That is a really good question, and fortunately, there are some good resources out there for you to consider, and they're free. So rule # 1 is: don't pay for help. The FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is free; there are several excellent free scholarship searches, college awarded scholarships (grants) are free. Rule #2: searching and applying for scholarships takes time. I've seen very few, if any, scholarships that just let you sign up, and you're done. There might be essays to write, projects to develop, or questions to answer, so you will have to consider the amount of work involved before you begin. So when you see those people who say they got college paid for by looking for outside scholarships, just know that a lot of hard work went into it, and sometimes they had to apply for LOTS of scholarships to achieve that goal.
By the way, I still think the best place to start is with the college itself, but if you're considering schools that (a) don't give merit awards or (b) everyone else is applying to, you might (will) end up empty-handed. Be willing to consider a different school - perhaps one where there are few students from Tennessee or one where you will be the cream of the crop. Talk to your counselor and be open-minded!
And while I'm on the subject of money, this is good advice whether you are headed to college or leaving college for the working world. Young women need to know how to manage their money!
No comments:
Post a Comment