Applying for scholarships starts before your senior year. So what can you as parents or students do to start preparing:
1. Start scholarship searches during the students junior year to find out what is available.
2. Start making a list of all the clubs, sports, academic awards, citizenship awards, volunteering, achievements, etc. that the student has earned during their high school career. Make sure to keep this updated as to not miss any important information.
Once it is time to start filling out scholarships keep these things in mind:
1. Pay attention to deadlines! Most scholarships have strict deadlines and unfortunately they don't cut a lot of slack. Planning and not waiting until the last minute is key.
2. Ask around in the community if someone is offering any scholarships. Some common places: parent's places of employment, churches, banks, or local organizations.
3. Keep in contact with the counseling department whether through Facebook, website, or the actual office to see what new scholarships are available.
4. Stay organized. Scholarships can be overwhelming at time, but in the end can be worth it. Develop a system or routine so you can stay on top of scholarships so you don't miss out.