Even if you're in the lucky position where your parents can afford to send you to college and pay the entire cost, it's worth looking into scholarship possibilities, either need-based or merit-based.

College is expensive, so it certainly makes sense to check out any possible financial assistance. And hey, you can brag that you are a scholarship recipient! But if you haven't even chosen your school, why do this now? Because some scholarship applications require essays, so it is best to figure this out sooner rather than later to ensure you meet deadlines.

HEAD Lines

Once again, the Internet is your best friend. Here are some ways to go about the search:

Need-based aid: Here are some sample websites that list hundreds of scholarships. Think creatively about who you are and what you offer - there may be a scholarship out there for you.

• Ameri-Corps National & Community Service (www.cns.gov)

• Gates Millennium Scholars (www.gmsp.org)

• FastWEB (www.fastweb.com)

• The Financial Aid Information Page (www.finaid.org)

• Free Scholarship Search (www.freschinfo.com)

• MOLIS Scholarship Service (www.molis.us/default.asp)

• Sallie Mae CASHE Scholarship Service (www.salliemae.com/before_college/students_plan/free_money/scholarships/scholarships.htm)

• Scholarship Search (www.cbweb10p.collegeboard.org/fundfinder/html/fundfind01.html)

• Student Advantage (www.scholaraid.studentadvantage.com)

• Scholarship Search Engine (www.studentaid.ed.gov)

• Higher Education Services Organization (www.hesc.com)

• Unusual Scholarships (www.finaid.org/scholarships/unusual.phtml)

• Scholarship Searches (www.collegenet.com) (www.scholarship.com)

Merit-based aid: Many schools offer merit-based aid. This can come as money either for the top applicants in their pool or for applicants that bring something they want: a talent, like athletics or music, for example. What do YOU do?

• Go to all your favorite colleges' websites and look at the financial aid section - if there are scholarships, you'll see them listed, along with the policies about how they are awarded.

• Think creatively - perhaps get a list of all schools with such scholarships and add one or two new schools to your list to increase your chances of earning one.

From Other HEADS

THERE ARE ENDOWMENTS that fund literally millions of scholarships. Don't just browse the Internet for full rides. Take the time to write essays for the smaller $500 and $1,000 scholarships. First, they add up quickly. Second, once you write a couple of essays, you'll find there is a pretty straightforward model to most application processes. Once you write four or five letters, you can make little changes and send them to other groups. This expedites the process and gives you a much better chance of getting the scholarships.

-- DOMINIC BERARDI

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

I have a friend who got a disability scholarship because of being color-blind!

-- RACHANN N. MCKNIGHT

INDIANA UNIVERSITY