<p>I'm a Junior I have a general list of where I want to go to school. When is a good time to start applying for scholarships that aren't school specific? Is Fastwebs a good search service to use?</p>
<p>Fastweb is a good search service. What could be helpful, is checking through scholarships and seeing which ones you might qualify for, and the type of essays req'd. When you are a HS senior, you might be so super busy w/apps that you won't have the inclination to write yet another essay (my son didn't want to!). </p>
<p>There are some scholarships that ask you to read a book (Ayn Rand, e.g.) or write a very detailed essay. You might get a feel for this, although the actual, specific topics aren't posted usually until later (maybe spring, summer?). The current essay topics might be different for you next year, but at least you can get a feel and maybe favorite the site on your computer.</p>
<p>During the summer you could make a spreadsheet of the scholarships on fastweb that interest you, along with their application dates. Many are due early in the fall of senior year when you have tons of other stuff to do, and the dates can slip by quickly. Unfortunately, most of them won't have their new applications up in the summer to get a head start, but you can get an idea of dates and themes from the previous year. </p>
<p>Don't forget to check into local scholarships (usually have less applicants). Your Guidance Dept should have a packet of local scholarships that you could sort through over the summer. The applications themselves probably won't be available until much later, but you can add names and dates to your spreadsheet.</p>
<p>Check priority scholarship deadlines at the websites of your colleges as these are usually due earlier than regular apps. Some schools have "named" scholarships that require separate detailed applications. Also check through the departments of the the major you're interested in at each college site, as sometimes there are scholarships that are not so obvious (engineering dept for instance may have an additional scholarship available).</p>