The search for private college scholarships is an integral part of the college planning process. Even a small scholarship can help defray your college expenses and may allow you to turn down a loan or reduce the amount one needs to borrow. Now is the time to start. Deadlines for private scholarships for the academic year for college bound students will start cropping up after the new year and will culminate for the most part by July. If you are planning to conduct your own scholarship search, there are strategies that you can use to manage your search and improve the effectiveness of your search. Your search could uncover scholarships for which you qualify to apply and managing them all can be overwhelming without a plan. So you will need to develop a system for tracking each scholarship's application description and requirements, forms, references, deadlines and copies of all documents that you submit to support your application.
It would also be wise to set up a calendar to plot what you need to do and when for all scholarships that you decide to apply for. As you begin the scholarship search process, you will need to develop a list of your skills,interests and attributes. Don't be afraid to include your religion, ethnicity and unusual characteristics. Adopted or foster children will find that there are a number of scholarships or grants for them on the national, state or county/regional level. There are a number of reliable internet scholarship search sites including finaid.org and fastweb.com. You can also simply do a Google search for scholarships. To do a Google search enter the word scholarship and whatever topic/subject you want. High school students should check with their guidance office, which keeps track of local scholarship opportunities. Don't forget libraries and bookstores are great resources for books that list scholarships. Use a variety of resources to maximize your scholarship options. Students who are employed part time may be eligible for scholarships through an employer.
This is particularly true for those working for regional or national retail chains. Don't neglect checking with your parents' employers, as they may offer scholarships to employees' children. While most private scholarships are one time awards, there are some that are multi-year awards or allow you to renew your award for a second year. Find out if there are requirements to maintain full-time enrollment and what constitutes full-time enrollment. Often recipients must maintain a minimum GPA to retain or renew a scholarship or grant, as well. It is important to take the PSAT in your junior year and the SAT or ACT test in your senior year because you may qualify for some important national scholarships. By taking the PSAT you could qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Students and parents should draw up a list of clubs and organizations to which they belong. Often these groups will offer scholarships to members of their offspring. These can be social or religious in nature. If an essay is required, make sure your essay addresses the topic or question that is given. Have your essay proofread by a parent or teacher to ensure it is on target and grammatically flawless.