College Survival Advisor

It may sound rather sappy, but the honest to goodness key factor that determines collegiate scholarship winners is a persistent, positive attitude. Students and parents must keep looking and applying for as many scholarships as possible. Small set-backs and rejection letters must be countered by all-out determination.

Scholarship Scouting

Your junior year of high school, jump head-first into the college scholarship search process. Apply for scholarships researched online, as well as local and school-specific academic and community scholarship awards. The scholarship application process is primarily a numbers game. To increase your chances, you must stack the odds in your favor. Instead of applying for one or two scholarships, set a goal to apply for 15. Once you hit that goal, then try for 20. Overly ambitious students apply for as many as many as 50 college-bound scholarships. This effort pays off when students find they are going to college absolutely free. It’s not impossible. It just takes hard work, dedication and know-how.

Scholarship Search Engines

Look everywhere for college scholarships. Use every resource imaginable, including the local library and bookstores. For even greater efficiency, use a computer. The Internet has vastly changed the flow of vital college information. Do a browser search for “college scholarships” or “scholarship search.” This will unleash a mass of scholarship options, instantaneously. In addition to the expediency of the Internet, an additional aside is the availability of financial aid documents, college applications and other helpful resources.

Common Sense is Key

If speech-giving makes you sick to your stomach, there’s no sense in applying to the American Legion’s Annual Oratorical Contest. On the other hand, if you are an all-state football star, don’t hesitate applying for a collegiate athletic scholarship. School-based and community scholarships will provide focus as you to get your scholarship search off the ground. Afterward, your goal should be to research all types of scholarships that deal with your interests, characteristics and traits (there is even what is known as a left-handed scholarship). Minority scholarships, nursing scholarships, online scholarships, graduate school scholarships, engineering scholarships- you name it. There are scholarships available to students in every category under the sun.

Ease of Online Applications

The Internet has streamlined the online scholarship application process significantly. There are hundreds of websites which provide rapid scholarship information and applications. After you research scholarships of interest, simply click; Fill out the form, and email it in. It’s a relatively simple process. Many online scholarship websites have a wide variety of scholarship listings, and they are available for every State, organization, society and learning institution imaginable. There are many scholarship sites that offer numerous awards combined with a simple application process.

Essays, Speeches and Talent Competitions

Various organizations award scholarships for student achievements in writing, oration, and talent. These scholarships usually involve more than filling out an application and sending it with the click of a button. One such competitive scholarship is America’s Junior Miss Program. This program has evolved over the years, but the focus of the contest is to recognize high school’s best and brightest young women. In the pageant program, judges evaluate students in five categories: Scholastic achievement, fitness, poise, interview skills and talent. For some young women, this is their ticket to a college education. The top three winners of the Junior Miss Program are awarded scholarships ranging from $50,000 to $15,000. In addition, there are $10,000 individual cash awards for each category winner and numerous additional scholarship monies awarded in amounts of $3,000 and $2,500. It’s a lot of hard work, but the experience a young woman gains competing in a pageant of this caliber is nearly as valuable as the college scholarship funds awarded.

Collegiate Athletics

If you excel as an athlete, take it to the next level. An athletic scholarship may be one of the most worthwhile ways to afford a college education. Here’s why: In addition to having your education paid for, you begin to establish discipline and a solid sense of structure within the collegiate sports setting. College athletes spend well-invested time with teammates and coaches working toward a concrete goal, both academically, as well as on a competitive level.

Athletic scholarships exist for practically every sport imaginable, from diving and lacrosse to bowling and tennis. The key to a successful collegiate athletic experience hinges on finding the right team and coaches for your individual talent-level. Serious athletes, with “pro” potential often go straight to Division I, NCAA schools; full-ride, books and tuition, paid. Other levels of collegiate competition include the NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior colleges.

If you are extra talented, college coaches may begin recruiting you to play sports at the university level, as early as your freshman year. If this is the case, do everything in your power to maintain solid academic standing, and remain injury-free. The easiest way to target your scholarship search is by using athletic scholarship search engines. When you pinpoint the college and team you would like to play for, get in touch with the coach.