Applying for college scholarships more easily
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - It may seem early in the year for students to apply for college scholarships, but now through April is when scholarships start becoming available.
It is an ideal time for high school and college students to look for funding. There are so many scholarship options that some students may face challenges or confusion on how to apply.
“I think the biggest challenge is where do I begin, right? Unknowing of the situation, that kind of brings a little bit of stress to them," said Idaho Falls High School College and Career Advisor, Yulliana Gatica. "But there's a lot of resources that schools have and a lot of people that have the knowledge that they're seeking and kind of guide them the right direction.”
While criteria for all scholarships differ, Yulliana says one consideration across the board is to always be prepared with letters of recommendation. If students have those ready, students should have a smoother time when applying.
Yulliana says you should keep deadlines in mind when trying to apply and watch out for scholarship scams.
"Go to a trusted source. College and career advising in your high schools have trusted sources that they've already verified. I wouldn't just Google anything. Double check that wherever you're applying or you're entering information that is a trusted source."
We spoke with Shaelynn, a student, about her experience applying for scholarships. One resource she used was Apply Idaho.
“It has all of the scholarships that you're applicable for, and it makes it really easy to apply to all of them. So that's where I applied for the Launch Program and the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship.“
Shaelynn was awarded both of those scholarships and is waiting to hear back about another one. She says the process was straightforward and easy. She also shared some final advice to students.
“My teacher always told me, just apply and let them deny. So if there's a scholarship and it's competitive...just apply anyway. See what happens because you never know.“
Here are some more scholarship sources.
