The only Scholarships that you turn in to the School Counseling Office are the local Deer Lakes Scholarships that specifically tell you to turn your application & information in to the School Counseling Office. For all other scholarships, it is the student’s responsibility to send their own information in according to the scholarship’s stipulations and instructions. Please do not bring these to the School Counseling Office to submit or mail in for you unless you have been instructed otherwise by Mrs. Gacci!

If you have been awarded a Scholarship, please send a copy of your award letter to Mrs. Gacci in the School Counseling Office, or e-mail it to her @ lgacci@deerlakes.net as soon as possible.   Only send copies of Scholarships you have been awarded AND have accepted.  Do not send copies of Scholarships offered to you from colleges/universities that you do not plan on attending. Once you decide which school you will attend, have paid your deposit to them and receive & accept the Scholarship, then you can send a copy of your award letter Mrs. Gacci. Do not send on campus room/housing awards/scholarships as these are automatically given out and not merit based.

You may qualify now for a scholarship at BigFuture.

Paying for college is a top concern for students and their families. BigFuture provides access to scholarships and free financial aid resources for all students. 10th & 11th graders who complete steps on BigFuture, such as starting a career list and building their college list, are entered into drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships each month. There are no essay, minimum GPA, test score, or citizenship requirements. If you family's income is less than $60,000 per year, you will get extra chances at these scholarships and earn double the entries for every drawing.

• BigFuture-Flyer-Scholarship flyer with scan
• BigFuture-Flyer-Scholarship flyer
• BigFuture-Pay For College-Flyer
• BigFuture - Exploring Careers - Start Your Career List
• BigFuture-Explore Careers-Flyer
• BigFuture-Plan For College-Flyer
• BigFuture College Search Worksheet

The Webinar Video that Todd Van Horn of Berkshire & Hathaway created contains various best practices, look-fors, and other factors to consider when completing any scholarship application, not just their scholarship, as seen through a developer/reader's lens.

A Skillpointe Scholarship is funding that is available to students who choose paths in the skilled trades and other types of skills-based training. You may be surprised to learn how many trade school scholarships and grants are available.

Local businesses and specific industries eager to improve the skills-based talent pipeline have created programs to help students pay for the training they need. Their efforts have created many vocational scholarships with specific eligibility requirements.

Click here for a list of 56 Trade School Grants and Scholarships from the website thescholarshipsystem.com.

The Scholarship Workshop – Scholarship information from an award-winning author and scholarship winner.
The Scholarship Academy – Offers curriculum to help students identify tailored scholarship options and build solid scholarship profile.

• Scholarship Searh Resources and Websites
• Best Stratefies for Searching for Scholarships
• The Ultimate List of Hidden College Scholarships
• The College Net website is a service that not only works to develop applications and web-based events, but it also provides an entire search for students who are interested in seeking out updates and newly-promoted scholarships nationwide.
• The Scholarships website boasts more than 2.7 million scholarships with a total value of more than $19 billion in value since its launch within its record database. This website is free to use and only requires a few minutes to get started. Once you register to become a member of the website, you can choose the types of scholarships that are most relevant to you. 
• Fast Web was launched more than 15 years ago, and currently boasts more than 1.5 million scholarships and $3.4 billion in their database altogether over the years of providing scholarships to students nationwide. The site itself claims to have helped and assisted more than 50 students all together with finding scholarships and applying for them.
• The official College Board was founded originally in 1900, making it one of the oldest educational-based organizations still in existence and thriving today. However, today, The College Board has transformed into a massive database of more than $3 billion worth of various scholarships.
• SallieMae is no longer only known for providing various loans for houses and students, but it has also become a resource directory for seeking out new scholarships that are relevant to any career or position. SallieMae has shared more than $18 billion worth in scholarships with millions of students since it began providing resources and opportunities to online users and students nationwide.  
• Study.com website empowers traditionally underrepresented students by helping them reach their education goals.

• Missing deadlines
• Failing to proofread the application
• Failing to follow directions, especially regarding essay length and the number of recommendations
• Omitting required information
• Applying for an award when you don't qualify
• Failing to apply for an award for which you are eligible
• Failing to tailor the application to the sponsor
• Writing a boring essay
• Writing an essay that may offend the reviewer
• Including exaggerations or lies on your application

• If you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam.
• Never invest more than a postage stamp to get information about scholarships or to apply for a scholarship.
• Nobody can guarantee that you'll win a scholarship.
• DO NOT give out personal information like bank account, credit card or social security numbers.
• Beware of the unclaimed aid myth.  The only money that goes unclaimed is money than can't be claimed.
• FastWeb Scams What You Should Know.pdf

How winning scholarships could possibly lower your financial aid offer. Click here for the scholarship displacement article.

Q:  What is a merit scholarship?
A:  Colleges are increasingly offering merit scholarships and not only for academic achievement or athletic skill.  Schools may offer merit scholarships to attract diverse groups of students from states not highly represented at the school, or students with talents or circumstances that few others at the school have.  Check with admissions offices at schools you're applying to & ask if they offer merit aid.

Q:  Should students pay a company to find scholarships?
A:  Students and families need to know that some scholarship offers are not what they seem. You can avoid getting scammed by ignoring offers that require you to attend a "free" seminar, pay a "small fee" or provide a credit card number.

Q:  Will scholarships affect other sources of financial aid?
A:  Scholarships from outside sources may affect other financial aid. By filling unmet need, scholarships may reduce the amount a family has to pay out of pocket or they may reduce loans, work-study or grant aid. Check with the school's financial aid office to find out how outside scholarships may affect your financial aid package.

Q:  How are winners determined?
A:  Although scholarships are competitive, keep in mind that you don't have to be the best student in your class to receive one. You simply need to be the best student who applies and meets the qualifications for that scholarship.