James Buchanan High School Scholarships

Places to Look for Scholarships

 

• Local Organizations: You can increase your odds of actually winning a scholarship by checking local organizations first. You may only be going up against a few other local students, versus the entire student population of the country.

• Employers: Have your parents ask their personnel administrator if their company offers any sort of financial aid, tuition reimbursement, or scholarships, for employee's children. If you have a job, ask your own company if they offer this sort of benefit.

• Volunteer Work: If you have done any volunteer work at your local hospital, food bank, etc., these organizations may provide scholarships in recognition for unpaid assistance.

• Organizations: Check foundations, religious organizations, fraternities or sororities, and town or city clubs to see if they offer any kind of scholarship. Include community organizations, and civic groups such as the American Legion, 4-H Clubs, YMCA, Elks, Kiwanis, Jaycees, and the Girl or Boy Scouts in your search. If you are NOT a member of any organizations, check with the organizations that represent what you are planning on studying.

• Unions: If you or your parents are members of a Union, all the major labor unions offer scholarships for members and their dependent children (AFLCIO, Teamsters, etc.)

• Church: Your local parish may or may not have any scholarships for their members, but the Diocese or headquarters may have some available.

• The Library: Your public library is an excellent source of information on state and private sources of aid.

• Chamber of Commerce: Check with your local Chamber of Commerce. Many offer (usually small, less than $500) grants to students in the community, especially those planning on careers in business or Public Service. Even if they do not offer any themselves, you can usually get a listing of members, and many of them may offer small scholarships to local students.

• High School: Check with your high school guidance counselor and college adviser for scholarship information that has been sent to the school.

• The Chairperson or Head of the Department at your college: Once you are in college, check with the head of the department of your major. They may have information available on scholarships and grants, and internship opportunities.

• Newspapers: Especially during the summer, watch for announcements of local students receiving scholarships. Find out where you can apply for the next year for that same scholarship. Watch also for actual announcements of local firms and organizations offering scholarships Do not expect to find much information from your local newspaper, but it is another source.

• The Internet: Hit the major search engines, and run searches on scholarships, financial aid, organizations, colleges, universities, and grants - anything you can think of. Be wary of any organization or company that charges you a fee for their services, you should never have to pay to apply for a scholarship, if you do it is usually a scam.