Because there are millions of scholarships available, you’re almost guaranteed to fit eligibility requirements and almost guaranteed to win something! There are hundreds of scholarships worth millions of dollars that are available to just about anyone. Many students assume that they have to be brilliant, or athletically talented, or gifted musically, to earn a scholarship for college. That is so far from the truth. What it takes is persistence and motivation to say how important it is to go to college…for free.

Well for most of you, scholarships will help to supplement the income you need for books, tuition, college expenses, or it might be that full-ride you’re hoping for that will send you for free all four years!

Be persistent in getting good grades, staying active and involved in extra-curricular activities. Show scholarship committees that you aren’t JUST a student in high school, but that your interested in other things that life brings you. Many colleges award scholarships to students with significant financial need in the accepted applicant pool, money that you don’t need to repay, just for making the cut and getting in

Good grades won’t hurt if you hope to get a scholarship even if your family doesn’t demonstrate financial need. When scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, without regard for need, students who have worked hard and achieved results in high school will be the winners.

You should also be persistent in seeking out other scholarship sources. The Career Closet  published a variety of scholarships every year that focus not just on academics, but allows you to show off your other talents and abilities to get that money.

Sometimes all it takes to get a scholarship is to research and find out who offers scholarships in your area, like your church, employer, parents’ employers, local civic organizations and others. You’ll just need to fill out any required applications or interviews on time in order to be considered. But it takes some research. My next post will focus on steps it takes to win that scholarship.

I keep it simple here everyone. You too can win thousands of dollars…so much money that you have extra money for necessary college expenses. The one website I found pretty awesome is Fastweb.com. This site allows you to create a profile of yourself…and your family so they can be your “scholarship agent.” Let Fastweb.com do the work for you. They will take your profile and match it up to any scholarship offering that fits (even slightly) your profile and allows you to check out scholarships offered, to see if that’s the one for you! It’s kind of like the careerbuilder.com for scholarship searches. Simply enter your personal and academic information in, and fastweb will pull any of the scholarships that match your profile criteria. They email you scholarships that are new and available and allow you to apply!

I’m a graduate student and LOVE this site! I’ve taken advantage of scholarships in here from $500- $5,000 and love the magic it works on students.

Check it out…:)

Your Success is My Success,

Keith Lipke

www.keithlipke.com

Please post any suggestions, comments or questions you might have. Tweet me or friend me on FB!

Keith Lipke is a careers and college recruiter, coach, mentor and blogger at The Career Closet. His passion is to educate, inspire, and give hope to young people who need it upon their search for the right career and college.

Related articles

• College Scholarships and Awards: Searching for Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants (education.com)
• The All-in-one on College Scholarships (thecareercloset.com)