Optimist recently sat down with counselor, Lacey Grant who gave us some tips on getting scholarships 

Tips for where students should look for scholarships:

• Majorities of scholarships come from the colleges themselves so when someone is checking out a college they should check out their scholarship pages and make sure that you can meet the deadlines that the colleges offer.
• Outside of that there are a lot of resources on the internet that are trustworthy such as Fastweb.com scholarships.com goingmary.com .
• Check your Canvas messages and emails because lots of local organizations reach out to the school and send to students in emails, announcements, the website, and canvas messages.
• Companies offer scholarships for employee’s children so make sure to ask your parents if their company has any scholarships.

Tips for when students should start looking for scholarships:

• Most you’ll look at during fall of senior year but there are some that are for juniors and for juniors graduating early but the majority are done during senior year.

When students should check scholarships deadlines:

• A lot of larger scholarships have deadlines all throughout the year.
• Lots of smaller local scholarships are available after winter break such as the Foundation of Monroe County Community School (FMCCS) and have deadlines later in the year. You can find more information about applying at https://mccsfoundation.org/scholarships/

General tips for students applying for scholarships:

• Make sure that you have other people look at it, have English teachers look at it, make sure you don’t have any silly grammatical errors, and be authentic.
• Don’t be afraid to apply to scholarships if you meet the requirements, there are a lot of small, local ones that get few applications that you will be more likely to be accepted for.

Scholarships that you think all students should know about:

• Everyone should utilize the resources mentioned on the counseling page of the MCCSC website.
• All students should fill out a FAFSA form no matter your family’s income since it can save you money and time filling it out at the financial aid office when you’re at college so that the college you go to can access it.

How can students increase their chances of getting a scholarship:

• Some scholarships are very specific and some are only for people going into certain fields, people who have had certain experiences or people from certain backgrounds so make sure to stay involved in clubs and groups in your community.
• In general having a good GPA, taking challenging classes, being involved in activities, school clubs, being a good leader and working hard are all ways to help you have a chance to be accepted for scholarships.

The Student-View Scholarship Program

• Deadline is April 23, 2022, scholarship winners will be announced in May 2022
• Offering $13,000 worth of scholarships to high School seniors planning to attend a four-year college, community college, junior college or career school. 
• Includes one $5,000 scholarship, three $1,000 scholarships, ten $500 scholarships
• All Indiana seniors who apply for the Student-View Scholarship will be automatically entered into the drawing for the new $500 Indiana Senior Scholarship
• Application process is simple and requires 15-20 minutes
• Application doesn’t require a minimum SAT/ACT score, minimum GPA, essay or lengthy application form or application fees
• Visit https://www.student-view.com/ScholarshipWmap.html for more information