Helping your child find college scholarships

Every parent wants the best for his or her child.

Attending college is the best way for your child to become a successful adult. If you are a parent of a child who has beat cancer, you know of potential for financial pressure when it comes to funding college. The very good news is that your dream of a college education for your child can come true.

Scholarship money can help your child attend college. Scholarships are the preferred type of financial aid because they don’t need to be repaid. Merit scholarship is one form of scholarship and is based on talent, for example excellent academic grades or sports. Another type of college scholarship is awarded based on financial need. These scholarships come from two sources – colleges your child is interested in and everywhere else. 

The “everywhere else” can be the federal government, individual states, local, state and national organizations. You need to start looking for these resources as soon as your child is ready to attend college. Have your child check with the admissions office at each college that they are interested in to find out what types of scholarships they offer. Also have your child ask his or her high school guidance counselor for an up-to-date scholarship handbook. The Internet is also a great place to look for information on college scholarships.

Once you have the information on college scholarships, the next step is to follow the instructions and apply by the required deadlines. Most scholarships require an essay, a transcript, a description of extracurricular activities and recommendation letters.