've already reviewed on the Home page of this website or by going here: https://www.dixiehighcounseling.org/scholarships.html
Other good websites for hunting down scholarships:
If you are ever unsure of how to apply or looking for a specific scholarship, feel free to shoot me an email at ciera.elliott@washk12.org !