High Schoolers: Need Help with Scholarships?

The best and most efficient way to apply for scholarships is by using online resources. Unfortunately, a major problem for high schoolers is scholarship scams.

Here are ways to avoid scholarship scams when looking for ways to decrease the cost of college. 

How to Avoid Scholarship Scams 

• Keep your personal information confidential. If a scholarship asks for confidential personal information such as your Social Security Number, bank account information or your FSA ID (FAFSA username and password), do not give it to them. They may try to reason with you, saying that these are the necessary steps to getting a scholarship from them; but they are trying to get your information for other, malicious reasons.
• Be wary of emails offering a scholarship reward without requiring an application.  When applying for scholarships, your email inbox may be flooded with outreach from different organizations. At some point, you may get a notification for a reward from a scholarship you haven’t applied to. Try these methods to verify the legitimacy of such emails:            
  • Reach out directly to the organization that rewarded you; make sure they intended to send the email to you.
  • If the email was sent on purpose, but their tone is vague and seems illegitimate, reach out to a trusted source that can help verify if they are truthful, like a school counselor.
  • Keep track of which scholarships you have applied to using a spreadsheet, notebook, Google Doc, Word documents or any other organizational tool that works best for you.
•  Avoid scholarships available behind a "paywall".  Scholarships that ask you to pay money when you apply for them are probably not legitimate. Even if the reason for the fees sounds reasonable or is listed as a "processing fee", there are thousands of scholarships that are free-to-access and apply for. so going to those options is the most beneficial.
• Watch out for "easy to win" scholarship scams.              
  • No-essay scholarships - Often the “no essay scholarships” will ask you to enter personal information. Because these forms are often extremely easy, they are used to lure multiple applicants and the chances of winning that kind of scholarship are significantly decreased.
  • Guaranteed to win scholarships - Legitimate scholarships do not guarantee that you will receive their scholarship if you apply. The reason is that scholarships have specific requirements to meet and limited funds. If they didn’t have those rules in place, it would be more like a free giveaway rather than a competitive scholarship.
  • Unlimited eligibility scholarships - Scholarships that claim "anybody can apply and have a chance at winning" are also ones that scholarship seekers should watch out for. Genuine scholarship organizations or websites will have set guidelines and requirements for a scholarship such as “must play a sport to qualify” or “has worked as a barista for the past 3 years."
• Seek out trusted local sources. One of the best ways to avoid scholarship scams is to get your information from verified sources such as school counselors and school websites, reaching out to your teachers or local libraries like Arapahoe Libraries.

Library Resources

The Arapahoe Libraries website is one of many that high school students can use to find scholarships. It may seem a little scary to find those sources because of the many options available. Here are a few to get you started on the path to scholarship searching or additional ways to pay for higher education. To access these resources, you may need a library card with Arapahoe Libraries. Don't worry, it's free and easy to get one. 

CollegeNow from Brainfuse

• This source is like an umbrella. It has almost anything a student may need in their pursuit of applying to college.
• CollegeNow offers live help from Monday-Thursday from 12-9 pm. Their financial aid portion covers exploring scholarships, loans, guidance on FAFSA and more.
• Additional resources include: SAT/ACT prep materials, essay writing guides, letter of recommendation tips, admissions interview help and more.
• My favorite additional resource is the free college essay help area, where you can submit your college essay and they will get back to you with advice to improve it. 

BlueCareer

• BlueCareer is best for people who are looking to go into skilled trades and it has multiple scholarships.
• Multiple career paths are also listed on this website and within each section are scholarship opportunities.
• Additional Resources from BlueCareer include opportunities for people to prepare to get certified in a trade. There are also opportunities to explore more than 600 accredited trade schools.
• If someone decides to make a job seeker profile with BlueCareer, they can connect directly with employers across North America.

Job & Career Accelerator

• Don’t let the name fool you! Job and Career Accelerator has more than just options for job searching, it also has ways for you to explore scholarships.
• Additional Resources from Job and Career Accelerator: This website gives you options to browse career-advancing ebooks, discover colleges, prepare for an interview, look for jobs and internships, explore different professions, work on resumes and job letters or find a career for yourself. 

Other Useful Sources

AlliedCareer

• • This resource is perfect for someone who doesn’t really know what they want to do in the future but knows they are interested in the healthcare field. 

Career and Job Help at the Library

• This is similar to Job and Career Accelerator, but its main feature is the ability to schedule an appointment with a librarian for help. So, if you work best by talking things through with another person, this is the website for you. 

HelpNow from Brainfuse

• This website operates daily from 2-11 pm Mountain Time. Its main purpose is to provide academic support in both English and Spanish for students in grades K-12. They also give support to those who are getting ready for college and adult learners. 
• Their website is divided into three main categories:
  • Expert Help - This section includes live-tutoring from expert tutors, online writing assistance, a virtual library with lessons, videos, tests and more, sending questions, and live language help for those learning.
  • Study - In this part of the website, there are resources for learning languages with courses, movies, chat, and more. There is a portion for keeping math, science, and writing skills sharp over the summer. There is also a diagnostic test center that will help you create a customized study plan with lessons and live tutoring.
  • Collaborate - If you study better with people around you, they have virtual study rooms you can use. If you want to collaborate with people but not through virtual study rooms, there is also an option to make and share “movie-like” notes and ideas.