As the college application season progresses, the deadlines for many online tuition scholarships approach for high school seniors to submit applications. These scholarships provide funding for students to pursue higher education. They often differ in their amounts and qualifications.
Students may utilize scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, books, transportation or other materials necessary for their education. For the upcoming year, most scholarships are targeted at high school seniors or currently enrolled college students and the application deadlines approach weekly.
Many national scholarships including the Gates Scholarship, Coca-Cola Scholars Program, National Merit Scholarship and Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship cover the full cost of attendance or a large portion of the cost. Other smaller-scale scholarships can provide a range in amounts from 500 to 10,000 dollars. Typically, these scholarships are targeted towards a certain group or require more specificity in qualifications, while smaller, non-national scholarships are oftentimes more attainable and less competitive for students which is a considerable and realistic option for seniors.
When applying for scholarships, students oftentimes must provide their high school transcript and an essay topic pertaining to the scholarship. Other optional items may include a resume, a video and an acceptance letter. These materials help the committees narrow down their applicant pool.
Essays can range in length from 100 to 1000 words. The essays can cover a vast number of topics that often include the motivation for applying to college, specific major questions, extracurricular achievements, special skills, character statements and financial needs.
Less competitive scholarships may also include more specialized essays or personalized experience requirements, which make them less available to the general population. These are the best scholarships to pursue for students aiming to increase their chances of winning the money.
Denver Baldwin (12) says, “I have started to look into applying for scholarships to help pay for college. I mainly apply to ones that do not require essays.”
Scholarships are open to all types of students from different backgrounds. Some scholarships may target specific academic rigor and performance, while others may target career-specific professions. Some scholarships may also only be open to students from certain income levels or locations.
Scholarships can also be utilized for students pursuing community college or trade school to help relieve the financial burden. The requirements for these scholarships may differ since they target a specialized group of applicants.
For students exploring local scholarships, they can apply to ones provided through Orange County Community Foundation and Aliso Niguel High School’s Parent-Teacher Student Association. These scholarships may receive fewer applicants due to the geographic requirement, which makes them less competitive.
Raymond Harris (12) says, “I have tried to look at some of the local ones in Orange County. Outside of those ones, I may try some national scholarships.”
When applying for scholarships, students can use a variety of online platforms to search for the ones that best fit their backgrounds. Popular sites include Niche, Scholarships.com, College Board, Fastweb, Cappex and Chegg.
Overall, students can find any kind of scholarship to suit their needs.
