I just transferred from a community college to a university here in Texas and I wanted to share some Texas student scholarship wisdom for anyone else planning to do the same. Because honestly? I made some mistakes and I don't want you to make them too.
First thing: APPLY EARLY. Like, embarrassingly early. I thought I had time and then suddenly deadlines were passing me by. The good Texas student scholarship opportunities fill up fast. Don't be me.
Second: Don't assume you're not eligible. I almost didn't apply for several because I thought my GPA wasn't high enough or I didn't have enough extracurriculars. Turns out some of them have different criteria than you'd expect. One I got was based mostly on my essay about being a first-gen student. My GPA was fine but not amazing, but they cared more about my story.
Third: Look for stuff specific to your major! I'm in education and there's apparently a TON of money for future teachers in this state. Who knew?? If I'd known earlier I could've planned better. Check with your department – they often have scholarships that don't get advertised widely.
Fourth: The FAFSA is your friend. I know it's annoying but so many Texas student scholarship applications use FAFSA info or require you to have it done. Just get it over with.
And finally: Don't pay for scholarship searches. There's so many free resources. Your advisor, your department, local nonprofits, even your public library might have lists. The paid sites are mostly scams.
Anyone else have Texas student scholarship tips to add?? Let's help each other out!
First thing: APPLY EARLY. Like, embarrassingly early. I thought I had time and then suddenly deadlines were passing me by. The good Texas student scholarship opportunities fill up fast. Don't be me.
Second: Don't assume you're not eligible. I almost didn't apply for several because I thought my GPA wasn't high enough or I didn't have enough extracurriculars. Turns out some of them have different criteria than you'd expect. One I got was based mostly on my essay about being a first-gen student. My GPA was fine but not amazing, but they cared more about my story.
Third: Look for stuff specific to your major! I'm in education and there's apparently a TON of money for future teachers in this state. Who knew?? If I'd known earlier I could've planned better. Check with your department – they often have scholarships that don't get advertised widely.
Fourth: The FAFSA is your friend. I know it's annoying but so many Texas student scholarship applications use FAFSA info or require you to have it done. Just get it over with.
And finally: Don't pay for scholarship searches. There's so many free resources. Your advisor, your department, local nonprofits, even your public library might have lists. The paid sites are mostly scams.
Anyone else have Texas student scholarship tips to add?? Let's help each other out!