Where Can You Find Scholarships

Perhaps you've just received your college acceptance letter. Isn't that a great feeling? But it can be quickly followed by a feeling of fear and doom -- now how do you pay for this opportunity?

Borrowing money is always an option, but you know that too many students end up after graduation in entry level positions saddled with thousands of dollars in debt. At a time when you'd like to buy a car and a home, you could be working for years to pay off college.

The alternative is to try to defray some of the costs of your higher education with scholarships. You just need to know where to find them.

SCHOOL COUNSELOR

The first place to start is in your high school with your counselor. Your counselor is a professional who helps students every year. Take advantage of this person's knowledge and put her or him to work for you. A counselor could be a good source for less-heralded private scholarships or even be in touch on an annual basis with local businesses who give students grants or fellowships.

Don't just go once and think you've covered it. You don't want to be a pest, but make a squeal and ask for some grease. Show some perseverance here and if you're still not getting answers, have your parents place a call.

LOCAL COMMUNITY

Many organizations and businesses each year give students money for college. Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, banks, Realtors and even funeral homes often like to present small grants at high school graduation ceremonies.

Sometimes with local organizations, the scholarship opportunities might not be as well known. Learning about them can take some legwork. Talk to people, ask around, get your parents involved. It's possible that your father or mother works for a company that presents scholarships to their worker's offspring.

INTERNET

According to the U.S. Department of education, over the past ten years the number of students receiving scholarships has more than doubled. This is most likely due to the increased availability of information now provided over the Internet. There are several ways you can find out about scholarships on-line.

You can use a search engine and try key words such as "unusual scholarships" or "creative scholarships" to learn about the less publicized opportunities out there.

Or you can use a scholarship search engine. Typically, in exchange for some consumer information, you can fill out one application which is then sent to any scholarship in their data-bank for which you are available.

DON'T BE A SUCKER

Beware of any Web site or organization that wants to charge you to help you find scholarships. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission warns students to watch out for promises that the information is unavailable anywhere else or that a credit card number is necessary to hold a scholarship. Also don't be fooled by any email or snail-mail that congratulates on becoming a finalist in a contest you never entered.

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