There are a number of online scholarships available to high school students. I can't believe how many times I've heard counselors say "There's so much scholarship money out there that doesn't get used!" The only problem is finding it.

Try websites like fastweb for serious, specialized scholarships, or brickfish for general you-get-money-for-designing-a-t-shirt scholarships. Also, it can never hurt to simply use a search engine like Google and type in specific things. There are some oddly-specific scholarships out there. If you are a minority in any way, there is probably a scholarship for you. Sexual orientation, gender, race, income, location, and intended major all affect which scholarships are available to you. Put out some interesting facts about yourself, and you may be surprised with what you can find.

If you're planning on attending a specific school, or have several picked out for yourself, e-mail their office of undergraduate admissions, or simply browse their website, to find their college-specific scholarships. If it's a small school, they will probably have less options to choose from. However, if it's a small school, you might have a better chance of getting a scholarship. When people say grade-point averages and SAT or ACT scores don't count for everything, they aren't joking. Colleges love seeing well-rounded, interesting students. So poke around a little, and see what you can find at the college you already know you want to attend.

If you're going into a very specific field, or are gifted in a very specific area, there is probably an almanac out there for you. My step-sister is pretty amazing at basketball. So amazing that she got a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at the UW. She used a sports almanac of scholarships.

If you go to any grocery store, supermarket, or gas station mini-mart, you will inevitably find a rack of magazines. Somewhere in there, there will be a magazine about college, and mostly likely it will be a magazine about how to get into college, and how to pay for college once you get in. Sift through the college section while you're checking out Vogue or Gamers Weekly.

Believe it or not, your high school counselor has probably posted some information about a wealth of scholarships. Take a short trip down to his or her office, and ask for some information, they'll be happy to help.

In this modern, high-tech world, we must remember the shadow of a vision of something we once cherished and revered: yes, the library.

What use is a library? you ask. I have a computer! Yes, that is true, and the library does have an online catalogue of all their information, but sometimes it is useful to actually go in, talk to a live human being (that would be the "librarian"), and have them guide you to the most helpful material. With the overwhelming amount of information, sometimes it is difficult to even know where to begin in the search for funds. A librarian can be a most valuable asset.