When do You Start Applying for Scholarships
The cost of the college tuition fees has been rising with the every passing year. At present the average cost of the tuition fees at the four-year public universities is about $5,491 per year while for the private college or university it is whopping $21,235 per year. This does not include the lodging and the boarding costs. Few people can afford such high fees on their own and the only option left with the students are scholarships, financial aid, and student loans.
In fact there is no dearth of the scholarships available for the students. To get the financial aid one has make the effort in searching them, finding their eligibility criteria and applying for them via a proper channel. The list of the scholarships is usually available with the University where you are planning to take admission and you have to apply for the one that best suits your needs and your grades.
In addition, scholarship matching services such as ScholarshipExperts , FastWeb.com , and FreeScholarshipGuide can be a great help in weeding through the many available offers to find the one right for you. To avoid potential scams, go to Finding Scholarships on the Internet for more information to help you make the right choices.
When do you start applying for scholarships?
You should start researching for the scholarships in the second semester of your junior year of high school, or one and one half years prior to when you want to start your college program. The more thoroughfinancial aid research you have done, the more options you will have. During the research request the information from the agency in advance so that you will have an idea about their selection criteria. You will know whether they emphasize grades, certain extracurricular activities, test scores, or community service. You can prepare for these scholarships accordingly.
However, for most of the scholarships you will be able to apply only after you are high school senior. Of course there are certain scholarships for which can apply when you are junior or even earlier such as the Discover Card Tribute Award. In fact before your junior year, you have opportunities to win scholarships and awards in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades.
By the time you reach early part of your senior you should be ready to apply for the scholarships after you have done thorough research during your junior year. The deadlines of the scholarships are scattered throughout the year, but some of the largest scholarships awarding most money like $20,000 or above usually have the deadlines early in your senior year i.e. in the months of October, November and December. If you will start applying in the later months of say March, April, and May, the scholarship amounts will go on reducing and most of the deadlines are passed except of the community based small programs.
If you are late in searching for the scholarships, don't worry. Start now - it is the best time to start searching the scholarship which is most suitable to you and you are eligible for. Never stop searching the scholarship databases until you have finished school and got have paid off any student debt.
Number of Scholarships for which you should apply
You should apply for all the scholarships for which you are eligible as the competition is very tough and applying for only two to three competitive scholarships may not be sufficient. You should have an estimate of your total undergraduate education expenses and you should try winning the awards till all your costs are taken care of. If you are well organized with the application process, this is not a big issue. Scholarship matching services can be a big help here. If you take the time to fill out the profile, making sure you save the information, so you don't have to start from the beginning each time you want to look for more grants and scholarships, you'll save loads of time.
You can win the scholarships even if you don’t have the financial needs, especially the ones that are merit based. However, it is always advisable is never to assume that you don’t need the financial aid, as you don’t know about your future requirements.
The Process of Applying for the Scholarship
Try to understand the application procedure for the scholarship that you have found suitable. Some scholarships entail projects, in such cases find out the objectives and the methodology of the project. If the scholarship is being offered by a private agency, try to get its details, understand its goals and philosophies so that you can face the interview session with them more confidently.
Fill the application form completely and attach all the necessary documents that have been asked and don’t add any irrelevant documents. Include the references that are related to the field for which you are applying. If you are applying for more than one scholarship, use separate application for each.
Process of Selection
While selecting the candidates most suitable for the scholarships the factor given prominence by most of the selection committee members is the academic achievement. This includes your GPA, attendance and involvement in the classes, extra curricular activities in the school, and awards and honors. Some committees may also ask you to write an essay or complete some project to check your suitability for a certain scholarship.
Some committees may ask its applicants to demonstrate their skills in the day-to-day life, especially for the field or career-specific scholarships. Some agencies giving the scholarships make it compulsory for you to serve voluntarily in the retirement center for few hours a week during the period of scholarship. This is to ensure that the candidates are committed to the civic involvement. Finally the committee may also check your physical and mental fitness to ensure that you will be able to complete your studies satisfactorily. Of course all the committees will not consider all the above factors, it depends a lot on the objectives, goals and the philosophy of the agency.
The Importance of the SAT and other Entrance Exams
If your take PSAT and get high scores, you get eligible for a number of scholarship programs. The test ACT assesses what you have learned in your previous schools years and the learning in the current school year. On the other hand, SAT checks your reasoning power. The scores in these tests are a proof of your active involvement in the school and it’s considered as the selection criteria by a number of scholarship committees. The best times to give these tests are your junior year, so that you can improve upon them by the time you reach senior year.
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