For seniors, college is around the corner. The sudden anxiety of price tags on tuition, supplies, and dorms is profound. Luckily, there’s a way to ease the stress of money with the scholarships offered from our community, high school, and outside companies. Applications along with the essays might seem like just another work load, but the benefits will give rewarding outcomes that just might pay for a hefty debt.  

In popular opinion, the most intimidating part of the application process is the essays. Senior Brooke Bahr, offered advice to make the process more manageable. “ I’d say use parts of your college essay, because more likely than not the essay prompts will be pretty similar. Also to just apply to apply. Any kind of money you get, even if it’s below $1,000 can be used for school supplies which is a pretty hefty cost.” 

Scholarships don’t only have to be used for tuition, but can be put towards items for dorms, text books, or other supplies you might need for school. WHBHS offers many sponsored scholarships, which are easy to find on our school page under “ WHBHS Class of 2025 scholarships”, Some of the main sponsors include East Moriches Elementary, East Quogue Elementary, Kiwanis Club, Quogue Elementary, Remsenburg Speonk, Westhampton Beach Elementary, and the Rotary Club. Each of these sponsors provide several scholarships that you will qualify for. Although, don’t overwhelm yourself! Senior Ryan Zollweg applied to nine scholarships, and reused his essay for five of them. 

In addition to the WHBHS scholarships, Look into outside scholarships nost are easy to apply to! Apps such as Niche and Common App have thousands of scholarships that can be personalized to you. Downloading these apps can add some money onto your plate. 

Applying to scholarships doesn’t have to be another workload, it can be motivation for college or fuel to you plans after high school!