As the time for college starts to near, many seniors begin applying for scholarships. Scholarships are one of the many ways a student can accumulate free money that they can put towards their college fund. Scholarship money can be used for tuition, books, events, and more. But since students already have access to funding through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), are scholarships actually worth it?

“Your chances of winning scholarships are actually pretty high. There are many unclaimed scholarships since many students do not take the time to apply for them, so you have a good chance,” counselor April Flores said.  

Sure, there’s a lot of unclaimed money, but does all of that work pay off? In terms of amount, can a student actually get a lot?

“They can vary from $500 to thousands; an average is really hard to say.  It depends on the scholarship, but you can apply for multiple and it can really add up,” Flores said. “You can get a scholarship for sports, merit, socioeconomic status, area of interest in college, poetry, and so on.  There really is a scholarship for everything if you search hard enough.”

As you start the process of searching for scholarships, there are certain items that are recommended to have prepared to make the process quicker. 

“Have a bunch of information readily available to use. Your SAT and ACT score, your rank in school, GPA, Honors and AP classes, and recommendations from teachers are all things that a scholarship could ask for when applying,” College and Career Center Specialist Becky Wachtman said. “When it comes to writing essays, make sure you stick to the prompt. Directly answer the question. Copy and paste words from the question if you need to.” 

To some students, scholarships searches can be very daunting. However, there are many resources available to aid students, if needed. 

“The College and Career Center is open for everyone to come in. Please feel free to stop by; we’re more than happy to talk to you and help you,” Wachtman said. 

Even though scholarships are typically directed towards seniors, there are also many options for freshman, sophomores, and juniors to apply for. Check out our resources for getting your scholarship search started!