ESCANABA — Applying for scholarships can be a full-time job for students heading to college. To ease the process of applying, students are taking the advice of school counselors.

Escanaba High School Counselor Elizabeth Schlenvogt understands how hard students work to get funding for college.

“It’s very time consuming. A student can spend 25 hours a week researching and writing and re-writing essays to make them better, as well as being a great student and staying involved in activities. There’s only so many hours in the day, so, that’s very impressive,” said Schlenvogt.

Schools in Delta, Menominee, and Schoolcraft counties hand out many scholarships to graduating students each year. Other scholarships are connected to local businesses, individuals, or organizations.

“One of the most important items a student can include in a scholarship letter is their involvement in their community,” said Bark River-Harris K-12 Guidance Counselor Jan Hood. “Getting your face and name out there so people can recognize you is important. People like to give, especially if they know you are going to give back.”

Schlenvogt is excited to see more Upper Peninsula companies establishing vocational education scholarships over the last couple years.

“You can have a solid plan, a strong work ethic, and stand a really good chance of getting one of the scholarships,” said Schlenvogt.

Gladstone High School Student Services Director Jeffyn Herioux has noticed a downturn in the number of scholarships applied for due to the economy.

“Due to the strong economy and the need for skilled trades, more of our students are finding traditional college less appealing, so the overall pool seeking scholarships is shrinking,” said Herioux.

Among the many scholarships students can apply for, there are the ones a very small number of students can qualify for and applicants are narrowed down immensely.

“There are a few scholarships that have a very specific criteria that have gone unclaimed in the past,” said Manistique School Student Services Coordinator Michelle Lavigne.

Students are informed about scholarships through announcements and postings. In Escanaba, many students use their smart phones to take a photo of information posted then go home and apply online.

“There are many, many sources on the internet. Some are from entities that want to give to students going in their career areas. Others are for students who are from certain parts of the country,” said Hood. “The general rule is never pay to apply for scholarship money. You shouldn’t pay money to get money.”

College Board, a non-profit organization that works to help students achieve college success, sent out a scholarship for juniors and seniors that was task-based. No testing, the student could do a task to enter into a drawing. One task was identifying six places they are interested in going. By doing the task, the student was entered into a $500 drawing. According to Schlenvogt, there are multiple drawings by doing different tasks through the scholarship.

“We take students to another site called Raise Me,” said Schlenvogt. “… different colleges can tap into the interest of the students at younger ages, ninth and 10th.”

Some scholarships are available to students 13 years and up. Private institutions can hold the money awarded the student in a fund until the student is enrolled in their school.

Federal aid is awarded to students who complete the FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a form that is sent to colleges students designate. The college creates a financial aid plan for the student by using information on the form. Loan amounts for a student are pre-set according to the year they are attending — freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior.

“There’s a new trend … students and families are now starting to negotiate with colleges,” said Schlenvogt. “I’ve seen some of that going on, but not on a large scale.”

Depending on the giver of the scholarship, a student may need to return the funding if they change their mind about their future, where they want to study and what they want to study.

“There are so many things that change. They could say they are interested in ‘this’ now, then by April, just from February to April, students sometimes change what they’re interested in, or where they’re going, based on their financial aid award package,” said Schlenvogt.

Herioux encourages students in Gladstone to apply to several schools to determine the best financial package for their situation.

Once a student has an idea where they would like to study, the student should learn the institution’s application process. Some schools have open enrollment year round and others do not.

“Some programs have a waiting list to get into a specific program …,” Schlenvogt noted. “That’s why it’s important to start your research at a younger age.”

A student should have many plans, and as they research they will find the school for them.

“They should have A, B, C, D, and E, and then whittle it down,” said Schlenvogt.

Every student’s situation is different. There are a lot of moving pieces in applying to colleges and for scholarships.

“It seems the students who feel the biggest financial pinch, and have the most need for scholarships are those whose parents do not qualify for financial aid or who are planning to start at a four-year university right away. They are the ones most likely to apply for scholarships,” said Herioux.