Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions and answers are
based on “A Burning Question” special
sections in Winning Scholarships for College.

Question: When are interviews required for
scholarships?

Answer:
Interviews are normally required for the
largest scholarship competitions that award
the most money. One example would be a full
ride scholarship.

Some colleges and universities may also require an interview as part of their
scholarship and award process.

For smaller scholarships, usually for $2500 or lower, you probably will not have to
interview.

Question: Can I recycle essays?

Answer: If you have already written general essays about your future career goals or to
describe yourself, there is a good chance that you can use parts and pieces of these
essays in most of the essays you write later. Marianne Ragins recycled portions of
several essays in her winning scholarship search.

For smaller and community based scholarship programs and some college and
university applications, you may be able to choose your own essay topic. If this is the
case, you can reuse previously written descriptive essays about you, your interests, or
your career goals.

Question: When can I apply for scholarships?

Answer: For many scholarship programs you can’t actually apply until you are a high
school senior. However there are some that you can apply for in your junior year or
before like the Discover Scholarship.

The most important thing you should remember is to be prepared to submit
applications early in your senior year by doing most of your research as a junior or
during the summer before your senior year.

And, don’t ignore scholarship and award opportunities as a 9th, 10th, or 11th grade
student. Scholarships available to you in these grades are identified in the appendix
of Winning Scholarships for College.

Question: Why is the PSAT such a big deal? When should I take it?

Answer: Taking the PSAT and scoring well can get you noticed by the following
scholarships and financial aid programs.

National Merit Scholarship Program
National Achievement Scholarship Program
The National Hispanic Recognition Program

You should take the PSAT in October of junior year in order to qualify for these
programs. The PSAT is normally administered by the high school you attend.

Question: If I take the PSAT, what score will definitely win me a scholarship?

Answer: Since the top scorers of all those who take the PSAT become semi-finalists in
the scholarship competition, there is no specific score that will definitely win you a
scholarship. It depends on how well others do who take the test also. In addition, to
become a finalist, you must complete other eligibility requirements.

Question: When should I take the SAT or the ACT?

Answer: If possible, you should take both tests in your junior year or before so you will
have enough time to improve your weak areas and retake one or both of the tests
again.

Question: When should I start preparing for the SAT or ACT?

Answer: Since you have about three to four weeks from the time you register for the test
and when you actually have to take the exam, you should register for a test date at
least two months in advance. During the time you have after registration and before
the test you should prepare for the exam as much as possible. Don’t make the mistake
of showing up for the test just to see how well you can do, even if it is your first time.

Question: Should I take the SAT and the ACT?

Answer: Yes! You should take both tests. Since the ACT more closely assesses what you
have learned and are currently learning in high school, your scores may be higher on
this test. On the other hand, if your critical thinking skills are well-developed you may
do better on the SAT Reasoning Test. Take both tests so you can find out for yourself.
Based on your scores, you can determine which score you can improve if you decide to
retake one of them.

Question: What if I can’t afford the fees for the SAT and the ACT?

Answer: You may be able to obtain fee waivers for a portion of the SAT and ACT fees.
Visit the Taking Tests page for more information.

Question: Why are credit cards a bad idea for funding my education?

Answer: If you’re thinking of using a credit card to pay for your college tuition, DON’T.
Unless you have a 0% offer from your credit card company that will last until you can
repay the debt, the interest rate on an education loan, either through the government
or a lending agency such as Sallie Mae, is usually lower. Not only that, most education
loans allow you to defer payment until you graduate or stop attending college.

Question: When is the best time to start your scholarship search?

Answer: Do not wait until spring of your senior year. Start as soon as senior year begins
if you haven’t started before!!!!! You can even start researching scholarships as early
as ninth grade since there are some you can win as a freshman, sophomore, or junior.
For those that require you to be a senior, request applications early and look carefully
at them. Doing so can you help you see areas the scholarship programs emphasize. It
could be grades, certain extracurricular activities, test scores, or community service. On
the other hand, they may focus entirely on the essay.

See if you can get information about past essay questions and winners. If the essay
questions only change slightly each year, you can begin to work on your answers years
ahead of time. If they focus more on community service, that’s an area you can also
start to work on by starting to participate and help out in your community.

If you’ve gotten beyond the 9th or 10th grades, you should start intensive scholarship
during your eleventh grade year. Many of the largest scholarship programs have
deadlines early in a student’s senior year such as October or November. If you’re a
senior who hasn’t already started your search this period could make you frantic. So,
researching and getting applications before your senior year begins will give you time
to focus on submitting an outstanding application and more time to enjoy all the fun of
being a senior.

Question: When are most scholarship deadlines?

Answer: For the largest scholarship programs that award the most money, for example,
$20,000, $40,000 and up, the deadlines will occur early in your senior year. This means
that you should be prepared to start submitting applications in October, November,
and December of your senior year.

If you wait until March, April, May or later, the scholarship amounts start to get smaller
and by the end of spring many deadlines will have passed except for some small
community based programs.

Question: My counselor says since I’m a junior that I should wait until senior year to take the SAT
and the ACT. Should I wait this long?

Answer: If possible, you should take the SAT late in your junior year. Doing so will give
you an opportunity to assess areas in which you didn’t do well and possibly take
improvement courses or use preparation books to help increase your score. This will
give you time to retake the test early in your senior year and have scores ready to send
to colleges in which you’re interested. On the other hand, if you do well the first time
you take the test in your junior year, you can relax all during your senior year knowing
that one major task is behind you. Since the ACT assesses more of what you have
actually learned in high school, you may want to wait until senior year to take it. To get
a better idea of whether you really should wait, take one or two of the practice actual
ACT tests. If you do well, then proceed with taking the ACT as a junior also.

Question: Can you start your scholarship search too early?

Answer: Starting your research before you get into high school may be too early for
some. However, if you do, you’ll have a great database to start with as a senior. You
can also prepare yourself early by starting to participate in activities that interest you
and that you will continue to pursue in high school. You can also take the PSAT early to
start preparing for October of eleventh grade when it will really count for scholarship
consideration. Or you might even decide to take the SAT or ACT early. For students who
participate in certain Educational Talent Search (ETS) programs, taking the SAT during
your seventh grade year could win you a one-course summer scholarship at
participating universities such as Duke or John Hopkins.

Question: Can you start your scholarship search too late?

Answer: Yes. If you’re hoping to win a full ride scholarship, late spring and early
summer of your senior year is too late. Scholarships are still available at this time and
may be easier to win, so they shouldn’t be ignored but the amounts you can win will be
smaller. All hope isn’t lost though. You can still win scholarships if you’re already
enrolled in college.

Question: How many scholarships should I apply for?

Answer: You should apply for every scholarship for which you are eligible. Applying for
two or three of the most competitive scholarships is not enough. Keep applying for
scholarships and awards until your winning total has reached a point where you are
assured that your entire undergraduate college education will be covered. Although
this may sound like a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be. If you get organized for the
scholarship application process, it will be much easier for you to apply for numerous
scholarships. Read "Getting Organized" in Winning Scholarships for College for more
information.

Question: What if I don't have financial need? Can I still win scholarships?

Answer: Yes. You can still win money for college, especially merit based scholarships.
In addition, the amount of your financial need will really depend upon the institution
you’ve decided to attend and/or the organization to which you are applying. Don’t
assume you don’t have financial need until you investigate further.