How to Find College Scholarships - 6 Easy Ways

There are a lot of college scholarships out there. The trick is finding them. Here are 6 tips on how to find college scholarships you can apply for.

Things You'll Need

• computer

Instructions

1. 

   Guidance Counselor - Your first stop in looking for college scholarships should be your High School's Guidance Counselor. They have access to a lot of scholarship information, especially for local schools.

2. Your Local Library - Most libraries have several college scholarship guides. Some can be checked out and some are in the Reference section. Even last year's can give you a good idea what is available (you can follow up online for current information). If you find a guide you like, you can purchase the current copy in a bookstore or online, or see if your Guidance counselor has the newest version. They often do.

3. Internet Search - The internet is great because it can help you narrow down the large number of available scholarships. Start by searching "postmarked by May 1, 2009" +scholarship (or whatever date you wish). This is the date that applications must be submitted. Go day by day and give yourself enough lead time to complete the application material. You can also search by school, by state, by major, etc. Just change the search terms.

4. Fastweb.com - This website claims to be the most complete source of local, national, and college-specific scholarships on the net. It probably is, as it lists thousands of scholarships. Fastweb allows you to identify favorites to work on, and it has direct links to the scholarship sites. It also lists scholarships by closing date. When you sign up, you can get email updates when new scholarshoips become available. A good resource. And it's free.

5. 

   Amazon.com - Search "scholarships" under the Books section and you will get a long list of scholarship guides. What I like about Amazon is that each book has reviews by readers to help you see which ones people find most useful.

6. Clubs, Groups, Churches - Local businesses, groups or clubs often give college scholarship money to local students. Social groups such as the Elks, 4-H, Lions Club, Kiwanis, etc. are good places to check. Also, your parents' professional affiliations may offer scholarships (children of Police Officers, Firefighters, Military). Heritage groups do this as well (American Indian, African-American, etc.). Search these online as well and you may find some good ones. Good luck!

Tips & Warnings

• You have nothing to lose by applying. Much scholarship money goes unclaimed each year for lack of qualified applicants.

• If you have younger siblings, flip through your local newspaper in April or May and see what local businesses are giving out scholarships. Clip those articles and keep them in a folder for next year.

Resources

• Fastweb.com
• How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: 30 Essays That Won Over $3 Million in Scholarships
• The Scholarship Book, 13th Edition: The Complete Guide to Private-Sector Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Loans for the Undergraduate
• How to Go to College Almost for Free