Free Printable Scholarship Organizer

Now that school has ended, college plans are all wrapped up, and all of the scholarship money for this year has been doled out, I finally found a minute to share something with you that came in handy during my daughter’s search for extra help to pay for her educational expenses.  There are so many different scholarships and each one has its own requirements.  As a result, it is almost impossible to keep up with the paper trail to make the search less of a burden.  I have heard that so many scholarships go unclaimed, and I can see why.  The process can be overwhelming.  That is why I found it necessary to make a way for her to keep everything organized. 

I came up with a simple Word document that pretty much covers all of the different requirements.  I printed out a few dozen for her which she kept in a notebook and it made it so much easier for her to keep track of the following information:

1)  The scholarship’s name, website or organization, and a place to write her username and password if a login was required

2)  The deadline, the date submitted, and the date when she would receive notification

3)  The amount of the scholarship, whether or not it was renewable, and if the money would be awarded to her or to the college

4)  The required items, like transcripts, letters of recommendation, writing samples, etc.

5)  A place for additional notes

6)  A place to write the outcome

It was important for her to keep track of when everything was due because if a deadline was near and she was running out of time, she could weigh whether or not it was worth burning the midnight oil to apply or to spend her time on one that would be more beneficial to her needs. 

{The outcome:  she was awarded two scholarships (one from our local Chamber of Commerce and one from our local Kiwanis club.  She is still waiting to hear from one more organization.)  I really think it helped to keep everything organized and in one place.}

But wait!  Make sure your son or daughter doesn’t forget one of the most important things.  Remind your student to mail a handwritten thank you note to all of the teachers and community leaders who write letters of recommendations and to the organizations that award money if he or she wins.  Need thank you cards?  I can help you with that, too.  😉  See sidebar.

You can access the doc HERE.  Feel free to use it and share the info with your friends by sharing this post on Facebook by clicking on the little grey Facebook “F” below.