If you are thinking about college, you should also be thinking about scholarships: What to know and where to start
I can’t believe I’m now a senior at Mountainside High School. Since I plan on going to college, I need to start thinking about how I’m going to pay for it because I’ve heard it’s not cheap these days. I know my parents have set up a 529 college savings plan for me, and I will also probably work part-time but I know that may not be enough. A family friend who is now a senior at OSU (Shion Britten, who also happened to write this same teen column when he was in high school!), told me that he was able to pay for a lot of his college expenses with scholarship money and this sounds great to me.
What are scholarships? When thinking about post-high school plans, it’s always recommended to talk with your knowledgeable and friendly counselor first, and that’s just what I did. He told me that there are many scholarships to apply for, and they all have specific requirements like having to submit a personal essay or letters of recommendation. There are also scholarships available based on ethnicity, identity, and academic ability. Colleges can offer scholarships too, and even your home high school. An important note to point out is that scholarships have deadlines. Keep an eye out for when they open and close so that you don’t miss out.
My counselor told me about a great website called OregonGoesToCollege.org which lists out every scholarship offered in Oregon.
So, now that I know the basics, I decided to talk to Shion and this is what I learned. He told me that he received around 12 scholarships as a senior at Southridge High School and then got another 3 scholarships during his four years at Oregon State. Amazingly, he said that the total amount has paid for exactly 54% his tuition and living expenses!
Before applying for scholarships, he recommends first filling out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on the Oregon Student Aid website. They’ll determine whether you’re eligible for OSAC’s (Office of Student Access and Completion) financial aid programs. This will open the door for more scholarships.
He then said that finding scholarships online is easy, but with so many options, it might feel overwhelming. That’s why Shion recommends starting off by researching what’s offered here locally in Beaverton. There’s a chance that a church or some clubs or activities you’re involved with will offer scholarships. A place where you volunteered may also offer a scholarship. Since Shion went to Japanese school on Saturdays, he was able to get scholarships that are specific to Japanese Americans.
Something important to note, he told me, is that you can still apply for scholarships even after you’re in college. In Shion’s case, he said he didn’t get as many scholarships as he hoped for before going to college. But once in college, as he got high grades in his engineering classes, he was able receive pretty big scholarships from his university.
His advice to seniors like me was simple:
- Talk to your counselor first and often
- Sign up for FAFSA
- Visit oregongoestocollege.org
- Search your local community for opportunities
- When you find a scholarhip that you like, pay attention to requirements and deadlines
- Do not get discouraged if you don’t received as many scholarships as you wanted because there are other scholarships you can apply for after getting to college.
Mizuki Wong is a 12th grader at Mountainside High School. In their free time, they enjoy drawing, listening to music and learning about science.
