QUESTION: My 13-year-old daughter is interested in law. We met with her guidance counselor and he said we should start looking for scholarships now, especially since she would like to go to a good school. Can she start looking for scholarships now? If so where is the simplest place to start? Signed, Early Start
Dear Early Start: It might be hard to believe that your daughter is barely a teenager and you already need to think about how to pay for college. But your counselor is right. The best thing you can do is start your scholarship search early.
The challenge for you is that there are fewer scholarships open to students younger than high school seniors. Start by referring to scholarship directory books, which you can purchase or check out from the library. Search the free scholarship databases on the Internet including
http://www.supercollege.com. Also, don't forget to check in your own neighborhood with your employer, organizations that you belong to and in the community and local businesses.
To help, here are a few awards that are open to pre-seniors: Scholastic Art & Writing Competition
http://www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards, National High School Oratorical Contest
http://www.legion.org, Discover Scholarship Program
http://www.discovercard.com/tribute and Ayn Rand Essay Contests
http://www.aynrand.org.
As your daughter gets closer to college age, contact professional organizations for attorneys to see if they offer awards for those studying law.
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