When I first applied for college, I was not exactly sure how I was going to pay for everything. I had heard about student loans and Pell grants, both of which were viable options, but I also wanted to see if I could apply for a scholarship or two.

What I soon discovered was that scholarships for college are everywhere, and while some may not pay as much as one would hope, it is always a good idea to apply for as many as possible, because one thing that is for certain – they add up.

I first applied for an academic scholarship from the university itself, which I received and for which I was very grateful. It covered about half of my tuition, and I figured that I would try to apply for a music scholarship as well, because I was a pretty good tuba player and knew that most ensembles could use a good tuba player.

I received those two scholarships for college, but I still was a little bit short of covering all of my tuition, not to mention my books and fees as well as room and board. I went to the university’s office of admission and asked if they had any suggestions.

The first thing they recommended was to apply for grants and student loans, which I figured I would do as a last resort, but they also told me about some more scholarships for college that were available through different organizations.

I started researching scholarship opportunities, and found that churches, businesses, rotary clubs and all kinds of other places offer scholarships for different reasons, and many of them go unused because nobody applies for them. The problem is that not many people really know about them.

I then found a book on scholarships for college that I started going through and found all kinds of options I had never even thought of, and I started sending out applications.

By the time college rolled around, I had enough to cover all of my expenses, including tuition, books and fees, and room and board. I ended up actually having a little bit left over, as well.

The one thing that is important to watch out for when applying for college scholarships is not to apply too late. The university and other organizations that award scholarships only have so many to give out, and my sister found herself in a situation where she probably did not receive all of the scholarship money she could have because she put it off too long.

Scholarships for college are available in many forms and fashions, and with a bit of resourcefulness, the cost of college-related expenses can be drastically reduced.