College Scholarships: Not Just for High School Students
If the question, “What scholarships are you applying for?” gives you a bit of an eye twitch now that you’ve graduated high school and made it safely into your institution of choice, I get it. The pressure of filling out forms, writing essays, asking for letters of recommendation, and scouring the internet for worthwhile sums of money was a heavy load. Hopefully, all the work paid off (literally), and you’re now enjoying a reduced financial burden at school.
But how far will your scholarship dollars stretch? Did you earn money for all four years, or just flat sums that took care of freshman year? As much as the thought exhausts you, it would be wise to jump back into scholarship research and applications for your continued college career. While the majority of scholarships are designated for graduating high school students, there are thousands of awards specifically available for current college students. It’s important to explore these opportunities throughout your college years to maintain funding that makes school more affordable.
Scholarship Resources for Current College Students
If you bookmarked several scholarship resources during your high school searches, start with those. Use the search function to narrow down the field by your major, year in school, or demographic information. Now that you’re actually in college, you should have access to additional tools:
Your university’s financial aid office - Visit the financial aid website to review both the scholarships they offer directly and the list of outside scholarship resources. University’s endowment scholarships are often specific to certain majors, year of study or demographic information. Be sure to check each year because you may qualify for opportunities that weren’t available when you were in high school.
LinkedIn contacts - as you make professional connections on LinkedIn, begin taking a look at companies within your field of interest to see if they offer scholarships. Your connection may be willing to provide a recommendation that helps you win the award. You can also enter “scholarships” into the LinkedIn search field.
Your university’s career resources office - while you typically visit the career center at your school to explore internships or job opportunities, this is also a great resource for scholarship searches. Don’t forget that several companies highlighted in the office are run by or employ alumni. If you find a scholarship opportunity, reach out to relevant alumni to gain an advantage.
Student organizations - if you are in a Greek organization, honors society, or specific political or religious organization on campus, search their national website for additional scholarship opportunities available to members.
Your state’s financial aid administration agency - Each state provides funding opportunities, most commonly grants or scholarships, to support the higher education of state residents. Visit the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators website to find the link to your state’s programs.
Apply for Scholarships Every Year of College
It can be difficult to devote time to searching for and applying to scholarships in the midst of your studies and other commitments at school. Utilize summer and school year breaks to research opportunities and compile your application materials. Stay motivated by keeping the end goal in mind, that when you graduate college and move on to the next phase of your life, whether it involves graduate education or your new career, you want to be in the best position for ongoing success. By reducing your debt burden, or maintaining your savings, you will step into life after college with less stress and more options.
Whether we’ve worked together in the past to get you into college, or you’ve come this far on your own and are in need of new resources, my support is just a phone call away. I can’t apply for scholarships for you, but I can help you narrow down the mountains of information, streamline your application highlights, and execute an organized approach to this process. With millions of dollars available to help you through college, it really is worth your while to set aside time throughout the year to identify and apply for scholarships that you qualify for.