Understanding financial aid Don't apply for every scholarship Statistics - Don't be fooled Apply as early as possible New college student - ALWAYS apply for financial aid Parents - Maximize student scholarships Renewable scholarships Caution! More could mean less Negotiation of financial aid awards The single largest financial aid mistake Scholarship and Grant Summary Chart Loan Summary Chart

Don't Apply to Every Scholarship

Sometimes parents encourage students to apply to all available scholarships to increase the chances of winning scholarship money.  This cannot be done effectively.  Each scholarship application will take 1-to-2 weeks to complete primarily because application essays take longer than anticipated.  Taking an “apply to everything” approach places tremendous pressure on students and they will rush to complete applications and essays.  In the end, the quality of scholarship applications may not be high enough to win the award. 

During the year, senior students have many responsibilities including earning top grades, completing college applications and essays, continuing volunteer and community service, working part-time, etc.  Students pushed too hard may complete low quality scholarship applications, which is a waste of time for everyone.