Go Straight to the Scholarship Listing!
Scholarships are essentially gifts of money given to help fund a college education. With college tuition raising at drastic rates earning scholarship money can really help. There are two basic times of scholarships: Merit Based and Need Based Scholarships. Merit based scholarships are awarded to students that have a particular skill (musical talent, athletic abilty, etc.), high academic achievements, community service, among other things. Need based scholarships are given to students that financially need the money in order to be able to afford college. Fortunately, there are a lot of scholarships available for students to help pay for college.
How do students get scholarships then?
Apply for Admission Early: Students tend to get the most scholarship money from the college that they attend. In order to get the most scholarship money students should apply for admission as early as possible. Seniors should try to apply for admission to any college that they are considering during August, September, or October. This will help the college communicate with them about scholarship opportunities that the school is offering. If a student puts off applying the college’s that they are considering will not know they are interested and will not send information specific to them about scholarship opportunities. I see students nearly every year that lose out on tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships because they put off applying for admission until December or later.
Private Scholarships: There are literally billions of dollars awarded each year in private scholarships. There are several ways to find these scholarships. Each spring we have many local scholarships available here at Gilbert High School. Throughout the year I receive many scholarship opportunities in the mail and I post listings on this page (see the top of this page!), in the district newsletter, in the hallways of Gilbert High School and also I hand deliver the listings to the seniors!
There are also ways to find scholarships by by going to the college’s websites. If you check out my college guides I have created listings of the scholarships available at the college. Here is an example of what a scholarship listing page looks like.
There are also several websites that help students find private scholarships. Here are some of the best:
Fastweb.com | Scholarships.com | Meritaid.org
Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is very important!
After January 1st during the senior year and before the priority date (typically March 1st) the FAFSA form should be filled out. This is how students and parents can get grants, scholarships, jobs on campus, student and parent loans.
If you have any questions please feel free to email Mr. Jacobson at jacobsonp@gilbert.k12.ia.us or call 515 232-3738.
