As the price of a college education rises and total student debt continues to increase, scholarships can be a great weapon for students. Unlike a loan, scholarships never must be repaid. They are gifted by a variety of entities — ranging from charities and business to professional associations and the government. Here are a few key steps to follow to obtain a college scholarship.
Start the applications for your prospective scholarships well in advance so you’ll be ahead of schedule. There are many varieties of scholarships available — such as ones for academic success, athletics, minority groups, first-generation and more. For added rewards, reach out to your guidance counselor, financial aid officer, coaches or local businesses. Online searches will also help you find scholarship opportunities — these searches will yield thousands of results including many you may not have considered or didn’t know existed. Practically all online search choices give the capacity to filter search results to match your qualifications with available aid.
Before submitting an application, be sure to proofread all materials. Run spell and grammar check on the application or have a mentor read your essays to catch any mistakes and offer feedback. In case you’re reusing material —, for example, such as a cover letter — from another scholarship application, ensure you haven’t left any inaccurate names. For more data on the most proficient method to get ready, put together, look and apply for scholarships, see the going with infographic.
