Start Early
The earlier you become acquainted with the world of scholarships, the better. At the end of your junior year of high school or two years before you intend to start grad school, you should shift your scholarship hunt into high gear. By this time, you will likely have a clearer idea of the schools and programs that interest you, and as a result will be able to more easily narrow down the list of scholarships for which you would actually like to apply. Starting early will allow you to enhance your application by getting involved in new extracurricular activities, gaining more work experience, improving your grades, and taking additional classes. Finally, a head start lets you get a jump on the time-consuming tasks of sending away for applications, filling them out, and writing the essays. As a result you will not overburden yourself when you are knee-deep in the school admissions and application process.

Categorically Speaking
Scholarships tend to be classified into several broad categories. To successfully search for scholarships, you need to figure out all the categories that you might fit into. You'll find categories including ethnicity, interests, religious affiliations, and more. Here's the thing: Consider all the elements of yourself and your experience and try to fit into as many categories as possible.

Local Scholarships
Definitely take advantage of the City/County and State/Region search possibilities. Often major companies in your local community may offer scholarships for area residents. Check out local newspapers, libraries, schools, and the Chamber of Commerce for more scholarship announcements from your area.

Tips for Getting the Scholarship
• When you find a scholarship that is of interest to you, send a personalized letter or email to the scholarship provider explaining why you believe you'd be a good candidate for their scholarship. Send this before you actually submit your application.
• When completing the application make sure you follow directions! The biggest mistake you can make when applying for scholarships is to ignore the fine print. If the Happy Helper Association of Hospital Volunteers Scholarship (not real) asks you to write a song about why being a Candy Striper at your local hospital was the most rewarding experience of your life, whip out that guitar and start strumming. Winning scholarships is highly competitive, so even overlooking one small point can take you out of the running.
• Ask your teachers, employers, or friends who write your letters of recommendation to take to personalize them and not just fill in a generic form or write your name in a boilerplate recommendation form. You've got to stand out from the crowd. Personalized recommendation letters will help you do this.
• Proofread, check, and re-check your applications. Have someone you trust check it for grammar and mistakes. Then recheck it again. Consider scholarship applications as important as your school applications and make sure that when you submit them, they are 100% error-free and professional looking.
• Never, ever, ever miss a deadline. In fact, submit early if at all possible. Show the scholarship committee that you are interested and eager.
• Keep copies of all applications, essays, and forms for your own records. Sometimes things get lost. You don't want to have to start all over if this happens to you.
• After you complete your Scholarship Search you should come back to it and search again as your requirements or achievements change. Your search for scholarships should be an ongoing process--just because you don't find the perfect match during your first search, doesn't mean that something else won't come up the next time.

Paying for school often requires more than just one source: many students have a combination of federal student loans and alternative loans -- and some are lucky enough to add a scholarship into the mix.

This article adapted from The Scholarship Advisor, 2002 Edition.