Summer is an opportune time for students to spend time with family and friends as well as catch up on sleep or go on fun vacations. Even so, preparing for college life can be a daunting yet rewarding process to approach during months with a less restrictive schedule. High school students often feel overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of responsibilities that accompany a transition to adulthood, and financial barriers are no exception to added burdens.

As per the Federal Reserve, in the United States alone borrowers had an average of $37,338 in federal student loan debt and $54,921 in private student loan debt in 2023.

During the summer, take breaks but remind yourself to take action. Efficient research saves teens thousands of dollars for their future endeavors. No student should be denied an education due to their socioeconomic status, and this article will break down avenues for students to seek guidance and develop a plan for securing beneficial scholarships.

Alleviating financial burden: the relevance of scholarships

Image from Public Domain Pictures

According to Forbes and my own recommendations, these are the eight "best" scholarship websites and search engines:

1. Scholarships.com
2. Fastweb
3. Students should be familiar with College Board because AP and SAT exams are facilitated through the organization, but they also offer scholarship opportunities worth looking into.
4. The Dosomething organization caters toward niche scholarships that are not on the majority of students' radar and could be more localized.
5. While this resource is broader than scholarship searching, if students would like to take a holistic approach and prepare for multiple aspects of college life (such as preparing for standardized tests, writing Common Application essays, and building organized resumes), College Vine has advice columns and blogs written by experienced professionals.
6. If students are seeking a ‘user-friendly’ resource, they might want to consider using Bold.org
7. Cappex advertises its search engine as the largest in its industry.
8. CareerOneStop branches from the United States Department of Labor, making it both a reliable and representative scholarship website with over 8000 listed scholarships. Students do have to create a portal before gaining complete access.

Image by Yan Krukau from Pexels

More information about each search engine and website can be found on their article, but it is important to understand how teens should tailor searches depending on what opportunities apply best to them and their future interests. Staying committed and organized is all a part of the weighty process, especially when deadlines approach and students realize they haven't started writing their essays or preparing rec. letters.

Don't be a student who writes their application the night of the deadline; the costs are quite substantial.

Organizing scholarship applications

One of the best ways to create an organized timeline for applying to scholarships is by using Artificial Intelligence as a substantial aid! When prompted, ChatGPT could generate a mock spreadsheet by inputting a student's age and a brief synopsis of their interests. Then, the student could ask ChatGPT to create a list of scholarships (reputable or niche) catering to their interests and a preset timeline. Results would form in a pre-assembled table.

Or, if this plan does not cater to a student's needs, there are numerous templates online and organizers/planners dedicated to organizing scholarships based on Due date, Category, Application Requirements, and Grade Restriction. The worst possible outcome for high school seniors is for a deadline to pass without them noticing or forgetting a letter of recommendation until a night before--these judges know which students are efficient and managing their responsibilities.

Image by Fauxels from Pexels

Also, optimize local venues by Google searching in your community or searching through your location's Department of Education or higher education agency. They often award grants for community service and various milestones.

Asking questions and pursuing curiosity boost applications and students take them for granted. By strengthening their local network, students may discover local awards with smaller application pools, making them easier to win.

General tips and helpful resources

Image from Pixabay

Now that we established a productive organizational structure for scholarship-hunting, avoiding scams or “easy raffle opportunities” is another point to cover. Certain websites or source engines utilize the ‘no-essay’ scholarship pitch, where students can simply register for an account and enter their names for a monthly raffle. However, signing up for these accounts results in a major loss of valuable time spent chasing luck factors.

There is a very low chance students will receive these large sums of money due to the inflated number of applicants. Work smarter, not harder.

These are a few more personalized suggestions for any aspiring college students seeking application tips:

Try searching for niche scholarships. While mainstream opportunities such as the Coca Cola Scholars or the Davidson Fellowship are incredible opportunities you should apply for, you might have better luck with smaller organizations (even though they have lower prize pools)

Tailor searches to your interests: don't apply for sports scholarships if you enjoy writing or have a passion for dance.

There are so many possibilities for support systems, so don't be afraid to ask teachers or school counselors for resources. School counseling departments are supposed to offer resource hubs and provide their students with ways to save money for college.

Solidify your relationships with mentors and other influential adults in your life. This is an important life skill and could benefit with college applications as well. Go out with a group of friends if you feel as though working in a new environment will be motivating.

Never underestimate your potential and apply even when you begin to have doubts!

Image by Olly from Pexels

In conclusion, if students optimize their summers to get a headstart on organizing scholarship opportunities, they can open a world of new resources to combat the staggering rise in college tuition fees.

I would also recommend seeking college application and student life advice from reputable sources or content creators such as Amy Wang's YouTube channel and @goharsguidebook on TikTok. While using social media platforms like ‘Studygram’ and YouTube appears paradoxical because social media represents a distracting obstacle, any form of media offers useful information.

Good luck on the summer search – while this journey is daunting and looms over the majority of high school upperclassmen, still take time this summer to recharge after a stressful school year. Planning for the future is essential as teenagers learn to navigate aspects of early adulthood, but there is little value to scholarship searching when the process leads to eventual burnout.