hi mindy!! i was just scrolling through your page and wanted to ask on tips for searching for scholarships/preparing for my senior year of high-school? i've been stressing a bit because of my grades and want to at least get a bit of a boost before my senior year starts! any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!!
✧・゜: scholarship hunting & senior year prep: :・゜✧:・゜✧
hey lovely! ✨
thank you so much for your ask! i remember that pre-senior summer anxiety so well, that weird mix of excitement and complete terror about the future. first of all, take a deep breath. you're already ahead of the game by thinking about this now instead of scrambling in october (like i did, classic me behavior).
⋆.ೃ࿔:･ scholarship hunting secrets ･:࿔ೃ.⋆
let's talk about finding free money first, because who doesn't love that?
𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭: the absolute best scholarships are often the small local ones! check with your:
community foundation
parents' employers
local businesses
religious organizations (if applicable)
civic groups (rotary, kiwanis, elks lodge) these typically have way fewer applicants than national scholarships!
𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦: make a master document with:
your activities/leadership positions
community service hours (with specific impact numbers!)
awards/honors
special circumstances or hardships
career goals having this ready makes applications so much faster!
𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮: create a spreadsheet tracking:
scholarship name
amount
deadline
requirements
status (applied/pending/rejected/awarded)
essay prompts (many can be recycled with tweaks!)
𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴:
fastweb.com
scholarships.com
goingmerry.com (my personal fave, it aggregates and lets you apply to multiple at once)
your school counselor's list (they often know about local ones not listed online)
𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴: there are scholarships for duck tape prom dresses, being left-handed, having the last name zolp… seriously. the more specific and unusual, the less competition!
𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴: those USD 250-500 scholarships add up and often have way fewer applicants.
⋆.ೃ࿔:･ grade rescue mission ･:࿔ೃ.⋆
about those grades... i've been there too! here's what helped me:
𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸: before senior year starts, email them asking if there are:
summer assignments you can get ahead on
extra credit opportunities
specific areas to focus on for improvement teachers love proactive students and are more likely to help you!
𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺: many schools offer summer courses to replace bad grades. check if yours does!
𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴: if you know what you're taking, watch youtube videos on the subjects now. even 15 minutes a day gives you a huge advantage.
𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮: senior year is chaotic with applications, so create a sustainable study routine now before the chaos hits. i have soo many posts about studying + routines for studying.
⋆.ೃ࿔:･ senior year prep checklist ･:࿔ೃ.⋆
𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵:
2-3 reach schools
3-4 match schools
2 safety schools research their specific requirements now so nothing surprises you!
𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴:
register for fall sat/act dates now (they fill up fast!)
use free resources like khan academy for test prep
consider whether test-optional schools might be a good fit
𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺:
approach teachers before senior year starts
provide them with a "brag sheet" of your accomplishments
give at least 3-4 weeks notice (minimum!)
𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨:
the common app essay prompts are already available
jot down meaningful experiences/challenges/growth moments
draft a skeleton outline before school starts
𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵:
focus on depth over breadth
highlight leadership and impact
consider what story your activities tell about you
⋆.ೃ࿔:･ hidden senior year wisdom ･:࿔ೃ.⋆
𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴:
complete the fafsa as early as possible (opens october 1st)
use the net price calculator on college websites
consider applying to schools known for generous aid
look into tuition exchange programs if your parents work at a university
𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮:
identify an adult who can proofread applications
find a senior-year accountability buddy
join application-focused discord servers or groups
schedule regular check-ins with your counselor
𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯:
senior year can be overwhelming
create a simple routine that helps you decompress
schedule application-free weekends
remember that your worth isn't tied to acceptance letters
⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my personal tips ･:࿔ೃ.⋆
keep a "wins" journal where you document every tiny achievement or proud moment, perfect for scholarship essays and fighting imposter syndrome
create email templates for reaching out to schools, teachers, and scholarship committees
set calendar alerts for deadlines 1 week and 3 days before they're due
find your application soundtrack (mine was taylor swift's folklore, don't judge me)
reward yourself after completing applications (i used face masks and boba tea as motivation)
remember that this is just one chapter in your story. i know it feels like everything depends on this year, but i promise you'll find your path even if it looks different than you expected.
sending you all the good vibes for senior year! you've got this!
xoxo, mindy 🤍
p.s. if you have specific questions about certain scholarships or schools, feel free to send another ask! i love helping with this stuff.
