I’m a high school junior right now, and I know I’ll only start applying to colleges in August, but when’s the time to start looking into scholarships? I want to get a head start, but I also don’t know if it’s too early to start right now. I also have no idea how to start- is there some sort of website that consolidates all scholarship opportunities, or do you just find different organizations that offer scholarships and apply to each one separately? And what are some common scholarships that people can apply for/where can I find more of these? Thanks!!
Start with your guidance counselor. He/she should know of local/state scholarships available. Make a spreadsheet of the ones you’re interested in with deadlines and requirements.
Also check the scholarship threads on this site: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/outside-scholarships/
The best scholarships, with the most money, come from the universities themselves. So if you need a lot of money, the best thing you can have is high test scores and a very high GPA.
You can apply for local scholarships from your town but these will only cover small amounts for maybe one year if that.
<<<<<<Check out the link on the left for more information on FA.
Well, the best merit scholarships come from the schools you apply to. However, your list of schools don’t give merit scholarships.
Do you realize that if you get outside awards, then schools like G’town, H, S, etc, will just reduce your aid?
Do you realize that outside awards are usually small and only for frosh year?
What is your situation? How much will your family pay for college? Have them run the NPC on Dartmouth’s and G’town’s websites and see the results.
I understood the OP to mean he/she was looking for outside scholarships.
Depending on where you live, there could be some large outside scholarships offered locally or at the state level. A handful of kids at our high school received a scholarship worth $6,000 per year for 4 years ($24,000 total, for certain majors). Another private foundation in our state will pay off a student’s bursar balance each semester up to a certain amount (varies per student) but can go as high as $10,000 per year.
Every student should find out what opportunities are offered in their area. There may not be much, or there could be substantial awards. Even our local bank offers a 4-year scholarship of $1,000 per semester.