It is Scholarship Season - Tips on Searching and Applying for Scholarships

Does this sound familiar? Your child is heading off to university in 2012 and has started collecting information from the schools they are interested in.  You decide to take a look and see how much tuition, rooming and board will come to.  A number appears, you think it is for the full degree and then it becomes blindingly obvious it is for a single year.

Whether you have been saving money for the day your child goes off to school or not, getting a scholarship eases financial pressure and rewards your child for their achievements and interests.  There are scholarships and bursaries for all types of interests, achievements and experiences that are evaluated on more than just grades.  So before you think your child is not scholarship material remember there are hundreds of scholarships available each year in Canada and even more in the U.S. if they are thinking of going to school in the states.  Here are some tips to help you figure out the scholarship maze.

Searching

• Check online at scholarship websites
• www.scholarshipscanada.com
• www.studentawards.com
• Check with the colleges/universities they are interested in attending
• Check for scholarships available at your workplace, the organizations you belong to and your community
• Have your child check with their guidance counsellor – they often get scholarship information and applications

Applying

• Don’t put all your child’s eggs in one scholarship basket – apply for every scholarship your child is eligible for
• Apply for scholarships before you apply for admission – scholarship deadlines are early and are awarded usually before admission letters go out
• Have a personal essay ready
• Line up letters of reference in advance