HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Okay, you've made plans for after high school, you may or may not have decided what school you want to attend, but that small voice inside your head (or the loud voice of your parents) keeps bugging you about looking into scholarships. The only problem is you don't really know where to start- well 'Ta-Da!'

Getting Started:

1-   Most higher education institutions require your ACT/SAT score & GPA to determine if you can be admitted. To determine your accumulative GPA on your transcript see your current school registrar. But getting an ACT/SAT* score takes a little more effort- yes, you've got to take the ACT/SAT* test! So if you aren't already registered to take it click the link below to find the dates, locations, and all the information on taking these tests.
 ACT Test
 SAT Test

If you don't get the score you wanted, take the ACT/SAT multiple times, because school or scholarship you are applying for will accept the highest score you get. The only down fall is that you have to pay each time you take it, but if you increase your score each time that could mean the difference of an increased amount of scholarship award. Make sure when you register for the ACT/SAT you mark which schools you would like your score sent to, because at the registration point you can send the score to 3 schools for free, but if you need to send them to a different school at a later point it may cost you.
 *The ACT test is more a common college entrance exam for west coast schools, and the SAT is a more common college entrance exam for east coast schools. You can check with the schools you are planning on attending to see which exam they accept for admittance.

2-    Now that you have your GPA & ACT/SAT score it is time to make a portfolio. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Stop it, its not that scary. All you have to do is grab an old folder out of your mom's messy office supply drawer (I know you know which drawer this is, everyone has them) and put multiple copies of your transcript, (your ACT/SAT score should be sent to the college or will appear on transcripts if you are applying for scholarships), a copy of a resume, and any awards or recognitions you have received from 9th grade on up.

Once this portfolio is made, anytime you find a school you want to apply for or a scholarship you want to apply for you walk yourself over to that special spot where you keep your portfolio, remove the needed items required to apply, and voila the hard work is over!

3-   With steps 1 & 2 out of the way you are ready to apply to be admitted to the school you want to attend and to get going on finding a scholarship to help you pay for it. The best part is that when you apply to be admitted to a school, this AUTOMATICALLY puts your information towards applying for an academic scholarship with that school. Really?!! Yes, hurry! Go tell mom that you've already applied for one scholarship, just like she asked! You can determine which academic scholarship you qualify for by looking at each school's index score graph. If you match up your GPA & ACT/SAT scores on the index score graph and you don't qualify for an academic scholarship, its not the end of the world, it just means your work isn't over, we've got to start finding other scholarships you qualify for and then apply!

4-   The next place to find scholarships that you may qualify for is to look within the school(s) you want to attend. Step 3 (above) qualifies you for the academic scholarships the school may offer, but most schools have leadership, athletic, departmental, and need based scholarships also.If you already have one or more schools narrowed down to attend, click on them above on the tabs and find which ones apply to you, then apply for them.

5-   If you don't know which school(s) you'd like to attend then the other sources for scholarships are community/employment based scholarships or national scholarships. So ask your parents to look into their places of employment for any scholarships, look in the post below 'Let these businesses work for you', or speak to your school counselor about which community specific scholarships you may qualify for. For national scholarships you can also go to the UtahFutures website and do a search*. 

* If you use any other website to do a scholarship search make sure you don't pay any website or person to run the search, you can find all the scholarships you would need without having to pay anyone. (Like this website--- all this amazing information and it's free!)


6- Okay, one last place to find some money for school. The Federal Government offers 3 sources of financial aid. There are grants- which are awards that do not have to be paid back. There are also loans- which are awards that have to be paid back and usually with interest. The government also offers work study- which is where you get a job on the campus of the school you are attending and the government will pay the school to pay you as an employee.  

These are all great ways to get financial aid, but the type of award and amount is all based off of income level of you & your parents. Go to this website for more information: FAFSA.ed.gov
 

ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSUFL PORTFOLIO


Building a portfolio isn't some huge task that only professionals do, you can do it too! The best part is that once you've created one applying for admittance or scholarships will go a whole lot smoother. Just make sure you proofread your work and get it proofread by some else.
Here's your portfolio supply list and some tips on how each thing will be most successful:

1- Resume: You're resume should be a one page explanation of your experience and accomplishments. So make sure to list your name & contact information at the top so the reader can find them easily. Then make five subheadings; Educational Experience, Work Experience, Leadership Experience, Awards and Achievements, and References. Under each one just fill it in. Click here for some good visual example of a resume: Example Resume.
If you need more help with creating a resume you can use the UtahFutures Website.
If you want to save a resume you created in UtahFutures you will need a login that your school counselor can give you.

2- Essay: Some scholarships or even admittance requirements include an essay. This should also be written to explain the topic that they give you and make sure to have it proofread. If you don't have much experience writing an essay this UtahFutures Website can help.

3-Transcript: You will need to include a copy of your official transcript, which means that you will need to get it from your school registrar, who will print it off, seal it, and sign that it is official. Make sure you have taken the ACT/SAT test in advance so that both your grades and your ACT/SAT score will show up on this transcript. Get multiple transcripts so you can have them on hand for multiple applications.

4- Letters of Recommendation: It is probably a good rule of thumb to ask those people who would write your Letter of Recommendation early & check back with them often to see the progress, so you can get them in time to submit them with your applications. You will want to ask people to write them from different areas in your life; someone who knows your work ethic, someone who knows your academic experience, and someone who knows you from your neighborhood/community/church. Make sure you tell theses people who will write the letter what the letter is for & give them a copy of your resume, so they can direct the letter to make you sound really good. Once these people write you a letter ask for multiple copies so you don't have to bug them again.

