Students get so severely stressed out about finding scholarships even though there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of scholarships out there to be had. A little work just has to go into it. Maybe some organization, some time to actually apply, some more time to review your work, and maybe a little more time to make it extra super appealing to whoever will be reading your application.

Just because you apply for a scholarship doesn’t mean you’ve done a good job at showing the scholarship providers that you deserve it. But you probably do deserve a nice hunk of free money; so take the time these scholarship applications probably deserve instead of just crossing your fingers that some Wizard of Oz type person will just pick your name out of a hat. Give youself a step up!

Start now. See if you’re a match for these scholarships, all due before 2012.

1. Dr Pepper Million Dollar Tuition Giveaway
Deadline: December 31
Award range: $2,500-$100,000
Quick fact: Open to high school juniors through college juniors, Dr Pepper will be awarding 50 different students with big, like really big, scholarships.

2. ScholarshipPoints.com Scholarship
Deadline: December 14
Award range: $500-$10,000
Quick fact: This scholarship’s application process shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.

3. Most Valuable Student Award
Deadline: December 2
Award range: $1,000-$15,000
Quick fact: Open to all high school students, this scholarship is renewable, which means it actually can add up to $60,000 total!

4. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum Student Essay Contest
Deadline: November 11
Award range: $50-$100
Quick fact: Available for all high school students.

5. STOP hunger Scholarships
Deadline: December 5
Award range: $5,000
Quick fact: All grades, high school and up, with volunteer or community service are eligible to apply for this renewable scholarship–remember, renewable.

6. Imagine America Scholarship Program
Deadline: December 31
Average award: $1,000
Quick fact: High school seniors and college freshman must be attending or plan to attend a participating US career college.

7. Ecologist Initiative Scholarship
Deadline: December 31
Average award: $850
Quick fact: This scholarship is meant to engage young people from around the world in environmental clean-up and conservation projects. If that’s passion of yours, apply!

Will you apply to any of these? How much time do you spend on scholarships applications?

So yes, tuition can be pretty steep, but there are ways around it if you stay ahead of the game and keep your eyes peeled for scholarship opportunities.

On the other hand, there are some costs to college that are a bit unexpected, and we don’t want them to catch you off guard. So here are five unforeseen expenses that you might have to dole out  some cash for that are not included in your college tuition:

1. Tutoring
You are a very intelligent person, but your physics class is much more difficult than you could have imagined. You totally thought you owned that exam, but when you got your grade back, you realized you need to work a little harder. So you visited the physics resource center, you went to your professor’s office hours, you met up with friends in the class, and the concepts were just not hitting home. Sometimes, the many resources your school provides for you won’t cut it–you need a couple one-on-one sessions with an expert who can give you all their attention and focus on what you’re missing.

Yes, tutoring can be a bit pricey, but failing a class can cost you much more.

2. Labs and materials
This mostly goes for art and design students who can’t simply use a pen and paper to do their work. If you’re an art and design student, you might have to pay lab fees (that goes for science students as well), and you’ll probably have to purchase your materials for your art, which can add up. Try to budget in your lab and materials costs before the semester starts so you don’t overdraw your bank account on canvases and oil paints.

3. Printing
It depends on your school, but usually your college or university will give you an allotted number of pages you can print for free (or that’s already included in your tuition), and then it will start charging you. Be careful for this because many professors will have you print off your own course packs which may be hundreds of pages.

4. Healthcare
Being a student is hard. You’ll study hard. Work hard. And probably party hard. With that entire combination, there’s no doubt you’ll ultimately wind up with some sort of illness. Just be weary; a trip to your university care center isn’t free of charge. Don’t be surprised when you get a bill for the tests you took. Also, don’t be taking CAT scans just for fun. Well, you probably knew that.

5. Computers and computer emergencies
Most college students have their own computers. It’s an expensive tool, but it’s also incredibly helpful–you can do you work on your own schedule, not the computer lab’s.

So there’s the cost of the actual computer, but there’s also the chance that your computer might need to be fixed. Too often it all begins with an ill-positioned cup of coffee, a clumsy roommate, a banana slip on the floor, and boom! Your keyboard is drenched in hot coffee and making weird noises. Or, maybe you downloaded a shady file. There are so many reasons your computer can go rogue–like, maybe it’s one of those computers from the future that was sent back in time to take over the human race–but it’s one of the most important tools you have with you at college, so you’re probably going to put the money down to fix it.

What are some unforeseen costs you experience during college? Leave a comment!

You can be a scholarship winner too by making a Cappex profile! Your profile will then be used as your “application” for the Cappex scholarships, like, say, these two coming up:

A GPA Isn’t Everything and I Don’t Want to Pay for College.

That’s exactly what these two superstars did to win their scholarships:

“A GPA Isn’t Everything” Scholarship – Winter II Scholarship Winner: Rebecca D. from Mt. Prospect, Ill., will be attending college next fall.  During her high school career, she served as a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and eventually its President for two school years.  The program was recognized as one of the best programs in the state and won grants from the Operation Teen Safe Driver for its success. Rebecca was also a peer tutor and a member of her school’s service organization which works to better the community and help with special needs schools as well as the elderly.

“I Don’t Want to Pay for College” – Spring Scholarship Winner: Matthew J., from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is currently a college student with a broad background in volunteer and service with his church and Boy Scouts including canned food drives, making care packages for the 101st Airborne and community clean up.  Matthew’s a talented student who channeled his passion for music and science into an awesome project where he designed, produced and then performed with two homemade instruments.

Want to see past scholarship winners? Check them out on our Facebook page!

You may have already fallen ill with senioritis, but paying for your college education is not an option, and here are 7 easy scholarships to help you start chipping away at that big tuition number.

1. Ayn Rand “Atlas Shrugged” Scholarships
84 scholarships between $50-$10,000 will be awarded to applicants who submit an essay on the book Atlas Shrugged.  That much money is definitely worth a book report. 

2. Directron.com College Scholarship
If you’re a tech geek, this scholarship should be easy as pie for you. 6 scholarships between $300-$1,000 will be awarded.   Deadline’s approaching, so start this one ASAP.

3. The Big Dig Scholarship
Can you think of one item sold in stores today that will be immensely valuable in 200 years? We have a feeling you’ll be able to think of something for a $3,000 scholarship…

4. Share Your Story Scholarship
Got a story to tell? This program is giving away $1,000-$9,000 to 6 applicants.

5. Cardonors.com Scholarship
Looking for an easy, no-stress scholarship to apply to? This $500 scholarship has a super easy application you could complete by the time you finish reading this description!

6. Healthy Lifestyle Scholarship
This $5,000 scholarship is designed to award students who embrace healthy lifestyles.  So put down the Funyons for this scholarship.

7. C.I.P. Scholarship
The College is Power scholarship is here to help students pay for tuition, books, room and board, computers or anything else related to your education! With a straightforward application and a deadline approaching, you should apply today!

And juniors! Don’t worry, here are some scholarships that could work for you!