Tips for applying for a college scholarship in California?

I'm a high school junior in California and I’ve heard about the California Cash for College Scholarship. Does anyone know what the application process is like or when I should start preparing my application?

The California Cash for College Scholarship, introduced by the California Student Aid Commission, is an effort to incentivize financial aid application completion among high school seniors. While it's not a standard scholarship you apply for, students are automatically entered once they submit their FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and Cal Grant GPA verification form before the March 2nd Cal Grant deadline.

So essentially, you're focusing on these three tasks to enter:

1. Completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or California Dream Act Application. These forms are vital as they highlight your need for financial assistance, which could increase your likelihood of receiving aid.

2. Submitting your Cal Grant GPA verification. The state uses this to determine your eligibility for state financial aid. Grant programs generally consider factors like academic performance, financial need, and the cost of your college.

3. Meeting the March 2nd deadline. The Cal Grant (which the California Cash for College Scholarship requires) has a strict March 2nd deadline so mark your calendars!

As a junior, the earliest you can start working on this is October 1st of your senior year when these applications open up. However, you can start preparing by gathering necessary documents like tax returns, records of untaxed income, savings and checking account balances, and investments.

Now, aside from the California Cash for College Scholarship, be sure to explore other scholarship opportunities as well. Scholarships may be offered by individual colleges, local businesses, or national organizations. Many times, these require a separate application and possibly letters of recommendation, so start researching these opportunities early.

Lastly, remember to use Appily (formerly Cappex) as a tool to help search for scholarships and to match you to ones based on your profile. It's free and could be a great resource to ease the scholarship search process.