The Best Time To Apply For Scholarships For High School Students Is NOW!

The Time For Financial Aid Is Now!
The absolute best time to start thinking about financial aid is way before an aspiring student even gets close to getting into college.

It never ceases to amze me at how many families wait until the absolute last minute to start thinking about funding college.

Smart parents will have started college funds for their children at an early age.

My parents started with the piggy bank and we when we were old enough, they opened college fund bank accounts for us.

Honestly, parents should  start thinking about scholarships for High School Students while their children are still in grade school.

What’s the hurry?

There is no hurry!

However, there is a preparation process.

When students are prepared to receive scholarships and actually qualify for them, do you realize how much money they can save on tuition, room and board and all of the other extra fees tacked on the attend college?

Let’s face it; tuition in 2011 and beyond is likely to be described as astronomical by some.

Have you looked at the average costs to attend college?

Uh, you might want to start tracking these figures so that you don't experience sticker shock.

Average College Tuition Including Tuition, Room and Board In The United States
Source: CollegeBoard.Com

Public University Average Annual Cost
2002: $9,338 2010: $13,797
2003: $9,805 2011: $14,487
2004: $10,295 2012: $15,211
2005: $10,810 2013: $15,971
2006: $11,351 2014: $16,770
2007: $11,918 2015: $17,609
2008: $12,514 2016: $18,489
2009: $13,140 2017 $19,413

Private College Average Annual Cost
2002: $24,851 2010: $36,717
2003: $26,094 2011: $38,553
2004: $27,399 2012: $40,480
2005: $28,769 2013: $42,504
2006: $30,207 2014: $44,630
2007: $31,717 2015: $46,861
2008: $33,303 2016: $49,204
2009: $34,968 2017: $51,664

Once you comprehend and factor in the annual increase in tuition and couple that together with the annual cost of living increase, it’s easy to see why one should start planning for their educational financial aid as early as possible.

Various scholarships for high school students are extremely competitive. For those scholarships and grants, students and parents need to be on their “A” game. That means intense pre-preparation. I can hear some parent scowling at the thought of pushing their children.

Remember, scholarships and grants are optional; they are not compulsory. That said, if you are aiming for scholarships for high school students, you will need to meet the criteria of the benefactors. If you fail to do so, you literally have no chance of obtaining any scholarships.

When we say “A” game, we’re merely saying the student’s grades, attendance and community activities must be up to par. Once again, in regards to highly competitive scholarships, the student must exceed the average by a long shot just to receive consideration.

Know this, every year; parents and students raise the bar and the standard up a notch or two. Their college bound children are prepared for the scholarship process and it shows. They clearly made an investment in getting their child ready for this moment. Kudos to those parents and students and hopefully you can join the esteemed list of parents who prepared their child to receive scholarships for high school students.

Brad Matheson is a professional Financial Consultant who specializes in helping businesses and individuals resolve their debt issues. He believes that all debt problems can be solved with the right debt advice and aspires to help Americans learn all of their debt options and exercise all of their rights. Says, Matheson, “Don't allow the Student Loan Debt crisis or a Defaulted Student Loan to hinder or block your career aspirations or stymie your financial dreams, there is Student Loan Help available!”

Source: http://studentloanwhiz.com/