When applying for college, you must have a good GPA, a decent ACT score and a pretty penny. There is one thing you can do to lower college tuition and that is applying for scholarships.

The United States alone is $1.48 trillion in debt just from student loans. You have a chance to get free money, so why not try. Even just a little cash makes a difference.  

“If you watch the news at all or hear adults talk about college and their experience, a lot of them have a lot of debt,” Career Development Coordinator, Sarah Joyner said. “When there is free money out there to go after, it doesn’t hurt to apply to get those scholarships even if the answer is no.”

Step one of finding scholarships that work for you is going to the website of the college you plan on attending and see if you qualify for any. Schools give out money to students for many different reasons. For some schools, you have to write an essay or get a scholarship for playing a sport.

“The best place to start is the school that you are going to, or that you are planning on going to,” Joyner said. “[The scholarships] are specific to the school, and a lot of the time those are the larger amount.”

Researching which scholarships work best for you is the key. Some websites you can go to are College Foundation of North Carolina, Wake County Public Schools and Scholarships.com. These websites have a search button where you can search for specific scholarships. They also have a browse section if you aren’t sure what you are looking for.

On the Wakefield High School website, go to student services, then under college. There is a tab there for scholarships. Student Services updates this page with scholarships every month.

“For Wakefield High School students, we have scholarship bulletins,” Melissa Ansbacher, School Counselor for grades 10 through 12, said. “If you go to the website, you will see bulletins by month and those are separated by when the scholarship is due.”

It is never too early to start looking and applying for scholarships. You want to have time to prepare and complete the applications. Senior Colleen McCann is a nominee for the Morehead-Cain scholarship; she recommends starting the process early.

“Get them done early because it is a lot of work,” McCann said. “ [For the essays], start to write it a few weeks before, so you have time to let it sink in and edit.”

Another thing to remember is your grades do not have to be perfect. It is about being an all-around great student. Be involved and pursue things that you enjoy within your school’s community.

“People say that you have to take all the AP classes and your resume has to be really good,” Gabrielle Schuh, senior Park scholarship nominee said. “I only took 3 AP classes my entire high school career, and I would say leadership is more important.”

There are so many scholarships out there, you just have to find the perfect one for you. Research and ask around to find out where you can get the most money.

“Try your best in school, obviously, because that will help. Just work hard and you will get rewarded for it,” McCann said.

Scholarships by Category:

If you are a female:

• Humane Wildlife Control and Prevention
• Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarship
• EFWA

If you are a NC Resident:

• North Carolina Lottery
• North Carolina Alpha Delta Kappa
• Crumley Roberts Next Step

If your ACT score is above average:

• Jack Kent Cooke
• Burger King James W. McLamore Whopper
• James M and Erma T. Freemont

Scholarships based on race:

• Jackie Robinson (Black)
• ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science (Hispanic)  
• David Pohl Scholarship (Asian)

If your family is involved in the military:

• Military Children
• EOD Warrior
• Wings over America