If you’re a high school sophomore deciding to jump the gun on your quest for scholarships, you’re in luck because there are plenty available. It’s becoming more and more important to find funding for education as tuition costs rise and economic times become uncertain. Starting the search early will give you a better chance of finding that perfect scholarship you feel suits you best while giving you a better likelihood of winning (the more you apply, the greater your chances of winning). Below are a few scholarships for sophomores that’ll help you afford college way before you even apply!
Create-A-Greeting-Card for $10,000
Design a greeting card with artwork, original photos or computer graphics and possibly win $10,000 in scholarship money and an additional $1,000 for your school. This contest is open to all students of at least 14 years old; from high school to college. If you apply, your entry might be seen in stores across the nation wherever The Gallery Collection cards are sold. Expressing your creativity for a chance to win that much money is a dream come true for many sophomores. It won’t take you that long (unless you’re the picasso of greeting cards), and it’ll be one more accomplishment to put on an application showing universities that you have ambition.
Win Free Tuition Scholarship Sweeps
NextStepU is a young adults magazine focused on providing information to high school students in preparation for college. They have a website to help with career search, college match and general advice on what to do after high school. They tout this scholarship as being a “full-ride” scholarship on the site, but it’s worth $10,000 which would cover yearly tuition to many schools, but if you’re going to a college out-of-state then costs can be upwards to $48,000 a year. So not necessarily a full-ride (all four years paid), but still good nonetheless.
Ayn Rand Institute Scholarships
If you enjoy writing essays, then The Ayn Rand Institute offers essay scholarships to high school sophomores and juniors annually. The essays are about books written by the author Ayn Rand, a twentieth century philosopher who wrote for Hollywood and Broadway. Essay contests include Anthem where you’re asked to write an essay in response to specific questions. They have five tiers of winners with the first place winning $2,000 to 175 semifinalists winning $30 each. They have similar contests for Atlas Shrugged and We The Living. You can either choose one book that you really like or all three.
Scholarships for Sophomores
Since searching for scholarships can be a full-time job, be sure to visit the page of Easy Scholarships Lists that can help you afford college without having to do much work. Many of your traditional scholarships can be time consuming and competitive, and it’s likely all your hard work will be in vain, leaving you to figure out what to do with all those essays you’ve written (don’t throw them out, they might come in handy). And if your sophomore year is coming to an end, you could seek out Scholarships for Juniors that can help pay for college. So if you find yourself discouraged in any way, don’t be. There are tons of resources of financial aid you can find if you put a little bit of time researching.
