Blog

An Insider’s Insight into Applying for Scholarships

Posted on: February 17, 2020 by: dee

Scholarships both big and small can be extremely helpful in making a college education more accessible. According to a 2019 report entitled “How America Pays for College”, more than 8 in 10 families relied on scholarships and grants to help cover their higher education costs. Note that unlike loans, scholarships and grants do not need to be paid back.

For students seeking financial assistance in covering their tuition costs, there are a lot of options to choose from. Scholarships can be awarded directly through a college or an independent source and they vary in size, criteria, application process, and deadline. One thing that all legitimate scholarships have in common though is that they never have application fees. Unfortunately, scams do exist, so be careful about applying only to legitimate opportunities that do not require you to pay to apply.

It is also important to apply early and often. I highly recommend that students research the opportunities that they are eligible for and begin applying as early as possible, particularly during their junior and senior years. Since every scholarship you apply to increases your chances of winning one, I also suggest that students make it a goal to apply to a certain number of scholarships each month. Of course, be sure to prioritize the ones with earlier deadlines.

These websites are a helpful resource for exploring scholarship options that you may be eligible for:

Going Merry: https://www.goingmerry.com/
College Board: https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/
Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/
Scholarships America: https://scholarshipamerica.org/
Scholarships.com: https://www.scholarships.com/
Scholar Snapp: https://www.scholarsnapp.org/
Unigo: https://www.unigo.com/
Edvisors: https://www.edvisors.com/
College Green Light: https://www.collegegreenlight.com/
Cappex: https://www.cappex.com/
Career One Stop: https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-scholarships.aspx

If scholarships are an important part of your financial plan, I encourage you to give yourself the best chance of receiving one by doing your homework and taking the time to apply to as many as possible. Good luck!

Testimonials

On paper, I am by no means a perfect student. However, thanks to my Application Positioning, I was able to maximize the strengths that I bring to a college to compensate for other factors. Thanks to The Ivy Dean Team, I will be attending Princeton University, my dream school, in the fall.

Douglas R. – Princeton University

Dee provided excellent advice and guidance throughout the application process. Her overall expertise in admissions, professionalism and warmth made the experience a great one. I was thrilled that I was accepted to several of the most selective colleges in the country and will be attending Stanford in the fall.”

Laurel P. – Stanford University

It's my pleasure to inform you that I've been admitted to my first choice college: the University of Southern California. My dream is becoming reality! I am thrilled to get the chance to belong to the USC and to start a new adventure there. It is also thanks to your great help that I've been accepted, I'm very grateful! Thank you so much for everything.

Sonia G. – From Switzerland

Our son and daughter wanted to go to colleges in the same city but they had different interests and different strengths. She matched them each with their ideal college, one Columbia University and the other NYU, and worked to get them admitted. We couldn't have been more pleased.

Niki and Roger S.

I was a serious student but also wanted a university where I could continue competitive cycling. There weren't many schools that met my needs and fit my personality. From her experience, she was able to hone right in on what became my first choice school. I graduated last year and the entire college experience was awesome.

Colin J.

My parents and I didn't know how helpful it could be to have someone who understood things from the inside working with us. Ms. Blackman was able to identify just what would make me the most attractive candidate to colleges.

Bob M. – Harvard University