Next Step

Next,

Now that you are familiar with the finacial aid office on campus, apply for on campus scholarships. Usually a lot of schools will have a one applicaiton option for this. Go to the web site for your school, or go to the office and get the paper version of the applicaiton.

When filling out the application, make yourself stand out. Think of ways to differentiate yourself from your fellow students. Do you have a special skill that sets you apart from your classmates? Maybe you are the first person in your family to go to college (this is getting old though), or are you a big volunteer in your community? Whatever it is make sure to push it in your application. You want your situation to stand out as the outstanding student to fund. Make sure as well that you have goals that are stated clearly and concisely. Do not just ramble, have a purpose in mind and follow through.

Have a professional friend review your application. Do you have any spelling or grammar errors? Does the application flow, did you forget any key elements? Reviewing of the application is critical. I can not tell you how many times I read applicaitons for scholarships that have simple easy to correct errors. Even if you have to pay a graduate student to proof it, that is a good investment.

After you complete the applicaiton make sure to keep a copy for your records. That way when other applications come out for private schoarships you can reuse a lot of the information and thoughts that you included on your previous applications. You could even come up with a basic template of information that you update regularly.

Make sure to also check the due dates. Most due dates are non-negotiable and may be the breaking point for your success.

Good Luck! Til the next installment, and please post if you have any comments or questions about scholarships. After being on the financial aid committee at our college, I figured that I may as well share some of the 'secrets' on how to get some extra money for college!