No matter which college a student may attend, the cost can be overwhelming. Merit and need-based aid that an institution may give students, loans, and federal aid help as well, but a gap still remains for many high school students.

Thus, ‘tis the season to apply for scholarships. This is a scary, anxiety-inducing process for many, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be. Therefore, here are some fool-proof tips to successfully tackle the scholarship application process. 

With a high school student’s busy schedule, it can be difficult to set time aside to apply for scholarships, especially after being burnt out from college applications. 

“You have to really focus on this. It’s not something you can just go, ‘Oh, I’ll just check on this once in a while,’” said Patrick Brett, North Penn Future Plans Counselor. “If you know that you need to get scholarships, you need to really work hard on them and spend some time doing it. Not as much time as the applications themselves for college, but I would say if you put in a hundred percent of your time for two weeks or whatever percentage of time you put in for your applications, you need to put at least seventy-five percent of the same amount of time into or at least work into your academics or into your scholarships.” 

While spending every hour of every day to apply for scholarships simply isn’t feasible for many, at least setting one day a week to spend an hour or two devoted to scholarships will set an easy and sustainable goal that, in the long run, will inevitably allow students to apply for more scholarships and potentially win more aid, rather than burning out after the first week. 

However, students should know that winning enough scholarships for a completely free ride through college is extremely rare. Though winning a few scholarships here and there – worth a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars – is feasible.

“As much as it’s true that there are millions of dollars available, it’s really hard to win those scholarships,” Brett noted. “It’s really hard to find those scholarships. I think one of the biggest things is that a lot of the scholarships our students find are very minimal.” 

Though unfortunate, scams are a real threat and another thing to look out for while on the search for scholarships. If a website is offering scholarships at a fee, it can often be considered a scam. Alternatively, an authentic scholarship will never require a credit card or bank account number to apply.

“If a company promises you a scholarship or grant in exchange for a “processing cost,” “redemption fee,” or other upfront payment, walk away,” according to an article by the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice. 

Okay, so where does one apply for scholarships? Where should a high school student look to apply for them? 

There are quite literally hundreds of apps and websites to apply for scholarships. Some of the most well-known and reliable include Scholarships.com, Going Merry, Big Future, and Niche.

There are also plenty of scholarships available from employers and volunteer organizations, and even specific scholarships for students with various interests and identities. Locally, the senior awards scholarships are currently available for application and are due April 4, 2024. 

For more information about scholarships stop by the Future Plans Center.