With the school year just beginning, many scholarship applications are opening up, and deadlines are fast approaching. Many scholarships take a while to fill out, so it is important to get an early start before the workload becomes overwhelming. Alumna Keirsten Killman exclaimed, “I wish I had known how much time I would be spending on scholarships before, because then I would’ve started doing them sooner and spreading out when I did them.”
Killman is not alone in her sentiments. Alumni Caden Green, Keirsten Killman, and Delaney Restivo all shared similar advice of spreading out the workload over time. Doing this will allow for better work and less stress over a major workload. Alumna Delaney Restivo also shared, “I wish I had known that it would not be the end of the world if I did not receive every scholarship I had applied for … Find scholarships that resonate with you.”
Seniors need to keep an eye on the scholarships listed on Schoollinks to ensure no deadlines come up unexpectedly. For the fall semester, most first deadlines occur in early November; however, some come up sooner. For example, the AES Engineering Scholarship closes October 8th, the Pretty Actions Scholarship Program closes October 15th, and the Marching Band Scholarships close October 21st. For a full list of scholarships, visit the Schoolinks site by going to: https://www.schoolinks.com/.
Before scholarship season gets too hectic, it is essential to get ahead early and start filling out any necessary applications now. Alumnus Caden Green suggests making a master sheet with all school activities and accomplishments when applying for scholarships. Applications like Common App and Schoollinks make this very easy, with parts of the app designed to enter all information that is relevant to the school and scholarship application process. Google Docs or Notes are also some apps that can be used to track this information easily, Green added.
Later in the school year, local scholarships will begin to open up, and the money from these scholarships usually goes directly to the recipient. This money can be used more freely for other college essentials like dorm furniture and utilities. Another added benefit to the local scholarships is their smaller entry pool, making them much easier for students to receive. A few local scholarships to keep an eye out for are the Brewer Family Scholarship, the SI Leathernecks Marine Corp, the Chance Karnes scholarship, the Hayden Lence Memorial scholarship, and Julia Harrison Bruce Foundation scholarship are just some of the local scholarships to keep a look out for. Most local scholarship applications open in January and will have applications due the final weekend of February, so be ready to act fast.
It is crucial to take advantage of this time to fill out the FAFSA by going to: https://studentaid.gov/. The FAFSA is necessary for determining what kind of federal, state, and institutional financial support a student is eligible for. Some schools are still offering preferred applications. Some such schools include the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which closes on November 1st, and SIU E and SIU C both end preferred applications on December 1st. They use the school accomplishments and responses to their surveys to give countless suggestions for schools.
