Resources & Tips

Writing a Strong Scholarship Essay

• Answer the actual prompt — reread your first draft and check every sentence supports it.
• Lead with a specific moment or detail, not a general statement.
• Show growth or insight, not just a list of accomplishments.
• Keep your own voice. Avoid overly formal language.
• Have at least one teacher, counselor, or mentor read it before you submit.
• Proofread out loud — it catches awkward phrasing spell-check misses.

Understanding the FAFSA

• The FAFSA opens each year and determines eligibility for federal grants, work-study, and loans.
• File as early as possible; some aid is first-come, first-served.
• You'll need tax information — the IRS Data Retrieval Tool can pull this automatically.
• Create your FSA ID well before you plan to file.
• List every college you're considering, even ones you're unsure about.
• The official site is studentaid.gov — filing is always free.

Financial Aid Terms — Flashcards

Flip through these to get comfortable with financial aid vocabulary.

Finding the Right Scholarships

• Start local: your school counselor and community foundations often have less-competitive options.
• Use the filters on the Scholarships page to narrow by education level and field.
• Save anything you're even mildly interested in.
• Smaller awards usually have far less competition than big national ones.
• Watch for scholarships tied to your intended major, background, or identity.

Staying Organized

• Use the deadline buckets on your dashboard to prioritize what's closing soonest.
• Set your Alert preferences so you get reminders before deadlines sneak up on you.
• Move a scholarship from "Interested" to "Preparing" as soon as you start the application.
• Keep a single document with your reusable materials.

Avoiding Scholarship Scams

• Legitimate scholarships never ask you to pay a fee to apply.
• Be cautious of anything that pressures you to act immediately.
• When in doubt, search the scholarship name along with "scam" or "legit".

Requesting Letters of Recommendation

• Ask at least 3–4 weeks before a deadline.
• Choose someone who knows you well.
• Give them context: the scholarship's focus, your resume, and what to highlight.
• Send a polite reminder and always follow up with a thank-you note.