Senior year of high school is an exciting and action packed year for students. They have worked hard for several years, and finally have a chance to present their accomplishments to college admissions officers at the colleges of their choice. All those long hours spent studying for that Calculus exam, or those early mornings volunteering for the school committee to organize an upcoming event, are about to pay off, and this is an extremely exuberating feeling. While high school seniors are often very busy taking either the SAT or ACT, maintaining their GPA, and participating in extracurricular activities, it is extremely important that they also devote some time in order to apply for scholarships for high school seniors. There is no question that college is expensive, and the price appears to be increasing year after year. There truly is no better way to find a college education than scholarships. A wide variety of college scholarships for high school seniors, and chances are, if you have worked hard throughout high school and/or participated actively in some sort of extracurricular activity, you will be eligible for various scholarships. After all, the majority of applications are quite “to the point”, and can ultimately help you save thousands of dollars in tuition costs. So, is it worth spending a couple of hours applying for various college scholarships for high school seniors? It certainly is. And what’s the best part? Scholarship money never, ever has to be paid back!
Many high school seniors are put off by the idea of applying for scholarships for high school seniors. Why? Well, in most cases, they figure that since many high school seniors are starting college in less than a year, that they are the demographic most likely to apply for scholarships. This often leads some to the conclusion that there is too much competition for them to have a chance of being awarded any scholarship for high school seniors. While it is true that competition can be stiff, one must also keep in mind that there are literally thousands and thousands of college scholarships for high school seniors. Quite frankly, no senior is going to have time to sit down and apply for hundreds of college scholarships. In fact, the majority of seniors who apply for scholarships tend to apply to anywhere between 2 and 20 scholarships. Given the fact that thousands of scholarships for high school seniors exist, applicants naturally disperse themselves, lowering the competition for each scholarship quite significantly. Furthermore, many of the college scholarships for high school seniors have specific requirements. For example, some scholarships are for individuals with unique characteristics (for example, there is a scholarship that is only for left handed students), while some scholarships require students to be of a specific ethnicity, increasing your chances significantly (given you fall under the specific ethnic category). Now, let’s take a look at some of the most popular scholarships for high school seniors!
College Scholarships for High School Seniors
Freedom in Academia Scholarships
Writing essays is not everyone’s forte. But for some, writing is an area they excel in greatly. For those individuals, then this scholarship is an absolute must. It is only available to high school seniors. There scholarship is funded by FIRE, the Foundation for Individuals Rights in Education. Seven scholarships are up for grabs, including one (1) $5,000 scholarship, one (1) $2,500 scholarship, as well as five (5) $1,000 scholarships. Seniors interested in applying for this scholarship must watch two short films, which include the following:
- Think What We Think, Or Else – Thought Control on the American Campus
- Political Correctness versus Freedom of Thought – The Keith John Sampson Story
After watching the two videos, applicants are required to write an essay. The essay should discuss the following topic:
“Explain how the universities in the videos betrayed their purpose as a “marketplace of ideas”, and also violated the First Amendment freedoms of their students”
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Scholarship
Applicants are required to write an essay (1,000 words or less). The essay should outline the topic of “political courage”, which was once described by Kennedy in the “Profiles of Courage”. Students are encouraged to use various sources including textbooks, interviews, articles, websites, and so forth. The scholarship is certainly one of the higher valued scholarships available to high school seniors; a whopping $10,000. The book by Kennedy is roughly 270 pages, and it is recommended that students read it during the summer before senior year. That way, come time for senior year and scholarship applications, they will have already read the book and be prepared.
Jim McKay Scholarship
This scholarship is a perfect opportunity for seniors who will be pursuing an education in the communication field. More specifically, this scholarship is for students studying communication who intend on working in the TV industry. Students who apply for this scholarship need to be well versed in video design and such, and also must be able to demonstrate exceptional academic ability. The winner of the scholarship will be awarded $10,000. This scholarship is funded by NATAS, commonly known as the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
College Scholarships for High School Seniors
These are simply a few of the many college scholarships for high school seniors that you may be eligible for. Your high schools counselor is likely one of your best resources in terms of finding out about more scholarships for high school seniors. Generally speaking, high school counselors are among the first to be informed of new scholarships for high school seniors. Lastly, be sure to start on your applications early. One of the biggest mistakes students make is procrastinating. While some of the scholarship applications are quite short and to the point, others require essays and additional work, and will likely take longer. Needless to say, waiting till the last minute is certainly not a good idea.
