Many high school students complain that college is extremely expensive .The thing students don’t realize is that there are many scholarships out there. They have to look for them and put effort into earning that scholarship money, especially since as of Oct. 2012, the average student loan debt was $26,600.

The good news is that there is still plenty of time to fill out the scholarships. “There are all kinds of scholarships: academic, talent, athletics, and random scholarships for a degree. There are very creative scholarships. People awarding you want you to distinguish yourself. These are very competitive scholarships,” Ms. Justyna Jablonska , Financial Aid and Scholarship Coordinator, said.

Students who have not filled out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), should remember to fill it out ASAP because it is first come first serve. The earlier students fill out the FAFSA, the more aid you will be eligible for. DO NOT hesitate because the government is “essentially” handing you money when you fill it out quickly.

If you are still unsure on what other scholarships are out there, you are in luck. Leyden High School provides Common Local Scholarship opportunities that Leyden students can apply for. The applications are due in the student services office at your campus. NO later than 3:00pm on February 16,2016. If you are interested you should visit the Leyden website and scroll down and you will be able to download the application and fill it out.

There are other resources that are very useful for students preparing for financial aid. The most common websites to apply for scholarships are FastWeb and College Zone. These websites have a large variety of scholarships.
“If you log into Naviance, go under the colleges tab, scroll down and you will find four links with scholarships,” Ms. Jablonska said. The National Scholarship Search will take you to a SallieMae where you will create an account and apply for scholarships.

“The most competitive [local] scholarships are the Donald E. Stephens (scholarships) because for East and West, they give out only three $5,000 scholarships. Some other competitive scholarships are the Rundquist Opportunity Scholarship, which is for one East student and is worth $4,000. Another scholarship is the Rotary Club of Chicago-O’Hare Scholarship which is for five students from either East or West, worth $3,500,” Ms. Jablonska explained.

If you’re a student that has any questions about financial aid and scholarships, you can contact Ms. Justyna Jablonska. If you have any questions she can answer them right away for you. Her e-mail is [email protected]. Remember don’t wait until the last minute to fill out scholarships. The earlier you apply, the more money there is heading your way to help pay for your college tuition.