What are the best resources for a scholarship search?
Finding the best resources for a scholarship search can be overwhelming. This post is to help you find different options that will help you along the way as you and your student search for scholarship opportunities.
All of these resources have been tried and/or used as 5 of our 6 combined kids have graduated debt free. The youngest is a rising junior, and he will have no debt either!
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Best Resources for a Scholarship Search
Best Resources for a Scholarship Search: Books
There are a lot of books out there, but I have narrowed it down to the best rated and most helpful based on our searches and what we have used for the past 13 years with my own kids!
The Ultimate Scholarship Book -This one only needs to be purchased once! If the year has passed (or more), you just have to look up the same scholarships and look for the current year’s info.
The Scholarship System: 6 Simple Steps on How to Win Scholarships and Secure Financial Aid -Written by Jocelyn Paonita Pearson of The Scholarship System. She shares all sorts of hacks for scholarship success.
Debt Free Degree -O’Neal The author is a personal finance expert, and the host of the popular podcast and YouTube show, “The TABLE.” He encourages students and parents to prep for college during high school with classes, testing, choosing majors, and other tips that will maximize every dollar spent on college -and hopefully spend way less than you think you will have to!
Scholarships for Middle Class Students -Ragins The myth is that middle class students do not qualify for scholarships. This is mostly true when it comes to needs based aid. But, there are achievement and merit-based scholarships and significant monetary prizes they can win in contests. You just have to search! Ragins gives great advice for those who are looking.
How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: 30 Essays That Won Over $3 Million in Scholarships -Tanabe These authors break down 30 award winning essays to find out why these were successful.
Zero Debt Degree: How to Find Scholarships with Less Competition -Cambridge gives the reader ideas of where to look that will be least competitive and how to find the ones no one thinks to look for. She used the method successfully for herself.
My book is not just about the scholarship search, but a little bit about all sorts of things to think about and prepare for as your student prepares to leave the nest! College Bound: The Ultimate List of Conversations to Help Your Teen Through High School
Best Resources for a Scholarship Search: Experts
These are two great systems that have worked for my family, and we have all the info for you!
How2WinScholarships –Here is a link to the post where I break down how we used this system to help my older 2 sons graduation debt free! You will love to know that even if you bought everything she has created, it’s only about $50!
The Scholarship System –Here is a great post where Laura interviewed Jocelyn who developed this system. Side note: My husband and I (Mel) bought this system ourselves for our family. We used a lot of her tips to also help our boys to graduation debt free.
If you have a student athlete, there is a Facebook group you need to visit. Renee Lopez is the bomb on knowing what to do and how to do it! She has a book which is available on her website which we used for our youngest son who was recruited as a high school junior to play lacrosse for his college.
Best Resources for a Scholarship Search: Websites
When using these, you may have to give an email address. My advice to you is to create a new email dedicated for the use of finding scholarships and applying to colleges on. Make sure that it is professional and does not give away any personal info.
College Confidential -This website has all sorts of search answers for you when searching for all college/scholarship questions.
Gates Millenium Scholars -These foundation, “was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native*, Asian Pacific Islander American**, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest.” More than 10,000 scholarships awarded each year.
GetEducated -this one is all about online schools
StudentsReview -This is kind of like Reddit for students, so the website is set up with a number of ways to search for anything regarding colleges and scholarships among other pertinent searches when thinking about college.
Your Planning for College Planner -We developed this product from getting our 6 kids into college!
THE PLANNING FOR COLLEGE PLANNER has everything you need to get from the freshman year of high school to the freshman year of college all in one place.
We took all the things we had kept track of in our own kids’ college searches and put it together into this amazing all-inclusive tool -use what we learned to make your college search so much easier!
Best Resources for a Scholarship Search: The college
The best websites for your student to check out is the website of the schools that your student is looking at attending. As a student at a college, they need to continue to check out the college website, the program website that they are enrolled in, and if they are in a club or fraternal organization -that is also a great place to search!
When looking at a school make an appointment with the financial aid office at the college. This is something that we did each time that one of our boys chose a college. Each time we asked them to sharpen their pencils and give us the best deal. This is where you have your child sell themselves. Present their resume. Ask if there are any scholarship interviews available for more money. Make sure that your child is part of this process because it it their future this will affect.
Check to see if the college has a TRIO office. This has been a great resource for my youngest son. TRIO programs were developed to help low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities, providing support all the way through college graduation. (My son is on a 504, so he qualifies under the disabilities requirement.)
Best Resources for a Scholarship Search: Other places to look
•The local library or online library -check the reference section for scholarship books and resources
•High school counseling office -many times they will post scholarship opportunities on there website or bulletin board. Most counselors in the school setting are overwhelmed by their workload, so don’t expect personal help, but you can visit the office and ask for any scholarship info that they have.
•Foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, ethnicity or civic groups are all great places to look -check out their websites or contact the local leader.
•Parent or grandparent place of employment -it never hurts to ask if they have any grants or scholarships!
•Don’t forget to have your child check ALL of their emails, including school for anything scholarship related! Including once they get into college because you never know! This includes their spam and junk mail as well. Ask me how I know this….
Related posts for Best Resources for a Scholarship Search
Prevent Student Loan Debt: Things To Know
How To Find Scholarships -The System We Used to Graduate Our Son Debt-Free!
How2WinScholarships Review: NPP Reports
How Will We Pay For College Next Year?
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Scholarships -Mel wrote this one for Monica at How2WinScholarships
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