Apply For Scholarships as a Junior

Juniors in high school, usually sixteen and seventeen year olds, rarely think about scholarships. However, with the cost of higher education at colleges and universities continuing to skyrocket, they really should. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, it is never too early to think about college and how to pay for it. Scholarships for high school juniors are out there and available for juniors to apply for. They just need to take the time to search for them and apply. This may seem like a boring way to spend time when they could be hanging out with friends, texting, playing video games, or doing other things they enjoy, however remember scholarships equal free money for college. Wouldn’t it be great to go to college and have all of it or some of it paid for? With some effort and dedication, this is more possible than most people realize.

Finding scholarships as a junior is not that difficult, not as difficult as some people may think. The first thing juniors should do is ask for scholarship information from their school counselor. Counselors are likely aware of several scholarships for juniors or aware of how students who are looking for them might find them. Juniors can also search online for scholarships as well. Signing up for various scholarship sites can prove to be a very advantageous move for juniors. These scholarship sites generally take a long time to sign up for as they ask students for a great deal of information in order to match them with all of the scholarships that apply specifically to them. The good thing about these sites is that students will continuously receive e-mails on scholarships that apply to them years after they sign up.

Some of the best scholarship match sites are www.fastweb.com, www.scholarshipmonkey.com, www.collegeboard.com, www.collegenet.com, and www.scholarships.com. To help juniors get started, here is some specific information on three scholarships that are out there for juniors to apply for. It’s best to apply for scholarships as a junior so you can start saving money for college.

Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship Program

High school juniors who have a GPA of at least a 2.75 may apply for a Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship. This program awards approximately ten scholarships each year that range in amount from $2,500 to $25,000. This program is especially looking for students who have talents that they are planning to continue to develop in their quest to become successful in the future. Students who have performed a great deal of community service and leadership projects and activities will also stand out. Also, if a student has overcome a major obstacle in his or her life, make sure share the story on the application. These motivational stories are a plus with this scholarship program. Students who have taken charge and led an effort for positive change should definitely apply for this scholarship. The deadline is usually January 31 of a student’s junior year. For more information, visit the following website, http://www.discoverfinancial.com/community. From there, click on Discover Scholarship Program. This scholarship is a great example of why you should apply for scholarships as a junior.

Sylvia K. Burack Writing Award

The Sylvia K. Burack Writing Award is awarded each year to the winner of a writing contest each year for high school juniors and seniors. To enter this contest, students submit a 600 to 800 word essay that never been published before about a poem, play, or fictional piece that has influenced them. They are to discuss the particular piece and how it personally affected them. It is not acceptable for students to write about song lyrics. Students can only apply online for this particular contest. As an added bonus, the winner of this contest is published in a magazine called The Writer and on the website, www.writermap.com. The deadline to submit your writing for entry into this contest is generally March 15 of each year. For more information, visit the following website, http://www.writermag.com/burack2011.

VFW Voice of Democracy Contest

The VFW Voice of Democracy Contest is offered each year to high school students in grades nine through twelve in the United States. The top prize in this contest is $30,000. The theme for each year is announced in February and the deadline is usually November 1 of each year. Students write an essay and then read it and record it onto a CD. The length of the audio recording must be three to five minutes. Students first enter through their local VFW Post and their entry has the potential to advance several times from there. For more information, visit the following website, http://www.vfw.org/Community/Voice-of-Democracy/.

It is very wise to apply for scholarships as a junior. Starting to earn scholarship money as a junior gives students more time to earn the money they need to make their higher education goals reality. Remember, scholarships are free money for college that never has to be paid back. Taking time to find opportunities and apply for them is definitely worth a junior in high school’s time and effort.

Category: Apply For Scholarships as a Junior

Related Articles

1.Scholarships for Juniors
2.Apply For Scholarships as a Junior
3.College Scholarships for High School Juniors