5 Tips To Get Free College Money

I remember how jealous I was of my older brother when he got a full ride to the college of his choice.  I saw him spending some of his “extra” scholarship money on DVDs and a new TV. I couldn’t believe it. I was just starting the process of writing my college applications and he was already easing into his freshmen year without a care in the world. I was frustrated. HOW did he get all this money? My mom kept using the phrase “student loans” every time my college education came up, yet my brother wasn’t racking in even a small amount of debt.

So then it hit me: high school. High school was very different for my brother than it was for me. I had a lot of friends, I partied on the weekends, I had a very part time job on the weekends but mostly I spent my time socializing. My brother on the other hand was a great student. He did a lot of extracurricular activities and in the summer time he volunteered at the hospital for 3 weeks. Now that high school was over for each of us, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was being punished for having a good time while I was in school. I asked my brother what his secret was and why he enjoyed being such a nerd. Then he told me this: “I didn’t LIKE doing all of those things, and I certainly didn’t necessarily enjoy seeing my summer spent running errands in a hospital, but what I really didn’t want was to work a million hours and try to go to school at the same time. So, I put in the work now.”

It seems like a simple concept but it really hadn’t clicked until then. When I thought about it, I couldn’t even remember how I spent those 3 weeks during the summer while my brother had gone to volunteer, and I could have put myself in a position to win a $5,000 scholarship like he had. I honestly hadn’t done the research, and I figured that as long as I got straight A’s, getting into college and finding a way to pay for it would come naturally. As you probably know, this wasn’t the case.

I made a list of tips and tricks to help find “free money” to pay for school. You may not like it, you may not want to do it, you may downright HATE it, but if you want to come out of college with a degree and little to no debt, these are the necessary steps to make that happen.

1. Prepare waaaaaay in advance. This one I can’t stress enough. By the time students start applying for college, they are generally seniors and almost done with the year. Did you know that most financial aid deadlines are 6 to 7 months before you even begin college? That means you generally have to apply by MARCH, while you are still in high school. That doesn’t include the application you will also need for admission. Plus, with the time it takes to rack up volunteer hours and participate in groups that provide scholarships, you really should have been starting your preparation during your sophomore or junior year at the latest. So, when I say preparation that really means being proactive toward your college education as early as you can. The more you can make yourself stand out by the time you have to write that nifty scholarship essay application, the better off you will be. You will need this before you do anything else. There is no “secret scholarship” website I can lead you too and even if there were, if you don’t have the grades or the community service, 9 times out of 10, you won’t be eligible for anything.
2. Parents are not your slaves. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT rely on your parents to do the work for you. Why would you want to leave your fate in someone else’s hands? Come on! You are the one on the internet all day, why are you not spending at least 5 minutes of that time searching for and applying to scholarships? It may not be fun, but you are helping yourself. Who knows what you may find. Wouldn’t you much rather have money to spend on FUN things while you are in school, then living off loans and spending every night at home because you have no money? Your parents are busy enough. Even if they do help, they can’t (and shouldn’t) spend the time it really takes to find the free money in the same way you can (and should).
3. Participate in everything you can. Join! Join! Join! Most clubs and organizations have a minimal amount of attendance or work required to become a member. That doesn’t mean that I am encouraging you sign up for 800 associations just for the title, but you can generally balance a handful without worrying your life will be sucked dry of any free time. The best part is, these are great places to meet friends and they will put you in a position to apply for additional scholarship money either through the organization itself, or by citing these clubs as community service and it can also lead to great letters of recommendation. Ask ahead of time what benefits they offer. How many hours of activity do they require of their members? Do they offer a scholarship? What are the requirements? This can pay off. If you are not sure how to find these organizations, ask your high school guidance counselor. Or, if you are just looking for extracurricular credit, why not create your own organization? Find someone at the school you ask to be a sponsor, and then run with it! How much cooler would it be to say you are the “Founder of Kids with Cool Glasses” then just a member? Give it a shot. It is more fun than you might think.
4. Persevere in spite of exhausted efforts. Don’t think the internet is the only resource on the planet for information. Once upon a time, we used books as our main resource when trying to find the answer to our questions. The internet has a lot of fantastic content but it will also be full of scams and people hoping to take advantage of you and your money. Go to bookstores and local libraries to try and find scholarship books for you to use as a guide. Stop by the government building in your city, like the town hall or historic center, and ask if they offer scholarship or community service opportunities. I don’t know many places that will say no to a hard working volunteer, so you really don’t have much to lose. The more effort you put into it, the more likely you will be to find something that you will enjoy doing. Love the beach? Become a lifeguard. It’s real life opportunities like these that will not be on the web.
5. Practice until perfect. All the community service in the world won’t make a bit of difference if your scholarship essay is poorly written or doesn’t focus on the questions being asked. You may even need to attend an interview or two during the application process so if you are sloppy and underprepared, it can ruin your chances of winning the scholarship. You will need to be prepared and focused on what your goals are, or at least be able to communicate that you are hoping to discover your goals through college. Not everyone has the answer, and especially when you are just leaving high school and are still figuring out who you are. The key is perfecting your essays, practicing your interviews, and doing whatever it takes to stand out amongst the masses.

I wish I could tell you about the secret website or scholarship club that gives out thousands of dollars to each student that applies, but it just doesn’t exist. Plus, if I did, I probably would keep the secret so I could pay for my OWN education! The truth is that money is out there, and the more connected you are to your community, your school, and yourself, the more likely you will be in a position to find dozens of these you can apply to. Don’t discredit scholarships for $50 or $100, either. Books are expensive, too. Don’t forget the money you will want/need to buy stuff for your dorm. Also, it may help to keep a secret stash for a late night trip to McDonald’s, because let’s face it: college food stinks.