As a junior in high school, you have to make the tough decision on whether or not to go to college. One of the major factors that determine this is money. The good news is there are plenty of scholarships for high school juniors out there. The key is to know where to look and how to correctly apply for them.  Companies you would not normally think sponsor students have numerous scholarship opportunities for juniors.

Best Buy Scholarships for High School

One major company that offers scholarships to high school students going to college is Best Buy. It is funded by the Best Buy Children’s Foundation. Each year, Best Buy Children’s Foundation offers up to 1,200 scholarships amounting up to $1,000.00 each. The deadline for the Best Buy scholarship is the 15^th of February each year. The recipients of the scholarships are selected based on academic achievement, volunteerism, and work experience. Best Buy also has other scholarship opportunities such as the TEACH@15 award, but that is currently on break due to changes they are making to the program. For more information on the different scholarship opportunities that Best Buy offers, visit the Best Buy Contest Scholarships.

Getting Accepted

To be accepted for this scholarship, there are a number of different ways to make you stand out among the crowd. First, since the scholarship is based on academic achievement, be sure to get the best grades you possibly can. Most scholarship foundations want students that have an interest in their learning. Nothing illustrates this point better than having a great GPA. Another way to help earn you a better shot at getting this scholarship is to volunteer. Not only do scholarship foundations want to see you are academically interested, but that you also volunteer and give back in the community. The recommendations for this scholarship are going above and beyond the amount of community service hours your high school requires to graduate. The final way to help improve your chances of winning this scholarship is to hold a job. The reason scholarship foundations want to see that you have work experience is that you are responsible enough to handle the college workload. Having work experience is a great way to show you are a responsible young adult who is ready to take on the challenges life will throw at you.

Dell Scholarships for Juniors

Another large business that offers scholarships to high school students is Dell. Dell has a program known as the Scholars Program. Each year, dell offers up to 250 student’s scholarship opportunities. These are not your ordinary scholarships. Dell offers scholarships up to $20,000.00. This means that each year, Dell invests 5 million dollars into our youth’s education. Dell does this because they believe that funding a significant percentage of college expenses will enable students to focus on their studies and not worry about payments. For more information on the Dell Scholars Program please visit http://www.dellscholars.org/.

There are a few eligibility requirements for the Dell Scholars Program. First, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.4. Second, you must have a need for financial assistance. You must participate in the program for a minimum of two years and be planning to enter into a bachelor’s degree program at an accredited higher education institution. The final requirement is to be a U.S. citizen or have permanent residency in the United States.  The important dates to note for this scholarship are: November 1^st – applications open, January 15th – application deadline, February 1^st – semifinalists are announced, and April 10^th – Dells Scholars are announced.

Ford Motor Company Scholarships

The final scholarship program we will discuss comes from the Ford Motor Company. Ford has setup what they call the Tribal Scholarship. Each year, Ford Motor Company offers up to $5,000.00 to students based on their financial needs. The scholarship is limited to student studying math, science, engineering, business, teacher education, or environmental science. The eligibility requirements are as follows: You have to have at least a 3.0 GPA, demonstrated leadership and commitment to American community, and submitted a Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For more information on this scholarship, please visit the Ford Motor Company website at http://corporate.ford.com/.

In order to make yourself a competitive candidate for any of these scholarships, you must be a leader. You need to be VERY INVOLVED. You will not be a competitive candidate for any of these scholarships unless you have the resume to back yourself up. Particularly, get involved academically. Sports and athletics are great, especially if you can reference that you held an officer position such as team captain, but academic extracurricular activities such as student council or key club will definitely put you over the top. Continue to get good grades and keep your GPA up, but most of all continue searching for scholarships. Don’t let finances keep you from going to school. There are plenty of businesses, institutions, and foundations that offer scholarships and will help fund your college career.