Most college-bound students have chosen a school, found out if they’re accepted, or decided whether they’ll return for another year. Now it’s time to figure out how to pay for it. One financial-aid advisor warns it’s also the season to watch out for scholarship scams. I-S-U financial aid director Earl Dowling says you should start at the Internet website of the school you want to attend. But there are plenty of other scholarships, for students of all skill levels and interests. He says the Internet’s a great resource to find scholarships not awarded by a school. Dowling says there’s no reason to pay for information about scholarships when there are so many large and small programs to help fund higher education. He says if you have a unique specialty, there’s probably a scholarship, so sit down and write out your church, hobbies, interests, and then put them into a scholarship search. You don’t have to be the top student or quarterback to win a scholarship, according to Dowling, and it doesn’t have to be a “free ride” — many students get one or more partial scholarships. There are donors ensuring scholarships are available for students from geographical areas, for average students, and every school has a financial-aid staff to help you find them.
