SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship bulletins
College Map Mentor clients who are juniors or seniors will be sent monthly scholarship bulletins via email beginning in June.
Each high school usually shares scholarships. Make sure to check with your guidance counselors, school newsletters, or college and career center (as per your school).
Check below for more ways to find scholarships.
REMEMBER....you should never have to PAY for a scholarship or a scholarship search! (No application fees)
Scholarship SeARCH - BEST PRACTICES
Scholarships are a form of gift aid—money that does not have to be repaid. You will want to invest your time into conducting your own scholarship search to locate this free money
Keep a master list of all scholarships you apply to. The best way to do this is with the College Map Mentor's Academic Organizer provided to each client. Sort scholarships by deadlines.
Qualify each scholarship before adding to your list. Identify and categorize each scholarship as need-based, merit-based, career/major specific and note on College Map Mentor's Academic Organizer on the "Scholarship" tab.
Target small or local branded scholarships. The lower the competition, the higher chance of winning.
Ask for letters of recommendation early on. We recommend you request letters of recommendation at the end of your junior year to give the teachers/counselors time.
Gather resources before starting scholarship application in a Google Drive folder for easy access. This may include your basic information, transcript, resume, contact information for references, copies of letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc.
Save every essay in your Google Drive and recycle the essay as needed. There is no need to "reinvent the wheel" if you need a same topic essay or one that is slightly different.
When you attach a file with a scholarship application, always send it as a PDF file. You may obtain a PDF by opening your document, clicking File/Download/PDF Document.
Apply...apply...apply! This is a numbers game. The more scholarships you apply to, the more chances you have of receiving one or more.
ScholarshipS AND SCHOLARSHIP search sites
When to begin researching scholarships
It is never too early to start your research
Grab the bulletins and verify if you qualify
Keep a list of scholarships you may qualify for (freshmen, sophomores, juniors). Use your College Map Mentor's Academic Organizer to keep track of potential scholarship opportunities.
Seniors...apply for EVERY qualified scholarship. Remember, even the smaller scholarships start adding up!
college/university scholarships
Check the respective college websites for freshman, merit-based, departmental, athletic and other scholarships offered.
COST
You should NEVER pay for a scholarship search engine, nor should you pay an application fee!