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How do you find scholarships?
  • Set yourself apart. Your child may have good grades and ACT scores, but so do a lot of the students applying. Help your son or daughter determine what makes him/her stand out from the crowd. Has he/she made special contributions to the school or community? Held leadership roles? Encourage your child to look for activities throughout high school that can help set him/her apart from everyone else.
  • Begin searching early. Don't wait until the student's senior year to begin looking for scholarship opportunities. There are some scholarships available for juniors, so begin early. Plus, searching early gives you more time to apply and prepare the applications.
  • Be proactive. No one is going to hand your child a scholarship. It is up to the student to find opportunities and apply. Encourage your child to research opportunities.
  • Expect to put in time and work. Searching and applying for private scholarships takes a lot of time, energy and effort. Assist your child whenever possible, but don't do the work for him/her.
  • Be organized. Help your student organize the application materials by deadline. It will help ensure you don't miss an opportunity.
  • Check with your high school counselor. A lot of local scholarships are funneled through the high school counselor's office. Be sure you know find out the process your high school uses to notify students of the available opportunities.
  • Search for free. You may receive solicitations asking you to pay for a scholarship search service. It is not necessary to pay for scholarship opportunities. Search for free on-line.
  • Find out if your community has a Dollars for Scholars chapter. Dollars for Scholars is a community-based fund-raising effort that awards scholarships to local students.