Tag Archives: Colleges & Universty

Reasons Why You Need to Search and Apply For College Scholarships Today

Posted on by

After the academic year starts, many college students stop worrying about how to pay for college and focus on their course work and making the most of being a college student. However, taking a break from looking for college funding may cost you because the application deadlines for many college scholarships for the next academic year begin as early as November.

Doing a quick search at my university, I found that 13 national scholarship deadlines are in November alone. This is only a small list and does not include university scholarships or those offered by other institutions or individuals, which could be several hundred scholarships with deadlines in November alone. Add to this those expiring in December and you can see that it’s to your benefit to start looking an applying for scholarships today.

Expiration dates are not the only reason to start searching for college scholarships. You also need time to complete the application forms. This may include writing an essay, getting transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation and other documentation. The process takes time; transcripts and test scores may need to be requested and sent, writing a decent essay takes time and revision, and letters of recommendation need to be written by professors who may already have a full schedule and limited time. You should give yourself about 6 weeks to complete the process in order to fulfill all the requirements of the application. A rush job is not the best way to apply for scholarships.

The point is, start looking early to set yourself up for as many scholarships you might be eligible for. The longer you put it off, the less money you may get for college funding next year.

How To Pay For College With Scholarships

Posted on by

Scholarships are a great way to a free college education. There are many prospective college students who use several other means for funding their college education such as grants, or loans. Grants are funds that do not have to be repaid. Student loans usually have to be repaid. There are several ways how to pay for college, and start off your college career with scholarships.

When starting your search for college scholarships, you should consider your current student status. Are you a new high school graduate? Are you pursuing a second degree or advanced degree? What field do you wish to pursue? The answer to these questions may determine where you start your search for scholarships. If you’re a recent high school graduate, you may start your search with the school guidance or career counselor. There are many scholarships available for recent high school graduates and your school career counselor can usually provide you with information about these types of scholarships.

If you’re an individual who has graduated high school, but didn’t immediately choose to go to college right after high school, there are many scholarships available to you as well. There may be state funded scholarships available. The department of education for your state will usually have information regarding these types of scholarships. For example, the state of Georgia has what is called the HOPE scholarship that is offered to residents of the state of Georgia who have a minimum grade point average of 3.0. There are also federal, state, and private scholarships that are offered to individuals who meet unique criteria, or have unique circumstances. There are scholarships based on ethnicity, gender, and other factors. For example, there are scholarships available for single parents, and scholarships that are available specifically for men or women. The internet is also a great source to search for scholarships. For example, FastWeb is a good internet site to explore when searching for scholarships.

There are scholarships available based on the field of study that you may wish to pursue. There are usually scholarships available for every field of study, but more opportunities for scholarships are available to individuals who pursue high demand fields of study. For example, high demand fields of study would be in fields such as technology, nursing, medicine, education and science. You may search the internet for these type scholarships, or you may check with a representative from the financial aid office at the institution that you wish to attend for more information about these types of unique scholarships.

There are some scholarships that are institution based. You may check with a financial aid counselor at the institution that you wish to attend to find out if you meet the criteria for any scholarships that they have available. They will usually inform you of what’s available at their institution, and there may or may not be additional requirements to apply for the scholarship. Some scholarships may require you to write an essay, or maintain a certain grade point average to keep the scholarship.

There are also many scholarships available to prospective students who are athletes. There are many generous scholarships available for students who wish to play football, basketball, baseball, golf, track & field, cheerleading, softball, or other sports. This is usually based on the type of sports that are offered by the institution that you wish to attend. Many college athletes are recruited prior to enrollment, but there are opportunities available for individuals who wish to pursue sports after enrollment as well.

Once you have received a scholarship, the terms of the scholarship are usually explained to you. You also have the ability to receive more than one scholarship from the same or different sources. Some scholarships may be short term scholarships, or long term scholarships. If you receive a short term scholarship, it will usually only cover costs for a limited term.

Long term scholarships usually cover costs and fees for the duration of your college career if you continue to meet the criteria to keep the scholarship. Scholarships usually pay for tuition, fees, books, and some scholarships also cover room and boarding fees as well. Scholarships are a great way for how to pay for college. It is very possible to obtain a free college education with scholarships. Scholarships and grants are usually very much more attractive to students than other forms of college funding such as loans. Student loans are easy to obtain, but may also cause students a great amount of debt as well.