We’re quickly approaching the month of high school graduations, which means overdrawn ceremonies, crying parents, and–of course–college expenses.
Is your student getting any scholarships? If not, they should be. According to Kristina Ellis, the author of Confessions of a College Scholarship Winner, scholarship money is out there and available—all you have to do is find it and apply.
As a scholarship winner myself, I know that to get great scholarships, you don’t have to be some sort of mock trial prodigy or mathematical genius. You just have to do the things that make colleges notice you.
College expenses are real, and so is college debt. Does it have to be? Here are three tips Kristina says both you and your student need to know:
Start now. Community service is an important part of any college scholarship application. Colleges are looking for students who are others-focused, and who have proven it by serving their community and world. Be sure your student is volunteering somewhere at least by the time they are a freshman in high school, if not sooner.
Do your homework. Getting scholarships is like getting fit; it doesn’t just happen. You have to search for the scholarships and apply for them, and that means you have to put in some effort.
- Research online.
- Talk to the admissions counselors at the schools you are most interested in.
- Ask your school guidance counselors.
Learn how to tell your story. If you were looking through hundreds or thousands of scholarship applications every day, chances are, they would all look alike. You want your application to stand out, and the way it is going to do that is if you learn how to tell your story. Kristina offers great tips in her book for how to tell your story so that judges are drawn to you and your application makes it to the top of their stack.
Another important part of your scholarship application is learning how to get a top score on the ACT test. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m going to my dream school with a phenomenal award package. But you don’t have to be a great test taker or award-winning athlete or even top-ranking scholar to win scholarship money. Confessions of a College Scholarship Winner urges you to just be willing to dig deep and commit yourself to the application process. You have nothing to lose. I wish I had this book when I started my college application process. You’re never going to wish you had less money in college, and that’s why I recommend this book for every student’s summer reading list.
Article by Faithful Provisions contributor David Powell
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