LET THESE BUSINESSES WORK FOR YOU!

There are a bunch of sources that award scholarship money for the upcoming school year, but unfortunately they don't market this side of the business as well as others. So I've listed below the businesses and the scholarships, that I've found, that can help you fund your higher education experience! To find out any additional info, about each scholarship, click on the company/business link next to their name and it will redirect you to that website! Theses are all list alphabetically:

 Childhoold Cancer Survivor College Scholarship: 
  • Diagnosed with cancer before the age of 21
  • Age 25 or younger at the time of application
  • U.S. citizen
  • A resident of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming
  • Have a 2.5 GPA or above
  • Accepted without condition to an accredited university, college, community college or vocational technical school
  • Must become a full time student at an accredited university, college, community college or vocational technical school in the upcoming academic year
  • DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 22nd
The American Legion Scholarship: http://www.legion.org/scholarships
The American Legion offers a number of scholarships and other resources to assist young people in their pursuit of higher education. There are opportunities for everyone, including kin of wartime veterans and participants in Legion programs.
This scholarship's eligibility is as follows: Be living in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico. Be graduating high school seniors (U.S. and Puerto Rico), graduating from grade 12 (Canada) or graduating from home school education in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada. Have a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent. Plan to enroll full-time, without interruption, for the entire 2013-14 academic year at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico.
DEADLINE: JANUARY 10th
 This scholarship is awarded to seniors in high school,across the country, who have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA. The application and directions are posted on the website above. 
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31st

Elks National Foundation: Most Valuable Student Scholarship: 
Eligibility requirements: Any high school senior who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to apply. Applicants need not be related to a member of the Elks. College students are not eligible to apply. Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are signed; permanent legal resident status does not qualify. Male and female students compete separately. Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. DEADLINE: December 7, 2012.


Imagine America Foundation : www.imagine-america.org 
 $1,000 award for seniors. Please let your school counselor know if your are interested as they must nominate you for this scholarship.

 Italian American Civic League Scholarship: http://www.italianamericancivicleague.com/Site/Scholarships.html
 Applicants must be of Italian ancestry and a graduate of a Utah high school. Fill out application online.
DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 7th
Eligibiligy requirements:
  • Must be attending a UTAH college or university in 2013
  • Must have a GPA of 3.0 Or higher
  • Must complete application by deadline date
  • Must have lived in Utah for a LEAST 5 years
  • Must have shown the ability to overcome an obstacle or hardship in your life.
    DEADLINE: MARCH 4th
The Lowe's Scholarship eligibility: Be current high school seniors. Maintain a minimum 3.25 Grade Point Average (on a 4.0 scale). Demonstrate a history of commitment to their community through leadership activities, community service and/or work experience.
The Carl Buchan Scholarship: Be high school seniors or current college undergraduates who have completed at least one full semester at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or technical school in the United States. Be a full or part-time Lowe's employee (or a qualified relative of an employee) who has at least 90 days of service with Lowe's as of January 1 of the year in which the scholarships are awarded. The employee must still be employed at the time awards are announced. (Former award recipients are able to reapply for another award regardless of employment status.) Maintain a minimum 3.25 Grade Point Average (on a 4.0 scale). Demonstrate a history of commitment to their community through leadership activities, community service and/or work experience.
DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 28th

Scout of the Year Scholarship Program: http://www.vfw.org/Community/Scout-of-the-Year-Scholarship/
Eligibility requirements:Scouts who are registered, active members of a Boy or Girl Scout Troop, Venturing Crew, or a Sea Scout Ship who have received the Eagle Scout Award, Girl Scout Gold Award, Venture Silver Award or Sea Scout Quartermaster Award. Scouts must be 15 years of age and have demonstrated practical citizenship in school, scouting and the community. Scouts must be enrolled in high school at the time of selection.
DEADLINE: MARCH 1st
 
The Socitey of American Military Engineers: http://posts.same.org/greatbasin/
The Great Basin Post of the Society of American Military Engineers invites high school seniors attending a Utah high school who plan to pursue an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited engineering degree or NAAB (National Architectural Accreditation Board) architecture degree, to apply for a Lt. Col. G. Roger Sunada $1800 college scholarship. Award of three scholarships is anticipated.
DEADLINE: JANUARY 11th
 
This scholarship is awarded to seniors in high school, who have played a school sport, and have kept a 3.0 GPA. Application and directions are found on the website listed above. 
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 2nd 

Wal-Mart Associate Scholarship: This scholarship is for Wal-Mart associate (people who work at Wal-Mart) seniors, who have a financial need and have a minimum of 2.5 GPA. Application & directions are available November 1st, and are found on the website above. DEADLINE:DECEMBER 3rd
Wal-Mart Associate DEPENDENT Scholarship: This scholarship is for the dependents of a Wal-Mart associate (people who work at Wal-Mart), who have a financial need and have a minimum of 2.0 GPA. Application & directions are available November 1st, and are found on the website above. DEADLINE:MARCH 15th



Women Tech Council- Teen Tech Scholarship:http://www.womentechcouncil.org/events/index.aspx
To be eligible for a scholarship you must provide evidence of (1) graduating from high school in 2013, (2) pursuing a degree related to Math, Science, Engineering or Information Technology, (3) evidence of involvement or activities in STEM related activities, (4) completed essay question responses and application.
DEADLINE: MARCH 1st