by May Plaige

Created on: February 01, 2009

Finding scholarships as a returning college student often appears to be a daunting task in comparison to that of scholarship hunters still in or fresh out of high school. As a returning college student, you don't have a high school "college counselor" to turn to for local and national scholarship offers that may not be found online. What you do have, though, is experience and connections that can give you a boost in the scholarship search.

LOOK TO YOUR PAST: Though you may not have your high school guidance counselor to hold your hand this time, you may find a similar figure at the college you attended or the one you plan on attending. Getting help from someone at a college you are leaving or have left may seem ridiculous, but if you have created strong enough ties and left good impressions, you'd be surprised what suggestions your past professors can provide for you. Don't be shy about asking the former professors of courses you excelled in if they would have any suggestions as to where to look for scholarships. If you had any relationships with counselors at the college, give them a call as well. Education professionals, for the most part, love to feel that they are helping others to advance their education and careers. Give them an opportunity to feel good about helping you out!

LOOK TO YOUR FUTURE: If you already have been accepted to your next college, get in contact with their financial aid office. Not only will they often have listings of local and national scholarships available, they will also most likely provide you with application forms for scholarships only available to students at that particular school. This greatly narrows your competition and raises your chances of winning money, so don't hesitate to get in touch with the financial aid office and let them know that you are ready to prove your worth!

LOOK TO YOUR PRESENT: If you are a returning college student, chances are that you've been in the workplace for a while. If your intended field of study is related to your job, see if your employer, company, or other agencies in your field offer scholarships for what you are going to study. You may be surprised to find out that there are grants available, or that they'll even just cover the tuition (or part of it) for you without the need to "win" a scholarship, simply because you will be advancing your education and bringing your knowledge back into the field.

LOOK ONLINE: Along with these great real-world resources, you should definitely sign on along with the rest of the scholarship-hunting world and create accounts on sites like FastWeb.com and Scholarships.com. On these sites, you create a profile detailing what degree you are aspiring for and what kinds of talents, skills, and hobbies you have, and scholarships which you may be eligible for are displayed for your perusal. Other sites like studentscholarshipsearch.com and ScholarshipHunter.com do not require accounts, but because of that require you to search on your own through all scholarships listed to find ones that fit you.

Remember to be careful filling out those application forms and writing those essays, and good luck!

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