Summer Scholarships

Paying for College
1

<p>I'm a rising senior who's ambitious to start funding her college education. Does anyone know of scholarships available to rising seniors that have application dates during this summer? I would be more than glad to fill them out now as I have more time.</p>

<p>Oh, and I am a member of FastWeb and Peterson's. :)</p>

2

<p>I can’t think of any that open in the summer, but no reason not to research some that you feel you’ll qualify for and create a spreadsheet (include links and when to check back). It’s a great time to really research college merit scholarships and refine you application list too - these scholarships generally amount to alot more money if you target your schools carefully. </p>

<p>Here’s a quick list of things to work on this summer that will save you time and stress:

  1. Find colleges that you’d like to attend and which give merit aid. Look for schools where you’d be in the top 20% or so of admitted students, but many also put their scholarship criteria on their website. Pay attention to the average % of need met, it’s a good indicator of how much a school will gap you in their offer. Request info and plan visits you like and can probably afford…avoid falling in love with unaffordable dream schools!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Create a 1-2 page resume of your high school EC’s and awards. Include your volunteer hours, and any jobs you’ve had. This will save you tons of time when you’re doing your apps and help your GC and LOR folks alot too.</p></li>
<li><p>Plan who you’ll ask for LOR’s. If you’re doing any internships/shadowing, take an LOR from them too if offered.</p></li>
<li><p>Get an estimated EFC so you have an idea of where you’ll fall in the financial aid arena. Research your state aid/scholarship programs too.</p></li>
<li><p>Think about essay topics. You can even write a couple of different ones (long and short answer), so you’ll have a starting point next fall and hopefully just need to do editing and give them to an English teacher or another trusted reviewer for proofreading.</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>Thank you so much! This was very helpful.</p>