The Education of Tomorrow

Sarah Martinez - Reporter

With seniors gearing up for university, choosing which to go to can be a daunting task, especially when considering cost and academic opportunity. Unfortunately, many cannot afford the already expensive and increasing undergraduate tuition and either choose a convenient university or end their educational journey. For these students, FAFSA, QuestBridge, and other scholarships are the best choice, as loans tend to plague students even decades later. What are some of these scholarships, and where can one find them? 

One of the most prominent scholarships is the Tennessee Promise scholarship. According to the college for Tennessee website (https://www.collegefortn.org/tnpromise/), the Tennessee Promise: “Provides students a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or the Tennessee Student Assistance Award.” This scholarship opens on August 1 of each year and requires a TSAC student portal in which you will need to add your first and last name, social security number, date of birth, and personal email to make a Student Portal account. Finding other scholarships not associated specifically with Tennessee proves difficult because of the competitiveness and doubt towards credibility. This doubt stems from these “no-essay scholarships” by big names like Bold.org, Niche, and Fast Web, as they seem too good to be true. Although the credibility of such scholarships is seemingly valid, the large pool of “contestants” makes these scholarships extremely competitive.

“I usually just Google good scholarship websites and look there, but even then, there’s a lot of competition. It’s a hard find,” senior Madeline Wells said. 

Scholarships have many different criteria, like extracurriculars, academic performance, character, like the kindness scholarship due in February, future courses of study, and even some based on heritage, like the Jackie Robinson Scholarship and Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Select universities also give their own scholarships, usually based on merit or income, like those of Vanderbilt University.  Finding and then winning these scholarships, even with a good essay or video, is a one-in-a-million shot, and it's even harder to navigate for first-generation college students. Some reputable websites shared on the internet include JLV college counseling, DAR, Big Future, and, above all, local scholarships. Big-name scholarships like the Coca-Cola Scholarship,  Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and Coolidge Scholarship have the same issue of a large pool of applicants, but can be worth one’s time. For a better chance, it is important to start early and give each application careful consideration. The most important thing is not to give up and continue signing up for reputable scholarships, with an emphasis on local ones, to improve your chances of making it big. University and higher education should be accessible to all, but it is scholarships that truly make these dreams come true.