The earlier you start the scholarship search the better. There are many sayings that can attest to this – early bird catches the worm and finders keepers, losers weepers. It’s a lot of work trying to find and apply to the best scholarships with all the other ambitious minds competing against you. It is free money after all. And with high tuition costs and expensive textbooks, you don’t want to be driven out of college simply because you couldn’t afford it. Additionally, if you’re coming from a low-income family, then it’s even more important to find financial aid. Experts say that students who score high academically and come from low-income families choose the schools that don’t produce high graduation rates; the ones that are less expensive to apply to, and so a lot of them drop-out. Despite performing well academically in high school. It’s really crucial that you start your scholarship search early so you can afford the best education. Also, don’t be discouraged if you lose a few; it’s all about persistence and doing your best work for each scholarship. Do I need to list anymore sayings? To help you out, below are a few scholarships for juniors that should get the ball rolling.

Discover Scholarship Program

This is a nationwide scholarship from the notorious credit card company dedicated to high school juniors. Minimum GPA is 2.75 and they look for applicants who fulfill some leadership roles and are active in the community. The winners receive $25,000 which should cover most of those high college costs (many of the top schools charge $36,000 a year). And they award ten scholarships a year.

Best Buy @15 Scholarship

This scholarship isn’t as impressive, only $1,000, but you have a larger chance of winning since they award 1,099 scholarships a year. It’s open to students from grades 9-12. They award academic excellence, community service and work experience. @15 is a Best Buy owned site dedicated to high school students who need a venue to express their opinions on various subjects. Whether it be global warming, politics or other national issues; they encourage opinions from the next generation. @15 has games, programs, contests and, of course, scholarships that students can participate in and get active.

WyzAnt College Scholarship

This is an interesting scholarship that awards 1st place winners $5,000; 2nd place winners $3,000 and 3rd place $2,000. It’s interesting because although you do have to write an essay like most traditional scholarships, the winners are chosen by popular vote. You can use social networks like Facebook or Twitter to help get more eyes on your work, thus receiving more votes. They only allow you 300 words and the trick is to either write something stirring, funny, informative or all three to get people interested enough to vote. It really taps into your creative writing skills.

Find More Scholarships for Juniors

Scholarships for juniors aren’t that difficult to find. Many corporations offer scholarships as a way to be philanthropic. They aspire to give opportunities of higher education to the next generation. Dell, Toyota, Google, McDonalds and many more give students chances to afford college with the various scholarship programs they offer. You’ll want to have enough money to enter into the best schools so that your chances of succeeding are increased. So put the work in early, and give yourself a headstart. And since I can’t think of a better ending for this article, I’ll end it with a popular, yet slightly random, saying “Live Long and Prosper!”