Finding scholarships is a stressful journey that requires a lot of attention and hands-on work. Here are some tips and tricks to help you find college scholarships for your child!
During senior year, students are buried in homework, college applications, extra-curriculars, and the scholarship process all at the same time. This is exhausting! Providing support at this stressful time can be the key to your kid’s success. But at the same time, winning scholarships at ths time is critical if they want to graduate without (or with less) student debt. If you want to guide your child through this journey, you have come to the right place! Here are some ways to support your kid in this process and help them find (and win) the best scholarships:
First, be supportive
Applying for college scholarships is a time-consuming process that requires not only a lot of resources but mental strength as well. The application process can be exhausting and sometimes even disheartening. But make sure they know that you believe in their abilities and potential.
Remember: your child will not win every scholarship they apply for. But that doesn’t mean they won’t win! Being the adult in the room and having this perspective ensures your child won’t get discouraged when they don’t see immediate results. Explain to them that this is not the final step of the journey and they can learn from this valuable experience. There are plenty of scholarships out there, and losing one battle doesn’t mean losing the war. Stay upbeat, learn from your mistakes, and keep going!
Be Informed
In addition to your moral support, you can help your kid with the scholarship process by being informative. There are thousands of different scholarships and one person alone simply cannot discover all of them. So, help them find the scholarships!
You will discover that these websites are very helpful in the process: Scholarships.com, Scholarful, BigFuture. Use the database to find suitable college scholarships. You can filter the information according to your child’s background or interests. You can also create a list of relevant scholarships and present them to your kid, encouraging them to apply for these opportunities.
Organize and Keep Track
With so many different deadlines, application requirements, etc., it can be hard to keep everything organized. Start your list with the most important scholarships. The list should include all relevant information including deadlines, essay topics, necessary document checklist, and application requirements.
In order to make this process easier, you can create a scholarship calendar and scholarship checklist.
In the scholarship calendar, you will have information about important deadlines. This will give your kid valuable information and the opportunity to keep track of the scholarships. The calendar will ensure that you will not miss any scholarships and prepare documents on time.
A scholarship checklist will help your kid make sure that every important document is prepared for each and every scholarship opportunity. Navigating through various essays, participation certifications, and additional documents can be overwhelming. To decrease the stress of the process, simply create the checklist.
You can also use Scholarful to keep track of all these documents and apply for scholarships with 1-Click! It not only saves you time by finding scholarships relevant for your student, but also allows them to apply with ease.
Seek different types of college scholarships
Sometimes, financial aid for college can be found in a little bit unusual places. We recommend you ask different people including your employer, members of your community, and alumni of colleges. They might prove very helpful in finding important college scholarships. Do not hesitate to ask for guidance, this process is too important to handle on your own.
- Private companies
Many companies offer scholarships and financial aid to the children of their employees. Some of them even grant scholarships in specific fields that might be useful for the company in the future. So, ask around you might find opportunities when you traditionally would not look for it.
- Local organizations and communities
Local organizations and communities might offer some financial aid as well. They usually don’t grant large scholarships, but they can help your kid cover the cost of learning materials or security deposits. This isn’t much but it can be very helpful since the first-time costs are much higher for freshmen students.
- Alumni Networks
Alumni networks also offer scholarships based on merit and location. These types of scholarships that we have mentioned might not cover the biggest costs, but usually competition is lower, so your kid has more chances to get the scholarship.
Finally, try to stay positive! Your attitude towards this process has a huge influence on your kid. If you stay hopeful and positive, they will be encouraged and confident. This overall mental outlook can change your scholarship journey and make it more enjoyable.
