Not only is going to college a tough decision to begin with, but how to pay for it can be a little daunting as well. The best advice to provide is to not rely solely on the university to fund your education. When students put in some work it pays off in a big way.
Checklist to keep in mind:
1. Look up information about admission scholarships available at the university. Our admissions scholarships are merit based and the only thing a student must do to be considered for these is to submit their application for admissions by January 2nd. For specific criteria on these scholarships visit: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Admissions/Freshmen/freshman-scholarships.aspx
2. Look for other scholarships available through individual academic departments or available through the USF foundation. More information about these scholarships can be found at: www.usf.edu/scholarships. This is a search engine that will populate all different types of scholarhsips that you might be able to qualify for.
3. Search independent scholarship websites, such as www.fastweb.com, www.scholarshipexperts.com, etc. Any scholarship database that you chose to go into should be a FREE database search. If you are being asked to pay to recieve scholarship money then chances are it is a scam. Scholarships are FREE money and you shouldn’t have to pay to get them.
4. Check local organizations or private corporations that you might have been involved in for additional scholarship opportunities. Even ask you parents to see if the companies that they work for have scholarships available.
Remember that even if the scholarship you are applying for is $100, $300, or $500, every little bit helps!