At this point in the year, most of the seniors who are planning on attending college in the fall have applied; some of whom have already heard back from those schools. Now, after the FAFSA has been filled out, it is time for seniors to think about scholarships.

“The first thing to do is to look at the local scholarships,” said guidance counselor Matt Duncan. “These are the ones that you have  the best shot at getting.”

A link for the local scholarship bulletin can be found on the Gloucester High School website,

The bulletin consists of over ninety scholarships, and are all tied to Gloucester or Cape Ann. At first glance this can seem overwhelming,  but if you look through them and make a note of the ones you apply for, the process may be more manageable.

“My advice would be to apply for as many scholarships as you can, because you never know what you could get,” said Christina Sargent, GHS alumnus and Emerson College freshman.

According to  Duncan, It does not matter if you are not the number one student in the class. While it may seem like a lot of work, it is important to weigh, “the amount of time versus the potential benefit,” said Duncan, who estimates the process should take about three hours.

Every application consists of  a financial statement, a high school transcript, any application that is specific for individual scholarships, and a personal essay.

“Scholarships are when you have to write all the nice stuff about yourself in the hopes they pick you out of everyone in the class,” said senior Kayla Lane.

The personal essay should talk about who you are, what you are interested in, and your goals for your future education and career. It is also important to include the reasons the money will be helpful.

After you look at the local scholarships, you can also apply for regional or national scholarships. If you want to find more specific scholarships, try Fast Web, a website that finds particular scholarships that you may apply for.

The deadline for local scholarships is April 1st.

For more information look at The Scholarship Process Survival Guide on the guidance website.

http://ghsguidance.webs.com/Scholarship%20Info/THE%20SCHOLARSHIP%20PROCESS%202012%20–%20revised.pdf