Easing into the summer months, thoughts and questions may start piercing into your mind: “how in the world am I going to pay for my education after high school?” Hint: whether you’re a freshman in high school or in your last year of college, it’s never too early or too late to be on the lookout for scholarships!
Most student loan borrowers have between $25,000 and $50,000 outstanding in student loan debt. Figures like these are often intimidating to students who may not want to be part of this statistic, but see no alternative. Luckily, many scholarships are available to students to ease this financial load.
EPIC maximizes community-building by picking the minds of local changemakers and working with them as partners. Dr. Tania Abouzeide of Way Finder Educational Consulting, LLC shares her expertise to help you amplify success in your scholarship search.
“Students should expect the scholarship process to be long, often vague, but highly competitive,” Dr. Abouzeide candidly explains. “Students should expect to continue the scholarship search process throughout college.”
As an expert on scholarships, Dr. Abouzeide offers students a timeline to guide themselves on steps to take to assure themselves of the most funds available.
The scholarship search should begin in your junior year of high school by familiarizing yourself with the process while applying for a few. Once in senior year, even among all other activities and applications, students should aim to apply for one scholarship a week. When in higher education, the scholarship search should continue in order to gain new opportunities for additional funds.
“The idea here is that the more applications you submit, the more you are likely to receive,” Dr. Abouzeide clarifies in describing the mentality students should maintain in their scholarship applications.
Among all of her tips, Dr. Abouzeide shares that above all, “students should have a good understanding of their student profile and know what they bring to the table.” This self-awareness will bring you closer to scholarship success – positioning you as the ideal candidate.
Casting a wide net while also being strategic in which scholarships to go after is ultimately the key to locking in the financial resources for school. Just like starting any habit or learning a new skill, the more scholarships you apply for, the better an applicant you become.
If speaking as an EPIC student, you’ve already acquired a plethora of mentoring and a scholarship for your studies. However, there are many more avenues for resources ready to support you with additional financial aid and guidance. EPIC will compile a list of said resources for all to use in the near future.
In the meantime, reach out to those mentors and don’t be afraid to ask for help! Making that first step will not only get you ahead of the game, it will also save you money in the long run.
If you have any further questions or concerns about the scholarship process, please contact us at +1 (844) 564-0758 or info@EpicSouthFlorida.org.
To access the EPIC Scholarship Application, please click here.