Provided by: collegeboard.com

Develop Your Scholarship Strategy
Although most student aid comes in the form of federal education loans and grants from colleges, scholarships -- with their lure of "free money" -- get a huge amount of attention from students and their parents. If you decide to invest your time in a search for scholarships, it's important to have an organized system to find, apply for, and win scholarship money.

Start With a Personal Inventory
Most of the information you will be asked for on a scholarship search questionnaire will be easy to come up with -- year in school, citizenship, state of residence, religion, ethnic background, disability, military status, employer, membership organizations, and so forth.

Beyond those questions, you will have to give some thought to your academic, extracurricular, and career plans. You should ask yourself:

- Do I want to participate in a competition? If so, what are my talents and interests?
- What subject do I plan to major in?
- What career do I plan to pursue?
- Do I want to apply for all types of aid or only scholarships?

Your answers to these questions will help determine your scholarship eligibility. Take your time brainstorming and don't overlook anything -- the more personal characteristics you discover, the more scholarships you could potentially apply for.

Your next stop should be the college aid section of your public library. Most libraries will have a number of books about financial aid, including scholarship guides such as the College Board's Scholarship Handbook. They also may have information on local scholarships.

Then it's time to start looking at large national scholarships such as Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), National Merit, Gates Millennium, Intel Science, Coca-Cola, and Robert Byrd.

Check Membership Organizations and Employers
Organizations of all types and sizes sponsor scholarships -- leave no stone unturned. Explore categories you might not have considered, such as religious, community service, fraternal, military, union, and professional.

And don't forget your parents. Many large companies offer scholarships or tuition programs for children of employees. If you are uncertain, ask your parent to check with his or her human resources department.

Don't overlook student jobs. Employers like fast food chains, department stores, and supermarkets often give scholarships. Awards related to student employment can come from unexpected sources. For example, there are a number of scholarships for golf caddies.

Use a Free Scholarship Search Service
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