NOVI, Mich. (WXYZ) — Applying for college can be a daunting and expensive task, but when it to saving money on your education, applying for scholarships may be the best way to do it. The key is knowing which scholarships to apply for, and also how to apply.
We spoke with students who say the price tag attached to being a college student can be overwhelming, but finding scholarships really gives them hope.
Watch Meghan's video report below
"It's just like such a daunting amount of money that really, like, any amount of scholarships is so helpful," Clara told me.
"College was always something I had wanted for myself," said Adriana Guzman, a freshman at Eastern Michigan University. "Nobody in my family had ever been to college."
For Guzman, college always felt like a dream just out of reach.
"I'm expanding my education," Guzman said. "I'm meeting people who will eventually become my lifelong friends and I was just like 'I wanna do that.'"
She says money was her biggest hurdle when applying.
If I didn't have that scholarship money I honestly would be struggling financially," Guzman said. "I probably would have dropped out."
But she says that because she began her scholarship hunt early, college quickly became a reality for her.
“I would say the beginning of my hunt began in my sophomore year," Guzman said. "I was honest about my past and everything that I went through and everything I overcame to get to where I was now."
Kevin Towns is the Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships for the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He told me high school students should start looking into scholarships in their junior year.
“Definitely start to look at the institutions that a student is considering," Towns said. "Also looking at private search engines like Fastweb.com, scholarships.com,, big future by College Board."
But if you're an overachiever, there are some openings to students as young as sophomores.
“They'll apply to our program in the fall, do some different campus visits, SAT prep, FAFSA completion, like a leadership training and networking and etiquette session," said Christa Funk.
Funk is the Executive Director of Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars. She told me the program is more than just money. They want to walk students through the entire journey.
"Once they graduate high school, they get a $4000 scholarship from us, and then we provide college coaching to make sure that they not only make it to campus but you know, persist and graduate too," Funk said.
Towns told me the key to making sure you don't leave any money on the table is organization.
"First thing you want to do is determine what is a tool that you're gonna use that is going to, keep track of the scholarships," Towns said. "So deadlines, as well as what the criteria is, if there's a lot of recommendations, if there's GPA requirements."
He also stressed the importance of authenticity.
"As personal as you can be is really important, being able to tell your unique story...so being able to put pen to paper to articulate that, the best way you can, being concise," Towns said.
He also added that local scholarships may have fewer applicants, giving you better odds.
"If you look at one local to your neighborhood, or to your city, or to your state," Towns said. "Even the number of students who are applying for that particular scholarship has reduced drastically."
