Question: how can I find out about what scholarships I can obtain?
Answer: there are tons of resources on the Internet. www.fastweb.com is probably the most well-known. Other than that, your local community (Check with your local Chamber of Commerce) and your high school counselor.
Question: can I apply for a scholarship if I don’t know what college I’m going to attend
Answer: you can actually apply for scholarships as early as your freshman year in high school. If you win a scholarship before you know which college you will attend, you can work with the sponsoring organization on the logistics of getting the money to the college when the time is right.
Question: should I be paying a fee to apply for a scholarship?
Answer: in most cases no. In fact, often people who request fees to apply are operating a scam.
Question: can I apply for scholarships while I am in college?
Answer: this is one of the biggest mistakes we see people make. They stop applying for scholarships once they are in college. There are literally thousands of scholarships that are available to college and graduate students who are currently enrolled in college.
Question: if I get a scholarship, will my college reduce their financial aid?
Answer: possibly. This is why we always recommend that our families make a friend in the financial aid office of their chosen college. Your new friend will be able to answer questions like this. If that does happen, you can request that your college reduce the amount of loans offered rather than the grants they were going to give you.
Question: if my parents’ income is high should I bother applying for any scholarships?
Answer: yes. There are two types of scholarships. Need based on merit based. You may very well qualify for the merit scholarship, even if your grades aren’t perfect.
Other resources for scholarship searches?
https://www.salliemae.com/college-planning/college-scholarships