College is expensive; most people know this. However, there are ways to make it less expensive, one being scholarships. Scholarships are a grant or funding from somewhere like the school or a company saying that you are good enough at something to continue your education on their behalf. They can range from a few dollars to thousands, all for your use in college! Scholarships aren’t even just for those who have good grades. Some only require a submission—such as an essay, or even simply a short written response—to apply. There’s also not only writing and general education based scholarships, but ones for things like sports, arts, etc.

One of the first things to know before applying is that most scholarships will need your transcript. A transcript is a document showing the classes you’ve taken and the grades you’ve achieved in them. This is to show that your grades are good enough for the organization offering to consider you. Getting your transcript may seem daunting, but the counselors here at Bingham make it easy for you to figure it out. Just go to the Bingham website’s homepage and find the button that says ‘Transcript Requests’. It will bring you to the website needed, and you can follow the instructions to make an account from there. One thing to remember is to never use your school email for this! You will need to access this after school ends, and once you graduate your JSD email gets deleted. You won’t be able to change the email address, because to change it they would send a confirmation link to the prior email, which you wouldn’t have access to. 

Once you have your transcript, you will need to find a scholarship to apply to. Remember, the worst that can happen is they don’t accept you, so apply to multiple. FAFSA is a good start, since it will help you find any financial aid that you qualify for. Financial aid is very important if you are unsure if you can afford college. You will have to stay at a certain academic level to continue to qualify for it, so keep that in mind. Another good thing to know first is what college[s] you are going to apply to. Many colleges will offer scholarships based on your grades and ACT score, ranging from a few thousand to a full-ride scholarship. It is important to see what grade levels they will offer scholarships to, so research the colleges you’re looking to apply to. Not all colleges will show what scores they look at, but it is still important to include in your applications.

The last thing to know is what scholarships are available. There are scholarships out there for every interest. If you’re looking for sports related scholarships, you could apply for the Under Recruited Preps Scholarship, which is looking for seniors who are planning on pursuing their athletic career in college. It requires a 3.0 GPA minimum, and to apply you submit a 100–500 word submission with the topic “What will I do with the $2,000 scholarship?”. If you are more interested in STEM, check out the BHW scholarship, opening January 2023. It is looking for people who are entering a STEM field of study in college, with the requirements of being female, and answering one of two questions in a 500–800 word essay. If you are interested in a more humorous type scholarship, check out the Zombie Apocalypse scholarship. It is a short answer (250 words or less) to the following prompt: “Imagine that your high school/college has been overrun with Zombies. Your math professor, the cafeteria ladies and even your best friend have all joined the walking dead. Use your brain to flesh out a plan to avoid the Zombies, including where you would hide and the top 5 things you would bring with you to stay alive.”, closing the 31st of October.

Being able to pay for college can be daunting, but there are scholarships out there to help you pay for it. It is important to know how to apply, what to know beforehand, and what resources are out there if you need them. For more information on scholarships, set an appointment with Bingham’s Scholarship Advisor, Kasey Newton.