Securing scholarship success at Samo
Sophie Salem, Staff Writer
It’s that time of year, seniors. College applications are finished and it’s time to start applying for scholarships in order to ease the burden of college fees. Besides financial aid, applying for scholarships is an effective way to make some extra college money and capitalize on students’ talents and interests.
There are thousands of scholarships available that can fit each personality and temperament at Samo. For athletes, there are plenty of scholarships for students to share their athletic experiences. As an artist, this is a chance to win money for all the art pieces that have accumulated over the years.
Many students are unaware of where they can find a list of all the scholarships that will fit them even though there are tons of websites just for prospective students. Sites like bold.org, niche.com or scholarshipowl.com provide an extensive list of scholarships just minutes away. Students take a short survey to enter their school statistics, hobbies and aspirations and after a few clicks, they can browse through a plethora of scholarships geared towards them. Note that applying for these scholarships may require an essay.
Schools even have specific scholarships that can be found on their websites or portals; students do not need to be granted admission to apply to these. Millie Weill (’22) has been going through their portals to find scholarships that each of their prospective schools offer.
“When you apply to certain schools there is a tab that deals with aid and admission so I have been finding scholarships there,” Weill said.
Naviance has over 70 scholarships available that add up to more than $100,000. Moreover, Samo students can access over 20 scholarships in the College and Career Center Google Classroom, which are all due by Feb. 11. Many students like Gabby Zimerman (’22) have found the Google Classroom page very helpful.
“I’ve mainly just been researching scholarships or also looking at what is posted on Google Classroom,” Zimerman said.
College counselor Ernesto Flores encourages all students to apply for scholarships as the money adds up and it can greatly ease the hardships of paying for college.
“We tell all of the seniors about the scholarships we offer and only about one-third of students will apply so seniors have a great chance to get extra money,” Flores said.
Despite the fact that college applications are done, scholarship deadlines are nearing. Scholarships are essentially a form of free money and the opportunity to obtain them are now. For seniors wanting assistance in financing their college tuition, check out the aforementioned websites, the College and Career Center Google Classroom page, and school portals to learn more about how to land them.
