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How to Start the College Scholarship Process
The college scholarship process may seem confusing and overwhelming at first, but help is here!
I know exactly where you are coming from.
You want your student to win college scholarships because, frankly, you don’t have enough money saved to send him or her to the school of their dreams.
Sounds simple, right?
Sadly, telling students they need to win scholarship money usually backfires for parents of teenagers.
I’ve been there. (Three times!)
Students who feel pressure to win money for higher education with no idea how to start the college scholarship process feel lost and will give up entirely in a short period of time, so what’s a parent to do?
Know that I’ve been exactly where you are right now.
The answer to this question is really the heart and soul of my college scholarship guide ebooksbut let me share a bit about what worked for my all three of my boys, and you can download your copies when you are ready.
WHY?
It is imperative that students know why they need to win scholarship moneyso the first step is to share exactly why they need to put in the work now.
Have an honest talk about your finances and show them the cost of attendance at their dream school.
Tell them how much you can afford to contribute and how much they need to raise in the form of scholarships won.
WHAT?
Let your students know what will be expected of them in the scholarship process. Assure them that they are not alone. Tell them how you will partner with them (as I share here), and more scholarships will be found and applied for as a team.
The college scholarship process does not have to be a mystery!
WHERE?
Send them my most popular post, 10 Great Sites for Finding College Scholarshipsand then tell them the importance of applying for as many local scholarships as possible.
Purchase this college scholarship listing book to have at your home at all times.
HOW?
Getting organized right from the start plays a huge part in how scholarships are won because the more organized you are, the more awards your student can apply for. I go into great detail about getting organized in the scholarship process in my scholarship guide ebooks, and I cannot stress enough how much of a difference this makes.

Open to High School Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors! APPLY NOW HERE
When I first started my research into how students win scholarships, I read a few books and saved a ton of online articles. There really is a lot out there, and wading through it all took many dedicated months.
Do you have that kind of time?
If you do, great! If not, you need my How to Win College Scholarships ebooks for parents and their students.
I have a version for parents and a version for students.
What is the difference between the two versions?
They are similar, but the student version contains more motivation since I know how hard it can often be for students to get motivated by their own parents. The student version includes a section on how current college students can find and win scholarships. It also has suggestions throughout it on how students can work with other students in the scholarship process. Most parents find it extremely helpful that each has their own version. I offer the combo (or the bundle, which also contains my Scholarship Toolkit Organizer) at a deeply discounted price to get both because I’ve seen how much it helps to have both versions.
I published what worked so beautifully for all three of my boys, so parents like you and me would not have to spend as much time as I did wading through the clutter and clicking to nowhere in our Google searches for scholarship help and resources.
As a result, I developed my SMART applying strategies, which have helped countless families win thousands of scholarship dollars.
(Fist bump!)
“As a mom preparing to weather the college scholarship application process, I found your ebooks to be both informative and easily read. They made a complex and overwhelming process approachable. Couldn’t have come at a better time for us. That’s for sure! Thanks!” M.W., Los Angeles, CA
Starting the college scholarship process may seem like a daunting task, but I am here to help you. ~ Monica Matthews
All of my winning scholarship strategies can be found right here >>
Parents, this is how to start the college scholarship process with your students. #ScholarshipMom #Scholarships Share on X

Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regard to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.
Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets, and more have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. She teaches them how to apply S.M.A.R.T. with outstanding results.
Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites, and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.