Tips and tricks for applying to scholarships

Caught up in the frenzy of application deadlines and decisions, many seniors may not think about how to pay for college right away. Because college tuition has risen 80% since 2000, the hefty cost may be a struggle for many students. The average cost of in-state tuition in the United States is $25,487 and out-of-state tuition can be up to $43,161 according to educationdata.org.

Applying for scholarships is a great and relatively easy way to help make the cost of college more affordable. Yes, the process can be quite overwhelming as there are thousands of scholarships out there, but with the right resources, it can be an easy and painless process.

The counseling page for Milford seniors on Google Classroom has many scholarships posted constantly and some of the scholarships are only for Milford students, so there is a greater chance you’ll be granted a scholarship!  There are scholarships for almost every person and interest. These range from one’s particular major, to extracurriculars, sports, residency, and even specific companies that employ family members.

Seniors in the past have found many tips and tricks for navigating scholarship websites and applying for them.  “I would suggest applying to a combination of no-essay and essay scholarships on various platforms, in addition to consistently checking the scholarship pages for specific universities of interest,” said former MHS graduate Riley Coesens.

Since such a wide variety and number of scholarships exist, it can be quite overwhelming to even know where to begin. “One site, Going Merry, is a bit like Common App in that you fill out basic information once, and then can just add supplements for various scholarships.

I would suggest scanning through to find scholarships that catch your attention and focus on those,” said MHS Counselor Gina Pryor. “Also, if you are looking at scholarships that require essays, see if you can create one general essay that you can tweak for various scholarships,” said Pryor. With easy and trustworthy sites like Scholarshipowl, bold.org, Fastweb, Cappex, Chegg, RaiseMe, and niche, you can have thousands of scholarships right at your fingertips.

Senior Danielle Borst agreed. “One of my biggest struggles throughout the scholarship process is finding out if certain scholarships are legitimate or not.” Before you go onto a website though, make sure it is trustworthy as well as free. Sometimes, if you go onto your future universities website they have scholarships linked directly onto the home page as well as scholarship sites run by them. Shannon Thompson, who works in Student Services at Milford, is constantly adding to a Google doc that is on the Milford Website of National scholarships available with different eligibility factors/deadlines. Scholarship amounts typically tend to correlate with the difficulty it is to apply for them.

The more money the scholarship’s winner(s) get typically means the scholarship requires a personal essay answering one of the given prompts provided. However, many smaller scholarships still exist and are easy to apply for. They typically just require your name, address, GPA, the college you plan on attending, as well as major and sometimes your SAT/ACT scores.

After spending months on college applications, many students dread the process of spending further time  applying for these scholarships, but if they manage their  time, this process can be less stressful. “Start early. Look at what was available in previous years. If you’re an underclassman, and you see some scholarships need community service hours – get those in when you can. So when it’s time for you to apply and submit your applications, you’re ahead of the game. March is usually a busy time of the school year, and it would be sad to not be prepared,” said Thompson.

Applying for about five-seven scholarships a day will add up to a lot by the end of the month and will seem less overwhelming than applying for about 200 at the end of the month. Also, go into the scholarship process with a plan. “Many people wait until peak application times and/or rush their applications, so staying ahead of the majority is a critical step in ensuring your chances of earning scholarships are higher,” said Coesens. Don’t just apply for every single scholarship you see, apply for ones that relate to your major or interests.

You will be apt to apply for them if they spark your interest. Also, only apply for scholarships in which you meet all of the requirements. “There are a ton of scholarships out there. Some require certain GPAs, but many do not, so don’t be discouraged in looking for scholarships due to your GPA,” shared Pryor.

Lastly, Thompson said, “Go for it! What’s the worst they can say – ‘No’. Or they may just say yes!” Some additional tips for applying for scholarships are keeping track of the ones you’ve already applied for, meeting all deadlines, asking for letters of recommendation early if you need them, continuously trying even if you don’t get them right away, and not avoiding small awards. Borst agreed, “One thing that has helped me get through this stressful process is teachers constantly proofreading my essays as well as writing my letters of recommendation.” Happy applying!