I've mentioned before that a large amount of scholarships exist "out there", and now is the time to be searching and applying. Many scholarship applications have deadlines between February and April. Besides the FAFSA, where do you look?
The first place I would suggest is your school. Many colleges have private scholarships, which are funded by monies endowed to that specific college. These scholarships could be related to a certain major, a certain localized geographic area, or more generalized for a certain grade point average. Some may require essays or reference letters, so don't delay in gathering the information.
Another ideal resource is your own hometown or area. The American Legion, Sheriff's Association, B.P.O. Elks Lodge, and Cooperative Extension Office are a few that offer scholarships for students in their immediate area. These scholarships can be highly competetive, so be sure to fully complete your application and don't be afraid to promote yourself, but tell the truth. Check out your town's Chamber of Commerce or City Hall to see if a list of scholarships is available.
There are a number of websites, such as fastweb.com, that offer free scholarship searches. I know of scholarships.com, fastaid.com, petersons.com/finaid, and scholarship experts, as other valid free scholarship searches. Your local library is another resource, but be careful to check publication dates to make sure the information is current.
Lastly, do a scholarship search on the Internet. However, I can't stress enough to be careful of scholarship scams. Scholarship applications that have a fee may be a scam. If you're not sure about the validity of a scholarship, contact the sponsor or the possibly the Better Business Bureau. The Federal Trade Commission has a website designed to help you identify scholarship scams at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.shtml
One thing I want to note, especially with private college scholarships, is that the person making the endowment can make certain specifications for applicants, such as national heritage. This is not usually the case for scholarships offered by companies and businesses. I researched discrimination and scholarship applications on the Internet, but was not successful in locating any specific policies. What I found were federal laws for employment and college admissions, but not scholarships. I think I'm safe in saying that as a rule of thumb, most scholarship applications will follow along the lines of affirmative action policies for employment.
I Googled scholarships for Italians and came up with several links to scholarship applications for students of Italian heritage. Not to single out one group, I also Googled scholarships for students of German heritage and found some, too. And the United Negro College Fund offers scholarships to students who attend a UNCF-affiliated college.
I can't stress this enough----start searching for scholarships now! And look (or search) outside the box!