The days left until graduation are getting smaller, but the cost for college is not. Luckily, there are ways to cut down the cost.
The amount of scholarships available for seniors is endless, with something out there for everyone. Aside from scholarships for just Hayes students, the Delaware County Foundation is a resource that holds a variety of scholarships for Delaware locals.
“We have 60 different scholarships and they’re for not only high school students,” said Delaware County Foundation Director of Grants and Administration, Erika Myers-Bromwell. “Some of our scholarships are memorial scholarships, so they are dedicated to family members that have passed or are still with us…We have some that are academically oriented or towards a certain profession.”
Students aren’t just limited to the local scholarships. There are scholarship matching websites that will find students applications that they are most compatible for.
“Probably the best place to go [for scholarships] is SchoolLinks; I think there are over 3000 posted there right now,” College and Career counselor Jennifer Pollard said. “The other website I like to promote is fastweb.com and you can create a profile that then matches you with scholarships.”
Though, the process for applying can be tedious, with questions that are similar to one another. It is important to stay on task and stay organized. Using a Google Doc can be helpful to house all information for scholarship responses in one place.
“You can answer pretty much the same essay and copy and paste it to multiple ones; that way you don’t have to recreate it every single time,” Pollard said.
Applying for scholarships can be time-consuming, with steps and requirements applicants have to follow that can lead to things being easily forgotten. Pollard said that some items that are usually missing are the required amount of letters of recommendation, including transcripts and attaching resumés.
“Right now, I have the time to go back and say you missed this piece, but when the deadline comes on Feb. 28, I don’t have time to go through each one of them,” Pollard said.
For scholarships through the Delaware County Foundation, the committee considers a wide range of factors during the selection process. However, there are some standout things that students should not shy away from.
Meyers-Bromwell said that the scholarship holders are awarding the scholarships to give back to the community, so applicants should focus on the volunteer work they have done and how they have contributed to their school and community.
The deadline for all local scholarships is Feb. 28; that also goes for the ones at the Delaware County Foundation. In the long run, the effort may help to pay for post-secondary school.
“I think [students] can benefit from scholarships because there are extra expenses that come with college,” senior Isabella Chavez said. “Having that scholarship money can also help you cover some of those expenses that you might not even realize that you have.”
After a student applies, their application goes through a selection process. Once that is completed, there is a senior award ceremony on May 8, where the recipients are presented the scholarship from the scholarship fund holder.
The average student loan debt in America is over $38 thousand. Students who take the time to apply for scholarships may avoid becoming part of that statistic.
