It’s like I’m watching the same movie scene over and over again each time one of my friends gets into college. Immediately, he or she is understandably overcome with excitement; after all, four years of hard work has been leading up to this very moment. Then, deserved congratulations come from most everyone who hears about the acceptance. It’s not until later, after the exhilaration subsides (which can take days, even weeks!) that a realization hits — how am I going to pay for this amazing school I just got into?

In my search for an answer to that very same question, I have come across some resources that I found helpful and that I hope you will too. But before I discuss them, I have to clarify one thing about scholarships: they come in two varieties. There are need-based scholarships, and there are merit-based scholarships. You must qualify for need-based scholarships based on your family’s income. Merit-based scholarships require no such qualification and are open to anyone. Both merit- and need-based scholarships can be found through the following two resources.

The first resource I want to talk about is my first stop when it comes to any question of mine: the Internet. The best website I have found so far for scholarship searches is www.fastweb.com (opens new window). The Dartmouth financial aid website is actually where I first heard about it. For this website, you create a profile by answering some basic questions about yourself, your grades, your test scores, and your interests. Based on your answers to those questions, the website matches you with scholarships registered with the site. The first time I logged on, it suggested more than 50 scholarships for me, and every few days it seems I have an e-mail from fastweb.com (opens new window) about a new scholarship for which I am eligible to apply. (ACT note: Always read a website’s terms of use and privacy policy before disclosing personal information.)

There really are scholarships for everything, and some scholarships take less effort than you think. For example, I submitted an application for a $1,000 scholarship that only required me to fill in my name, e-mail, and address and to provide a digital copy of my common application essay for consideration.

In addition to going to the Internet, I used another resource to find scholarships: my school counselor. I set up a meeting with my counselor, and she knew about some scholarships that were unique to my school and area that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. For example, the retired teachers of my school district sponsor a scholarship for one of the district’s graduating seniors. I also found out from my counselor that even some of the clubs at my school provide college scholarships. Make sure to meet with your school counselor. Your school may also have unique scholarship opportunities like mine, but how will you know if you never ask?

Whether you look for scholarships on your own through the Internet or with the help of a counselor at school, or both, good luck scholarship hunting!