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Scholarships, Scholarships, and more Scholarships!Nov 03 '00 Write an essay on this topic.When I first started checking into colleges, I was overwhelmed at the costs! I wasn't a very responsible teenager and didn't have any money saved for college and my parents didn't have any money to contribute either. I needed to rely on student loans and financial aid to get me through college, I thought that I'd get enough financial aid to cover the costs of four years, I was mistaken. I was awarded the maximum amount of financial aid but it wasn't nearly enough. I had to take out loans that totaled over $10,000 for just the two years that I completed in college. I can't imagine how much I would've had to borrow if I would've completed four years! The internet wasn't very big when I was a senior in high school. I didn't have the opportunities to hunt for scholarships and grants on the web like students do now. If I would have applied for more scholarships and grants, I wouldn't have had to borrow as much money as I did. My senior advisor in high school was also my English teacher. When I was applying to colleges and had my work cut out for me she added extra essay assignments. I was frustrated! How did she expect me to write essays in addition to my regular homework, my job, and the college application process? I wrote my essays for her and she kept making me revise them, finally I saw her after school and asked for a reprieve. She informed me that she wanted a good essay from me, one that she could submit for a few scholarship contests. I wrote her a good essay about why I wanted to get into college and I ended up being chosen for an $800.00 scholarship from a local law firm. That was the only scholarship I received. If I could do it all over again, I would've applied for every scholarship and grant I was eligible for. That $800.00 bought my books for two years with some money to spare. Now the internet is readily accessible to so many students applying for college so finding scholarships you meet the qualifications for should be easy. For fun, I tried a site called FastWeb.com. I filled out the application just to see how many scholarships I was eligible for and I was surprised at the results. If I would've known this is in high school, I wouldn't have had to take out so many loans! My advice to seniors wanting to go to college is to apply for as many scholarships and grants as possible. Some require just an easy essay that you usually can use for the essay on your college application. It may be a little extra work but it will be worth it in the long run. Even if you only receive a few scholarships or grants that's less money you have to borrow and less money you have to pay back.  |
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