Read my disclosure policy to understand how I work with companies and individuals. Linking to a specific site does not imply endorsement of all of their services or content.
My daughter has exactly three semesters left in high school before she ventures into the world of college in order to prepare to follow her passions into her young adult life and beyond. Since the cost of college continues to rise, it becomes more necessary to find the best way of paying for your child’s four years (or more) in college. While financial aid from the government may help, student loans are not always a viable option for paying for college.
Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay
What some people don’t realize is that scholarships like Tech Live Connect are a viable solution and even more easily accessible than they once were back before the age of the internet. However, this also means that there is more competition and standards will be higher. Even in light of this, it is well worth your while to spend some time investigating possible scholarships to help pay for your child’s college education.
As you begin this process, the first thing I would suggest is to check with your child’s high school guidance counselor. This is always the best place to start because he/she may have access to the best scholarships out there. While some money is better than nothing, your school guidance counselor specializes in matching students with appropriate opportunities. And wouldn’t you want to have the highest-paying scholarship for which your son or daughter qualifies?
After checking with your school counselor, it is a good idea to contact the college or university to which your child may be applying. There is often a wide variety of scholarships available to students that specifically apply to only that particular institution, and your child may be eligible for one or more of these. All too often people don’t explore this option as much as they should, but I was certainly glad I had a school-specific scholarship to help pay for my college education.
In addition to this avenue, there is still more to pursue. It is worth your while to spend some time investigating various organizations that may be offering scholarships to college-bound students. These may involve some investigative work on your part, but in the end, your child may uncover a “hidden” scholarship about which he or she didn’t even know about. One of the reasons high schools always encourage students to be active in their local communities is that not only does it look good on a college application or job resume, but it also may help them pay for college. It may serve you and your child to check into any of the local religious organizations, chambers of commerce, corporations and more that exist in the area. While there may be some work involved in order to apply, it can never hurt to at least make an attempt.
While a college education is an investment, burdening your child with loans that they will have to pay off once they leave college may not be the best option. Taking a little time to check out scholarship opportunities may save you plenty of money in the long run, and thankfully, there are plenty of options out there for everyone.
