Photo: smartmoneydaily.com

Scholarships are becoming an increasingly crucial way for students from all walks of life to pay for their schooling. Scholarships open up doors and provide opportunities for college education that would otherwise remain out of reach. The hardest part? Getting started and finding the best scholarships for you! The good news? Cappex is here to help you find them.

First and foremost, don’t assume that you won’t qualify for scholarships! They are not just awarded for perfect grades or financial need, although those are certainly great reasons to apply for funding. Don’t give up before you’ve researched your options.

Research

• Scholarships exist everywhere, even in unlikely places.
• Check with local businesses – often they have programs or small scholarships available to students planning to go into business or marketing.
• Churches, synagogues, and other places of worship may offer scholarships to students going into religious studies or those that have completed volunteer work.
• Look into opportunities at the schools to which you are applying. Sometimes scholarships are offered after a student has performed well for several semesters.
• Word of mouth can be a great tool. Let friends and family know you are on the lookout for scholarships. They may know of ones you’d be interested in or have advice where to look.
• Check out these cool essay contests.
• Take the PSAT (Practice SAT)! You can opt to have your scores sent to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which sponsors the PSAT. They offer scholarships to students with excellent scores. Plus, its great practice for the real SAT.
• Visit Cappex for scholarships that align with your interests or major. There is funding available for everything from the arts to engineering!
• Clear up scholarship myths and misconceptions by checking out these Scholarship Myths Debunked.

Planning

• Start early. Give yourself enough time to research, apply, and try again if for some reason your first few attempts are unsuccessful.
• Apply to more than one! Don’t be afraid of utilizing multiple scholarships to pay for your education. Just make sure that they don’t interfere with any Federal Aid you are receiving.
• Scholarships have deadlines. Again, the earlier you begin searching for the scholarship that is right for you, the better your chances are of completing the application on time.
• The PSAT has a sign-up deadline, too! Sign up early in the school year to take it when your high school offers it. Usually, the PSAT is offered in October.
• Set aside a small amount of time each day to do one thing on your scholarship To-Do List. Whether this is “Find One New Scholarship” or “Write INTRO to Scholarship Essay,” make time to do it. Small steps lead you to your big goals.

How to Get a Scholarship: Research and Planning | Choosing and Applying | Results and Your Next Step

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!