Scholarships, grants, work-study jobs, and loans aren’t given out only to incoming freshmen. You can keep applying for financial aid all the way through college. You may think that applying for a scholarship is a lot of work, but look at it this way: If you spend five hours working on a scholarship application and it pays $250, you’ve earned $50 an hour for your time ($250 / 5 = $50). Where else can you get a job that pays $50 an hour?!
Watch for scholarship postings at your major’s departmental office. Visit your college’s financial aid office. (Even better, make an appointment with someone who works there so you can get to know a financial aid officer personally.) And, check out the Internet. Here are for some Web sitesto visit:
- College Board (www.collegeboard.com)
- Fast web—financial aid search through the Web (www.fastweb.com)
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (www.finaid.org)
- Sallie Mae—scholarship service (www.salliemae.com)
- U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope)
Do you know the most common mistake students make when applying for scholarships? They miss the deadlines! Get a big calendar and circle deadline dates so you’ll remember to get your applications in on time.
