Where To Find Scholarships

Going to college is a great choice to further your education, however it’ expensive! Many people have to find scholrships and other awards to be able to afford the high cost of college. The good news is that there are many places to search for scholarships, as well as numerous different institutions, organizations and companies that offer scholarships for many different educational goals.

There are many kinds of scholarships available. Not all scholarships are for students who have played a sport or who have perfect grades. There are many scholarships that are available for every subject and degree type. Having higher grades does help, however there are many other factors that are taken into account when applying for scholarships. A few things to remember when applying and looking for scholarships is:

• Demographics. Where do you live? How large is the city you live in? How many people are able to go to college in that city, what is the college statistic rate? There are scholarships out there based on where a person lives or the area they live in.
• Age, sex and race. Age, sex and race do come into play when applying for scholarships. There are scholarships that are specifically set up for females or males. There are also scholarships for different races too. Different Indian groups may offer scholarships for students that have an Indian heritage, even when they are not part of the same tribe. African American, Asian, Latino and other more specific race based scholarships are also available. Plus, there are scholarships based on age, in the sense of awards for people returning to school or going on to complete a graduate degree.
• Organizations and groups that you may be a part of. There are many scholarships available when the person is active military or a veteran. These also can include family that is or was in the military. Look into other organizations that yourself or your family may be a part of. For example, union workers many times have scholarships available to them because they are part of a certain local or national union. This can also include people that work in other industries or part of other groups. Look through scholarships that are offered that have particular requirements that fit your profile.
• If you have a disability or a unique situation, for instance a single parent, there are scholarships for this too. Many different groups offer scholarships for people that may not be able to go to college because of situations in their life.
• How much do you make? There are many general scholarships that are awarded based on a person’s financial situation. This is one of the easier scholarships to find and they are more solely based on academics and how much money the person actually has to go to college.

When looking for a scholarship or multiple scholarships, remember to keep in mind everything about yourself and life. Many factors that may seem unimportant or not related to going to college, could mean getting a scholarship. The first place to check is at the college you are attending. They have entire listing of all the scholarships available, the requirements to apply for one and when the application due date is. This is the best place to check first.

After going through the college’s database, check with any organizations or groups you are part of. They may have it listed on their website even. Think of any and all connections that you may have. A lot of scholarship searching and finding awards, is looking for those connections and networks that you would least expect to find a scholarship. Even a past organization that you worked for or were a part of might mean you still qualify to apply for a particular scholarship.

Lastly, check online. There are a lot of websites available that offer scholarships and have listings for scholarships. However, there are so many that it can take a lot of time to go through them all. Three of the top websites to use to find scholarships are:

http://www.fastweb.com

http://www.scholarships.com

http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

These three are very comprehensive, have a lot of additional scholarship information and alternative options for scholarships as well. They can send updates for when there are new scholarships are added that you might qualify for and they cover the gamut of scholarships available.

Going to college and paying for it is a big decision and a huge investment, emotionally and financially. Do not give up on finding a scholarship for yourself. Remember too, you can always win multiple scholarships as well to cover the financial cost. So, it is always important to apply for as many as you qualify for, because you never know which ones you’ll win.