|
|
|
|
It's never too late to start searching for scholarships. It's also never to
early! While a surprising number of scholarships are targeted at high school students,
there is a sizable array of scholarships that students as young as sixth grade (and sometimes even younger) can apply for today.
Starting early allows students to prepare and better position themselves for
scholarship success in later years. For example, if you've been thinking about
joining a club or trying a new extracurricular activity, there's not time like
the present. And remember, your scholarship search need not stop when you graduate
high school—there are hundreds (if not thousands!) of scholarship programs
aimed at students already enrolled in college.
As you build up your list of scholarship opportunities, plan to apply early
for as many of these opportunities as possible. Contest judging is far from
an exact science, and you can enhance chances to win by submitting numerous
applications.
Don't neglect the small, local scholarships either--the money could help cover
the cost of textbooks for a term, and it's not unheard of to find local scholarships
in which you're the only applicant!
You should also start requesting scholarship applications for programs you hope to apply for in later years. Pay special attention to the kinds of questions that will be asked of you down the road. Bottom line—if you work hard enough and start early enough, nothing can stand in the way of your eventual scholarship success.
If the Coach himself had it to do all over, he would have started applying as early as seventh or eighth grade! Many scholarships for middle-school students are project-oriented, rather than achievement-oriented, meaning that they reward students for things they’ve made and created, rather than what they’ve done. A few good examples of these are:
- The Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Competition: Students in grades 2-8 submit inventor’s logs and pictures of an invention or modification of a tool.
- Toshiba/NSTA Exploravision: Students in grades K-12 submit futuristic ideas for scientific advancement.
- Optimist International Oratorical Contest: Students under age 16 write and memorize speeches on specified topics.
By starting the search for scholarship early on, students can better position themselves for scholarship success, and ultimately afford the college of their choice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
