Scholarship Timeline

For sophomores in high school or younger: How much time should be spent on applying for scholarships? While you should still apply to scholarships where you meet the criteria, there will be less available until you are a junior or senior. Still, try to spend about 20 hours per semester on becoming familiar with the process and finding and applying to scholarships.

Main focus: By joining clubs, volunteering, working a part-time job and other involvements as well as keeping your grades up and preparing for the SAT and/or ACT will help you become a competitive candidate and will set you up for scholarship success.

For juniors in high school: Your schedule is a lot like those above with a few changes. You should have now joined 3-5 different activities, either have a jobs, or be involved in clubs or groups and or volunteer services.

Main focus: Becoming a competitive candidate. If you’re already involved, try to obtain leadership positions or lead activities you are involved in. This is also a great time to shadow people in the field you are thinking about entering. This can make you more competitive as well. If you haven’t gotten involved yet, now is the time! Watch Class 4 if you aren’t sure what you can do. 

How much time should be spent on applying for scholarships? As a junior, it will be easier than when younger to find scholarships, though not as common as senior year. Try to spend 30 hours per semester (can be spread out or grouped together such as 5 x 6-hr days) during your junior year on finding and applying to scholarships

Day 1-6 Time Management and Goal Setting

  • Set 3-5 goals and find an accountability partner.
  • Generate a spreadsheet that outlines the college costs based on the colleges you are considering.

Day 7-14 Finding Scholarships

focus on finding scholarships and understanding the criteria. What can you do so that you will be competitive for these your senior year or sooner?

Note: You don’t need to spread out your search over 7 days. If you prefer to cram it all in in one afternoon go for it. Just make sure you come up with a list of at least 20 potential scholarships to apply to.

Day 15-28 Becoming a Competitive Candidate

Focus on finding leadership opportunities and other ways to go above and beyond. This is a great time to shadow people in the fields you are interested in. Don’t just decide what you want do but actually do it. Attend meetings, sign up to be a volunteer/mentor, or apply for part time jobs. The key is to take action and make it happen. If it’s too late to get involved make plans for next year.

Day 29 and Beyond-Applying for Scholarships

Now that you’ve mastered the art of becoming a competitive candidate, you can start actively applying to scholarships. This is an ongoing process so always be on the lookout for potential scholarship.

contact us anytime at collegepreplab@gmail.com or 248-274-9917