GHS

For the college-bound Seniors of GHS, the ever-chilling air of fall is a nerve-wracking reminder of college scholarship deadlines quickly approaching. Confusing and overwhelming, this drove of dates, specifications, and transcripts loom over students—which is why Mr. Lord, our lead school counselor, is here to simplify the chaos that is college scholarships.

Upon my first request for an interview with Mr. Lord, he emailed me back within minutes, passionate and eager for pathway for students to learn about the scholarship process. He commented that it is a real struggle every year getting students informed about the scholarship process. He had me in that very day for an interview.

When I arrived at his office in the school counseling department, he welcomed me in with with a warm air. He was wearing his classic colorful tie and avocado socks. The room was cozy and the chair was comfortable, and I at once felt at ease. I began the conversation with a question that I, personally, was most curious about. I asked “Is it true that a good majority of scholarships are unclaimed every year?” His response was fast. “Locally, generally all get claimed,” but he continued with a mysterious flare, “but there’s probably money out there nationally.” According to my research, precisely $2.9 billion of federal grant money goes unclaimed every single year. For this deficit to close, students need to remember to fill out their FAFSA and contact their college about grant money early.

I proceeded to ask Lord what is the most crucial piece of advice he gives to students beginning the hunt for scholarships. He told me, “It’s worth spending time on it. Even if a student were to spend a hundred hours working, if they get one scholarship for 1,000, they got paid 10 an hour. You have to look at scholarship searching like that. It gets easier as you go along, as you continue to write essays and build up your resources. Basically they need to remember that anything helps.”

As a busy student without hundreds of hours to spend on applications, I was worried. I asked exactly how many applications should I be finishing? He responded, “As many as you have time for. Go for everything that you possibly can. Of course, prioritize ones that you think you will get. Look at the specifications critically and choose from there.”

I wanted a concrete plan. I asked, “What is the best strategy for earning scholarships? What websites do you suggest?” With this, Mr. Lord’s eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for an opportunity to talk on this subject. “All students need to start on Naviance. There is a “Scholarships and Money” section, which has all sorts of scholarships. There are also links to reputable sites with good scholarships, such as Scholarships.com and Fastweb.com.” Naviance seems to be the springboard for all senior year future planning, and not enough of us are utilizing this resource.

This was all well and good, but my mother taught me not to trust people offering me money, so I continued by asking him if there are any scholarships to be avoided. He told me, “Avoid paying anyone for scholarship search-- it’s a scam. You can always do it for free with fast web and scholarship.com.”

My next question was how the system has changed over the years. He responded that “Most folks have bought in to our all in one scholarship application, so it is more streamlined and easier. Before we had the all in one, we would have scholarships where only 1 person applied. Now I imagine there are 5 to 50 people for every one. Also, many schools have done away with scholarship money and now go by grant based programs. These are blind to characteristics and therefore completely fair.”

Mr. Lord concluded the interview with this: “Students need to pay attention to deadlines. They need to contact colleges as soon as possible. Colleges are not high school. They will hold you to deadlines. Most importantly, find the way that you organize your calendar best: phone, planner, some sort of app like Cozy. Anything works but the important thing is that you have reminders of important goals. Also, students need to be checking Naviance every week. Especially once second semester starts, Mrs. Pike starts adding new scholarships every week. Be persistent.”

This interview was a wakeup call for me, and should be for all similarly driven students. Now that senior interviews have been conducted, we all should know our Naviance login and according to Mr. Lord, we need to get moving!