I was talking with a friend of mine who happens to helps parents and students prepare and apply for colleges. When I was in high school my parents didn’t know much about the college application process, so I had to navigate the waters on my own. It wasn’t a bad thing, I learned a LOT!

After I had finished applying to college and all of that mayhem had simmered down, I realized that I had neglected one very large responsibility. I had no plan for PAYING for school, yikes!

Graduation was only a few months away and I had about $1,000 that my parents had set aside for me. I was SO incredibly thankful for that $1,000 dollars! Only thing is, the school I wanted to attend was going to cost around $11,000…

So, after that epiphany I naturally went into a frantic panic.

I had 8 months until I was going to leave for school, it was time to make some serious moves.

1. I got a job at Arby’s. (And the answer is yes, I did come home smelling like roast beef. -__-) It was helpful for getting some money in the bank, but at eight bucks an hour that job wasn’t going to get me where I needed to be. So I kept the job but continued searching.
2. I started looking into scholarships and I was surprised to find out that I was qualified for many of them. Now, where to begin with applying…? I wasn’t too sure.
3. I sought out the help of my school guidance counselors and advisors, that’s when the game changed! They helped me with my applications, letters of recommendation and even helped me find scholarships to apply to.

When all was said and done, before graduation in June I had earned $12,000 for school. Yay!

It was such a relief to know that I wouldn’t have to stress about money for awhile. And most importantly, I was proud of myself for doing the work required to make it happen.

In my interview with Sia, we talked about my experience with applying for scholarships and how important it is for you to start NOW. Don’t be like me and wait until the last minute if you can avoid it. The more time you have, the more you can earn!

Below you can check out my interview as well as download the resource guide I mentioned.

Like this post? Feel free to share it with your friends =)