College Ready Activities for the Summer to Help Students Win Scholarships

Excerpt from Winning Scholarships for College.

• Start researching NOW - Many of the largest scholarship programs have deadlines starting in early fall. For the best chance at meeting deadlines and actually winning scholarships, students shouldn't wait until they actually get accepted to the school of their dreams to apply. In fact, they don't even have to wait until senior year. They can win money for college as early as age 6. See Senior Year Head Start for more information. Even if a student is getting ready to start their freshman year or another year in college this fall, they should start researching in the summer to get ready for early fall deadlines. Once a student gets a list of scholarship programs, web sites, and deadlines, they should create a monthly planner to stay on track and apply for every scholarship available to them. See chapter 2, 3, 4 and 6 of  Winning Scholarships for College for help with finding scholarships and getting organized.
• During the summer, students should participate in at least two community service activities. Not only can some scholarships be won on the basis of community service alone; nearly all scholarship programs want to see students who get involved in activities that benefit others. They also love students who can recognize a school or community issue and successfully come up with a way to solve it. Community service and volunteering can really make the difference between winning and losing a scholarship competition. See chapter 14 of Winning Scholarships for College for more about the role of community service and scholarships.
• Begin working on a student activities résumé. Even if a student has already started a résumé; they should update it, and highlight any areas that need attention. For example, perhaps they need more community service or leadership (which can also include mentoring or tutoring). Extracurricular and community service activities will help students stand out among a crowd of other scholarship applicants. The résumé should showcase their qualities as a well-rounded and involved student who has engaged in several meaningful activities. See chapter 9 of Winning Scholarships for College for more information about writing a student résumé.
• Check out Raise.me. Students can start earning scholarships as early as ninth grade. If you just completed ninth, tenth or eleventh grade, you have all summer to start entering your extracurricular activities, community service, and your grades from last school year. Based on the information you enter, schools interested in YOU will start offering scholarships immediately. 
• Rising High School Seniors - Begin creating a list of colleges you plan to apply to. One of Marianne’s students discovered the deadline to get priority consideration for scholarships at one of the colleges on their list is November 1. However, the regular application deadline is February 1.  Start exploring your favorite colleges and universities NOW to avoid surprises later. Also, if you build your college list on College Board by June 30, you could win a $40,000 scholarship! See https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/bigfuture-scholarships/scholarship-details/build-your-college-list
• Already in college or getting ready to start in the Fall? Check out Scholarships for College Students because you can still apply for and win money after you start college. Live Mas Scholarship is one example: https://www.tacobellfoundation.org/live-mas-scholarship/. Learn about it NOW and start getting ready to apply.

If you want to get a jumpstart on finding scholarships before the next academic year, consider registering for the virtual Scholarship Boot Camp or the Scholarship, Fellowship and Grant Information Session for Students Already in College, Returning to College, and Pursuing Graduate School.