Getting Organized for Scholarships
If you have access to Microsoft Excel, open up a new file. Create 4 columns (in bold) titled Name, Dollar Amount, Deadline, and Website. You are now ready. It’'s that simple. To fix the order of the scholarships by dates due, you can click on the top left hand corner (on top of the number 1, and to the left of “A”) to highlight the entire document. Then click on the upper tab “data,” next on “sort,” and finally, end by choosing sort “Deadline” and “Ascending.” You can do this step once you have a comfortable number of scholarships.
For those who do not have access to Excel, fear not! Open a Google e-mail account. You can simply Google “'Google Docs'" after that. You'll have the option of creating a “spreadsheet” that you can create following the same directions aforementioned.
Organization is key in the scholarship application process. It allows for longevity and continuation. Do not bypass this step.
Strategies for Searching for Scholarships
Take a Saturday or Sunday (about 6-8 hours) and follow these strategies:
Strategy #1: Browse CUNY posts of prestigious scholarships! Click here: http://www.cuny.edu/admissions/financial-aid.html
Strategy #2: Fill out profiles on the scholarship sites provided in our Useful Documents section: (Click here). Also, fill out a profile with COLLEGE GREENLIGHT, which has a well-curated and substantial database of scholarships (including for undocumented students): Click Here.
NOTE: For a compilation of open residency scholarships, please Click Here.
Strategy #3: Utilize other schools' resources. Pick 15-20 of the top schools and type each name along with the word scholarships on Google. You will find a plethora of scholarships! Browse through them and save ones that pertain to your interests. However, at some point, many of the same big scholarships reappear; please note: Many have other invaluable resources like SAMPLE Rhodes, Truman, and Marshall winning scholarship essays, along with other tips. So be on the look out for those.
These 3 strategies for searching scholarships will yield plenty of scholarships for you to chew on. Make sure to organize them all in your Excel/Google Docs spreadsheets. Also remember that the average scholarship is worth $1,000 and are considerably easier to win than the larger $10,000 + scholarships. Leave no stone unturned! The small ones can pile up.
