Scholarships
You might’ve heard people suggesting for high schoolers to start applying for scholarships as soon as possible. So what exactly are scholarships? Are they actually necessary to apply for? Where can I find them? We’ll be answering these questions and more in this week’s BigBang Artwork article!
What are Scholarships?
Scholarships are financial support given out based on the fulfillment of criteria. There is merit-based and need-based: merit-based scholarships are awarded based on students’ achievements, while financial-based scholarships are given based on students’ financial needs.
Why Should I Apply?
Scholarships hold great importance because they reduce the cost of college, identify talent, and support marginalized populations. Many scholarships also incorporate opportunities. This way, students not only receive financial assistance, they have access to resources that have the potential to further their academics and careers.
When Should I Apply?
Students should aim to apply for scholarships in the summer between your junior and summer years. It’s good to start as soon as you can!
Where Can I Apply?
- Niche
- Google search
- Careeronestop
- Ask around in your social circles: family, friends, guidance counselors
- College websites
Tips
Figure out your profile
- What are your financial needs?
- What are your interests?
- What have you accomplished?
- What are your career goals?
- The dreaded “why us?”
- What is something about you that can’t be found in anyone else?
Don’t just randomly apply, find scholarships that match you
- This allows for a greater chance of winning scholarships.
Start early
- Starting as early as possible allows for more exploration, practice with writing, development of your identity and voice, and a potentially larger chance of winning scholarships.
Think Local
- More well-known scholarships are going to have thousands upon thousands of individuals applying. By looking into smaller-scale scholarships, you can be in a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond.
So that was a brief overview of scholarships and its application process. We’ll be discussing college lists in next week’s article; stay tuned!