<p>I'm going to be a junior and I already know where I want to go. When is the right time to start applying for scholarships. I won't qualify for need-based, but merit-based and minority scholarships. How many should I apply for? When do I start applying? </p>
<p>What should I do to increase my chances of getting chosen for scholarships??</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>If you need scholarship money to go to college, then looking for private scholarships is not a good idea unless you only need a very small amount of money.</p>
<p>Private scholarships are very hard to get, are often for very small amounts, are often for only one year, and often have a “need” component.</p>
<p>If you need/want scholarships, then apply to the schools that give them. Schools award the biggest scholarships and they’re often for 4 years.</p>
<p>How much $ will your parents pay per year? If you don’t know, ask.</p>
<p>Which college is this?</p>
<p>What are your stats?</p>
<p>Merit- and minority-based scholarships can be good source of college funds but they require strong grades, essay-writing, letters of recommendation, and sometimes the right kind of EC or career objective, etc…in short, a lot of work and good organization. There are significant economies of scale though-often the same essays and letters can be used repeatedly, so if you are going this route, it pays to be thorough. </p>
<p>Most scholarship applications are due around March or April of your senior year, although there are a few big ones that are awarded to hs juniors. You would serve yourself well to find out about what is available right now, and the requirements, so you can plan ahead. Our kid spent spring break of senior year finalizing applications.</p>
<p>A few pieces of advice:</p>
<p>1) If there are application fees, it is probably a scam.<br>
2) Don’t waste time on promotional scholarships and contests.
3) Check the number of applicants vs. the number of awards and the dollar amounts/award. Some essay competitions, for example, gets thousands of applications and give out only one or two awards. Not a good use of your time.
4) Look for local awards: Your high school career center and the career centers in high schools in your school district probably have lists of scholarships, many on their web sites. You’d be amazed at the number of memorial scholarships there are out there. Often there are only a handful of applicants for those.
5) Just because financial need is a criteria, it doesn’t mean that you should automatically rule it out. For some scholarships, it is just one factor among many. For others, it is a decisive factor and lack of need (by their definition) rules you out. See if they request a copy of the EFC. When in doubt, call or email for clarification.</p>
<p>Finally, for every school you are planning to apply to, check into the scholarships that they offer. Some require separate applications and essays with specific deadlines different from the common application deadlines at the school. At others, you will be automatically eligible just by applying. Do not, however, assume that a school will give you a scholarship, as part of your financial aid package, if you don’t ask explicitly about it.</p>
<p>My parents are willing to pay anything, but I want to help them out and get as much money as I can. </p>
<p>Stats:
4.2 weighted GPA
3.8 unweighted GPA
all honors/AP classes
co-founder & co-president of a club
national honor society
national spanish honor society
soccer team
volunteer team leader at a children’s hospital</p>