Inside the Student Services Center on the second floor of the Campus Center lies the Financial Aid office. Outside its door there are two six-foot racks holding financial aid forms and, toward the bottom, scholarship applications. You know, those things that pay for your education. Most of us understand what a scholarship is, but few of us are aware of how to go about the process of receiving one.

Rita Anderton, Penn Valley Financial Aid Advisor, said that the best advice she can give on scholarships is to "start early." If you're wondering when early is, it is right now. Stop by the Financial Aid Office or your local library, or hop on the Internet immediately. But before you do, there are some things you should know.

First, there are three types of scholarships: institution, organization, and government. Institutional scholarships are the ones given out by colleges and companies. Organization scholarships come from auxiliary groups like Phi Beta Kappa, the League of Professional Women. Government scholarships are either federal, state, or local.

Information regarding all of the sholarships mentioned above can be found at your local library, but most books on scholarships cannot be checked out - so be sure to take a pen and paper or some spare change to make copies. Institutional scholarship information is available from the sponsors. For example, many schools will post certain scholarships in their financial aid office.

Penn Valley offers information on the following scholarships in those six-foot racks next to the door of the Financial Aid Office: the Missouri Teacher Education Scholarship, the Business and Professional Women Scholarship, the St. Mary's Medical Center Auxiliary Scholarship Program, the Kansas City, Missouri Opportunities Scholarship Fund, the Jack J. Isgur Foundation, and the NASA Must Scholarship.

You may also research scholarships that apply specifically to your major at http://www.dogpile.com. Just type in "scholarship" and then select your major. Some sites charge fees, so be wary. Sometimes it might take a little more digging, but you can usually find a plethora of scholarships without paying a dime.

If you're willing to pay a little, Anderton recommended any of the books by Ben Kaplan. When in college, Kaplan wanted to see how many scholarships he could get. He ended up receiving around $90,000 a year. Since then he's written several books on how to obtain scholarships.

Most importantly, remember that the time is now! With this information you should be more than able to get started, which might mean the end of paying out of pocket for tuition.

The current MCC scholarship booklet/application for 2008-09 is available online at http://www.mcckc.edu/pubs/campusScholarshipLists.pdf

Copyright 2008 Metropolitan Community College