Many students believe that scholarships are only awarded during your senior year of high school and meant to last all four years of college. These students would be surprised to learn that scholarships are available for students even in college. In fact, there may be even more opportunities for scholarships once you attend college. Scholarships can be found anywhere from your department, to university-wide, to your specific clubs and organizations. Every college at K-State has scholarship opportunities to search for.
There are so many benefits to scholarships in college. You don’t have to take out as many loans that will need paid back, you have more flexibility with working to allow you to stay involved in clubs and other organizations you are passionate about, and you have the opportunity to take classes that interest you without worrying about only taking the number of credit hours you can afford.
With a little time and effort, you have the opportunity to pay for your tuition and maybe even housing/living costs with the scholarships you apply for in college.
Below are some tips to ensure you are a quality applicant for scholarships:
- Stay involved to make sure your resume is competitive with other applicants: Stay involved and make sure that you are doing everything to can to be qualified for scholarship. Many scholarships want to see school and community involvement. Some would even prefer involvement over perfect grades.
- Practice interview skills: Many scholarships require an interview as a final stage. Make sure you are aware of the STAR interview method and well versed on your experiences and common interview questions.
- Maintain a close relationship with professors and advisors: when you network and maintain close relationships with professors and advisors, they will know which scholarships you qualify for and may send you opportunities when they come across one.
- Apply for everything: This is the most important part, just keep applying for every scholarship that you are qualified for. The more you apply, the better your odds of receiving an award.
- Know how to elaborate on your accomplishments: When filling out your resume or applications, make sure to elaborate and use the correct and professional wording for your experiences. You can ask the KSU Career Center or a professor for help with this.
Next are some tips to help you find scholarships at K-State and in the community.
- KSN: The KSN or K-State Scholarship Network is one of the most important places to apply and look when needing a scholarship. This is your one-stop-shop for most scholarships that are awarded at K-State. Most scholarships that are awarded at K-State are given out though your KSN application. It is very important to fill this form out accurately and in full EACH year by March 15thas a returning student. Make sure to include any community or school involvement and go in depth about these experiences to stand out as an applicant.
- Read K-State Today: K-State posts many scholarships opportunities in K-State Today. Each morning, make an effort to scan the headlines for something that mentions a scholarship, then look into it further to see if you qualify.
- Check with your college and department: Sometimes your college and department will have opportunities for scholarships or competitions that award a monetary prize. Ask your advisor, career coach, or professors to see what opportunities are available to you.
- Check with clubs and organizations: Many clubs and organizations offer scholarships to K-State students. Check with organizations such as Blue Key and Mortar Board. Also check with clubs and organizations you are a part of. Many sororities and fraternities as well as national organizations offer scholarships at both a local and national level.
- Search for outside scholarships: Outside scholarships come from companies or nonprofit organizations offer scholarships to students. Ask companies that you are familiar with and search for nonprofit organizations that offer money for activities or community service that you are interested in such as your church, insurance company, etc.
Information about K-State scholarships, the KSN scholarship portal and recommended outside scholarship search engines can be found on the financial aid website at: https://www.k-state.edu/sfa/scholarships-aid/scholarships/.
Remember that scholarships are ‘free money’ that does not need to be paid back, but does require some time and effort to win these awards. With a few hours searching and applying each month you could be set up for financial success for the rest of college! Don’t forget to request a free appointment with us at Powercat Financial so we can review these and more scholarship search strategies with you or discuss other financial matter via www.ksu.edu/powercatfinancial/services.
Cameron Jones
Peer Counselor II
Power Financial
302 K-State Student Union, Third Floor
918 N. 17th Street
Manhattan, KS 66506-2800
785.532.2889
www.k-state.edu/powercatfinancial
PowercatFinancial@k-state.edu
