Scholarships are something that students have probably heard of from time to time, but not all students may know what these are. Our counselor, Mr. Bryan, was able to help give some useful information on what exactly a scholarship is.

According to Mr. Bryan, a scholarship is a type of recognition that awards a student financially. This is to help further a student’s education. There are two types of scholarships a student can earn as stated by Mr. Bryan, with the first being a merit-based and the second being a private scholarship.

Merit-based scholarships are the most common a student will receive. These are scholarships that a student can earn for being proficient in academics/athletics that are available through both schools and federal organizations. According to Mr. Bryan, most scholarships are universal and can be used at almost any college, so students do not have to worry about what colleges will accept them. Scholarships can also help relieve a student going into college of stress as it lifts that burden of debt. As beautifully stated by Mr. Bryan, scholarships are a physical recognition of your achievements which can not only help with your mental health, but also boost your self-esteem.

As mentioned before, a student must earn a scholarship. Scholarships can be earned in many different ways. Scholarships can be earned for completing a task, having good grades, being proficient at a sport, being of a certain religion, or even being the first-born in a family. There are virtually unlimited ways a student can earn a scholarship. The only catch with a scholarship is, if student gets a scholarship for something such as maintaining a certain GPA, the student must continue to maintain that GPA for it to still be applicable.

Students may also have heard of grants before. Grants are a form of financial aid that students receive based on their financial needs, not on merit. Both grants and scholarships do not need to be repaid. This differs from loans, another common form of financial aid, where students can take out a loan but have to repay the loan with interest after graduation.

All of these are forms of financial aid a senior can receive to help them reach higher levels of education. A term commonly associated with financial aid is FAFSA. Mr. Bryan was able to explain in-depth what the FAFSA form is. The FAFSA form is the primary way to receive financial aid. Whether a student is seeking grants or to take out loans, the FAFSA form is the first step.

Lastly, there is the topic of Raise Me. Raise Me is a site where a student can keep track of there grades and achievements and earn possible awards for doing so. Sutdents have the option to follow colleges on the website, and some of these colleges grant students an award called a “microscholarship”. These microscholarships can help a student pay off tuition before even attending the college. The great thing about Raise Me is that these scholarships are automatically applied when you are eligible for one.

Overall there are many ways for a senior to receive financial aid, which is extremely useful no matter what college a student plans to attend.