Around this time of the year, many seniors are stressed about not only deciding what college they will attend in the coming year, but also how to afford it. Students from ERHS and across the country reach out to scholarship organizations to receive money that will lighten their tuition.

Private institutions tend not to give much merit based  scholarship money which in return, forces applicants to find money else where. Many of these organizations have academic requirements that go along with their essay and recommendations. Senior Hana Zinab said she thinks that “everyone should have the same opportunity” and it is unfair to have the academic requirements. Senior Mark Bickerstaff said that “when a scholarship organization has academic requirements, it is a merit based scholarship.” Even some scholarships that do not explicitly state whether they are merit or need based have a GPA and/or academic requirements. “Everyone deserves a chance,” Senior Hassan Thomas said she believes.

The question then arises: Should students who did not work very hard in high school have the same opportunities for scholarships as other, even if it is believed that GPA and test scores should not matter? Students like senior Onyinye Okudoh say that it is unfair if “students who did not apply themselves” in high school get more money than students who truly worked hard.

According to information received from the guidance office, only about 20% of seniors have taken the time to begin applying for scholarships. When talking to seniors about scholarships many of them, like Micah Alexander admitted that they have yet to apply for any scholarships. Others, like Bickerstaff have applied for five or more.

The guidance office has sent out several scholarship opportunities to seniors via email and text message. This can help relieve some stress from seniors who are not sure where to look. Seniors Caroline Campbell and Hassan Thomas believe that guidance is doing a “good job” promoting opportunities that students should take advantage of.

The majority of scholarships require a teacher recommendation and a guidance counselor recommendation, along with numerous essays. Teacher recommendations can take a lot of time and need to be requested well in advance. Guidance counselor recommendations are done around the time that students begin working on their college applications, and many counselors make general letters that can be used for multiple organizations.

Guidance counselor Mr. Smith suggests that “all students apply for scholarships,” regardless of their financial situation. Together we compiled a list of the top ten scholarships that seniors who have not actively begun their search, or juniors who wish to have an idea of where to look for next year should consider:

1. Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship– http://www.jkcf.org/scholarship-programs/college-scholarship/

-This is a scholarship that offers $40,000 a year for undergraduate students who have above a 3.5 GPA and display a significant amount of unmet financial need.

2. Gates Millennium Scholarship– https://www.gmsp.org/

-The Gates Millennium Scholarship is for minority students who have at least a 3.3 GPA. The deadline for this scholarship is January 15th. Juniors should consider and apply for this scholarship at the beginning of the year. 

3. Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship– https://www.jackierobinson.org/apply/general-applicants.php

4. Exxon Mobil Corporation Scholarship– https://www.exxonmobil.com/Family-English/HR/Files/teagle.php

5. Bank of America Scholarship– http://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/global-impact/joe-martin-scholarship.html#fbid=ie-as-sR5tN

6. Golden Key International Honor Society Scholarship– https://www.goldenkey.org/scholarships-awards

-This is a honors society for college students that sponsor many scholarships. The deadlines for this scholarship fall throughout the year.

7. Coca-Cola Scholarship– http://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/

8. Jack and Jill of America Prince George’s county chapter scholarship–  http://www.pgcjackandjill.org/Chapter_Scholarships.html

– Jack and Jill of America is a mother’s organization for affluent African-American youth. They offer multiple scholarships for students with different requirements.

9. Tom Joyner Foundation Scholarship– http://tomjoynerfoundation.org/category/scholarships/tjf-full-ride-scholars/

– The Tom Joyner offers a full scholarship to students who meet the requirements of the application.

10. United Negro College Fund Scholarships– http://www.uncf.org/

– UNCF is a scholarship program for African American’s and minority students. Scholarship amounts vary.