This is a guest post by Diego Martinez-Moncada. He was born and raised in Austin, TX and currently attends the University of Texas as a pre-law student. He is a sophomore in the pursuit of a degree in Philosophy and a minor in History. You can contact him at diegomm1990 AT gmail.com

If you’re like me, college has been the tale of two opposites – the fun of parties and friends, mirrored by the torment of homework and tuition. If there is one thing I’ve learned during my stay, it is the value of a dollar, and how there never seem to be enough. According to finaid.org, on average, tuition has and continues to increase by 8% each year (roughly $365). Sadly, for a lot of us, this ever-increasing tuition just adds to the stresses of an already overwhelming college career. Luckily there is a solution to the financial burden that is tuition and it comes in the form of scholarships and financial aid. Though it may seem an imposing task to look for scholarships, with the right resources the only hard part is deciding which to choose.

FAFSA

FAFSA, a government funded aid, is a way for the government to help its up and coming students to pay for college by providing grants, unsubsidized and subsidized loans, and federal work-study. Though it is a relatively easy and painless process, you will have to divulge important and personal information such as you and your parent’s tax information, your parent’s education level, marital status, etc.

Fastweb

Not many people know of all the scholarship opportunities out there or they believe they just don’t qualify for any sort of scholarship, and as a result free money just sits there with no one to claim it. Fortunately for us in this ever-progressing technological world resources such as Fastweb have come into existence. Upon completing a personal profile, Fastweb will go through their database of over 1 million scholarships and find the ones that match you personally. Fastweb also gives you the opportunity to have e-mail notifications with up to date information regarding your scholarships, including deadlines and new scholarships as well.

Scholarships.com

Like Fastweb, scholarships.com allows you to make a profile and will find scholarships that match YOU. In addition to scholarship matching this resource adds a little more bang to their website by providing the latest college and financial aid news, and offers more detailed information on featured scholarships. In addition to news, you are able to submit your own scholarship finds, in a pay-it-forward sort of way.

Banks

Surprisingly, banks give out more than just loans with incredibly high interest rates. They also provide scholarships, though not always easy to find. The two strategies I found most successful in finding scholarships were either to use Google or type “scholarships” into the bank’s website search bar. Be sure to read the requirements thoroughly, because some scholarships require you to be a member of their bank.

Department Stores/Companies

Even more surprising than banks offering scholarships is the amount of department stores and companies that do so. However this does require more individual research due to the amount of companies and department stores offering scholarships. To narrow the search, consider companies that you could see yourself working for in the future or department stores in your local area. Again the best ways to find the offers are to use Google or use the company’s website, or perhaps even use ancient technology and pick up a phone and call them. A few well-known companies to offer scholarships are Target, Wal-Mart, and Coca-Cola.

Universities

Finally there is your University. Every University has a financial aid department with loads of resources and scholarships just waiting to be used by you. Don’t be ashamed to go in and ask for help, there are a lot of people in the same situation as you (I’m one of them). In fact, financial aid is one of the offices that are there just for your use.

About Diego Martinez

Diego Martinez has wrote one article on this blog.

Diego Martinez-Moncada was born and raised in Austin, TX and currently attends the University of Texas as a pre-law student. He is a sophomore in the pursuit of a degree in Philosophy and a minor in History. You can contact him at: diegomm1990 AT gmail.com

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