College is around the corner for many seniors, it can be expensive for most.

There are many resources for seniors to find scholarships best fit for them.

“The biggest sources are educational foundations, community foundation, and national searches. Employers are also a great start. If you have a job, then talk to your manager about scholarships they offer. Talk to your parents as well; most jobs have scholarships for their employees and their families. Chick-fil-a, for example, gives scholarships to its employees,” Mrs. Lisa Laug, guidance director, said.

Most scholarships require essays.

“The key to making an essay good is by making it unique. Don’t be boring and use humor and stand out from other applicants. Don’t repeat what was already on your applications. For example, if you’re going to talk about community service, don’t list out all of your service hours if you already have somewhere else on the applications, but instead talk about why you enjoy that community service,” Mrs. Laug said.

Too many high school students do not apply for scholarships because they do not want to write essays.

“Most kids don’t apply for scholarships when they see that they have to write an essay. Don’t be swayed by that because it can be done and it shouldn’t be a reason why you didn’t get that scholarship,” Mrs. Ashley Smithey, English teacher, said.

Seniors are advised to watch out for scholarships that may come up during late winter and early spring.

“The biggest time for scholarships is January through April, but students should be looking right now. There are scholarships right now that students can apply to, but more opportunities are out during that time. The Johnson County Scholarship will open up and the Greenwood Educational Foundation Scholarship will come through around February,” Mrs. Laug said.

Many seniors stop applying for scholarships after high school, but there are multiple scholarships for college students.

“Continue applying for scholarships when you get into college because the scholarships that are for college student don’t disperse any money because students stop after high school, so you have a better chance of getting those scholarships,” Mrs. Smithey said.

Mrs. Smithey advises students to work-study at college to help with tuition.

“Work-study is where you work for the college, and instead of getting paid, they take it in for your tuition. My brother did that when he was in college, and it left him about $30,000 to pay for his tuition,” Mrs. Smithey said.

Every senior has a Naviance account, and it is the easiest way to find scholarships.

“The best place for seniors to find scholarships is Naviance. Naviance has sections for local and national scholarships for students to look at. Sallie Mae also puts out scholarship opportunities on Naviance for students to check out,” Mrs. Laug said.

Mrs. Laug also puts scholarship opportunities on the class Canvas page for students.

“In the beginning of September, I gave a presentation to seniors about scholarships that contained information they may need. The presentation is on their class Canvas page, so they can access that on there if they want,” Mrs. Laug said.