While students apply to colleges and await for admission decisions to roll in, many scholarship applications have began to open up, and more are coming. Approaching these opportunities with some preparedness can go a long way to help make college tuition costs less of a challenge.
Scott Rice, a counselor at Pleasant Valley, recommended that students take advantage of the fact that so many scholarship opportunities exist nowadays.
“Don’t just limit yourself to one type of scholarship, because a lot of times there’s an enticing scholarship that’s worth $10,000 which many people apply for while no one goes for the $500 or $250 scholarship,” Rice commented. “This results in tens of millions of dollars going unused every year, and I think that students often overlook the fact that so many of these small scholarships are available and that they can stack up the money that they get.”
When searching for scholarships to apply for, students can look to websites such as scholarships.com which provides a tailored process for finding scholarships. Scholarships.com pulls out specific scholarships that match with a student’s interests and college choices, making it easier on the students’ part when finding relevant scholarships.
Apart from that, Rice mentioned the guidance office website can point students toward scholarship opportunities within our community. Other scholarships can be found through the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend and the College Board.
“Universities have a few of their own, so if you know where you’re going, you know you can look for theirs,” Rice said.
Rice also suggested that students take a look at the scholarships provided by the Pleasant Valley Educational Foundation (PVEF). Last year, PVEF awarded 89 scholarships to seniors graduating from high school, in total, the foundation has given out almost 800 scholarships.
As Rice sums up, applying for scholarships takes time and patience. “Applying with an open mind, applying early and often with the scholarships, and making sure you’re paying attention to the deadline are important points to keep in mind.”
While it can be daunting and stressful, filling out these applications is well worth the effort.
