Even the smallest of scholarships can make a difference when paying your college bills.

Searching for scholarships to apply to and then writing out essays and answering questions may seem like a tiring process, but it can really be worth it.

With the school semester at a finish, you may have picked up a job or two, could be taking time to relax with family, could be focusing on old and new hobbies or maybe all of the above. But you can certainly find some time each day to browse the internet for scholarships you’re qualified for.

Iowa State’s Office of Student Financial Aid has the new scholarship portal called OneApp, which most of you have probably heard of and seen posters with the deadlines around campus.

Students fill out a general application which will apply them to a variety of scholarships. They then can also answer further questions to apply for more opportunities.

OneApp is open for the 2021-22 academic year. Deadlines may be specific for some scholarships and other opportunities. The deadlines also vary depending on which college your major falls under.

Another scholarship option I need to practice more, and you should too, is just searching on Google. There are plenty of odd scholarships you’ve never heard of that you may qualify for. I’m talking scholarships for the redheads out there, scholarships for my fellow vegetarians, even scholarships for those talented at designing greeting cards.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘Okay, Sage, I get it: Scholarships, scholarships, SCHOLARSHIPS!’ Absolutely.

The worst result of applying for scholarship opportunities is you get some writing practice and don’t get money. The best result? You get some writing practice and money to help pay for those years of college!

Even if you worked all through high school and have gathered a good chunk of change that hides in your room, any additional cash is helpful. I received a scholarship twice now from OneApp, and I was so thankful to have received those.

All scholarships, big and small, can help. Even if it is $500, that is literally your textbooks for a semester. And if you receive three individual scholarship opportunities, that’s textbooks for three semesters, and maybe you’ll have extra for tuition.

I know my last column was all about ditching that pesky to-do list and focusing on a winter bucket list, which I still urge you to do. But a small to-do list is good to have. Number one is to search for scholarships to apply to.

Set up a Google Doc or make a fun paper spreadsheet. Then just apply for one at a time. I wish you all the luck!