Can You Apply for College Scholarships as a Junior?

I'm currently a high school junior and I'm wondering if I should start applying for scholarships now, or is it better to wait until senior year? Any advice on timelines and strategies would be appreciated!

It's excellent that you're thinking ahead about scholarships. Many students may not realize that you don't have to wait until senior year to start applying for scholarships. In fact, there are numerous scholarships available to high school juniors, and it's one common strategy to start applying early to gain an advantage!

To start, you can explore scholarship databases like Appily, or use websites and tools like Scholly or Fastweb. They can help filter scholarship opportunities by year in school, GPA, extracurricular activities, intended field of study, and other criteria, to identify the scholarships you might be best suited for.

While many scholarships are open to juniors, be sure to read the fine print to confirm eligibility. Sometimes a scholarship may be targeted specifically towards seniors, or the deadline might not align with your timeline.

Additionally, local organizations, like your school or community service clubs, often have scholarships available as well. It might be worth inquiring at the organizations where you’re already involved.

One strategy is to regularly set aside time for scholarship applications, perhaps once or twice a week, and treat this task like an extracurricular activity or part-time job. You can apply the same type of planning and deadlines that you might for a project or role at school.

Lastly, remember to keep your grades up and continue participating in your extracurricular activities. Many scholarships are merit-based and look at aspects such as academic achievement or leadership in clubs or sports teams.

Begin now and pace yourself - scholarships can make a big difference in making college more affordable. Good luck!