Useful Tips for Finding College Scholarships
This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Leyla Barkhordar in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.
What’s Covered:
Scholarship Websites
Finding college scholarships can seem daunting, but the best way to get started is by opening up your laptop or phone and start searching. There are plenty of scholarship websites out there. Scholly, for example, is a great website where you can sort through scholarships that match your unique background. How this works is you select certain filters like your GPA, test scores, or extracurriculars, and Scholly will show you the scholarships you can apply to based on these filters.
CollegeVine has a great scholarship blog page where you can find relevant scholarships. This page has information about scholarships specific to your state, university, identity, and background. There are also tons of articles here to help you when it comes time to apply to your scholarships. Whether you need help sorting through ideas or how to phrase why you deserve the scholarship, CollegeVine is there to help. This is a great resource because this page has both scholarship recommendations and tips on how to best write your scholarship essays.
Using a Search Engine
Besides Scholly and other official scholarship websites, another great way to find scholarships that match your background is through Google. You can use Google Search by typing in phrases like “scholarships for computer science majors” or “scholarships for first-generation students.” Make sure to use keywords that match your background. This is the best way to get specific results that fit your eligibility requirements.
Using a search engine works particularly well for hobby and extracurricular scholarships. These types of scholarships typically pop up on organization websites, so using a search engine is the best way to find them. Brainstorm for keywords that relate to your passions and goals and use these as your search terms to find scholarships.
If you are part of an established organization or club, they might also have scholarships available for their members. Look into the organization you are part of and if it has any scholarships listed on its website or in its newsletters.
Using Your Network
A great way to look for scholarships is by using people in your network. Talk with your high school counselors or teachers to see if they know of any scholarships that would be a good fit for you. You can reach out to your family and friends for advice too.
If you don’t have anyone in your direct network that can help with your scholarship search, there are other resources to help. People often post their scholarships on their LinkedIn profile, especially if it is prestigious. If you find a scholarship you’re interested in, look on LinkedIn to see if previous recipients are willing to talk with you and give advice on your application.
On the national and state level, there are associations of college counselors. These websites often have resources to aid you in your scholarship search. If you feel like you don’t have the resources in your direct network to help, try looking at these associations.
Different Types of Scholarships
There are many different types of scholarships available to high school students starting their post-secondary education. Scholarship topics can range from your extracurriculars to your background. You shouldn’t expect to get every scholarship you apply for, but the best approach is to find an array of different types to apply to. This will give you the best chance at landing multiple scholarships because you are diversifying your applications.
