Hello again. I posted earlier under financial aid. As a Sophmore I am concerned about

Thank you. You are very kind. i feel encouraged now and trust me i will not give up.

Thank you. this helped me already by waking me up to some things I need to work on.

Hello again Mary.Laney15! I appreciate your continued interest in preparing for college. In regards to financial aid, your distrust of the government is completely justified during this time. The uncertainty of and recent cuts in federal funding have made federal financial aid very risky for students who are in financial need. Like you mentioned, scholarships can be a good alternative for financial aid. However, in addition to aiming for scholarships, I recommend that you look at my previous comment to your earlier post which lists other forms of financial aid.

Since you are a sophomore, scholarships are a great way to start accumulating financial aid. Scholarship committees can choose their awardees based on financial need, relation to their organization and the "WOW Factor". The WOW Factor is the part of your application that highlights your unique life experience and identity and how it has influenced your future aspirations. This is portrayed through your essays and extracurriculars. Highlighting these personal aspects will express your unique individuality to the scholarship committees.

I hope this information has shed light on how you can best approach scholarships and, hopefully, win scholarships. The government may have broken your trust but don't lose trust in yourself. You are more than capable of winning scholarships and getting into the college of your dreams debt free. 😊 Continue to follow my posts on this forum for more information about the college admissions process as your progress through high school. I would appreciate your continued support by following the AADHE on Instagram and X too.

— Onyx Whack