QUESTION: I'm a senior in high school, and I feel like I've missed all of my opportunities. Is it too late to get any scholarships if I start the process now? Signed, Late Bloomer
Dear Late Bloomer: As soon as they graduate from high school, a lot of students stop looking for scholarships. But this is a big mistake. There are a lot of scholarships available to you during your senior year and when you are a college student. In fact, there are some awards that are only open to college students.
Many organizations want to support students who are serious about their career plans, and it oftentimes helps them gauge how serious you are when you declare your major in college. For example, the Society of Plastics Engineers
www.4spe.org provides a number of scholarships for college students who want to enter the industry in the future. Tylenol
https://www.tylenol.com/news/scholarship gives away $150,000 in scholarships for high school and college students who plan to major in areas leading to health related fields.
The Ayn Rand Institute
www.aynrand.org allows students to compete against other students at the same level by offering three categories of writing competitions for ninth and tenth graders, eleventh and twelfth graders and college students.
The bottom line is: Don't stop looking for awards. If your counselor does not have awards that you can apply for, do some research at the college you'll attend. Speak with the financial aid office and with the department in which you will major. It is not too late for you to start your search. In fact, for some awards it is just the beginning.
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