I’m a single mother with a teenage daughter who has begun her journey towards higher education. She’s starting her sophomore year in high school and already has her sights set high. Very high. Based on her list of colleges thus far, I know it’s never too early to start thinking about paying for college.

Within the past year or so, my daughter (we’ll call her MM, which is short for Mini Me) has started talking about what she wants to study beyond high school and where she wants to go to college. Already she has mentioned NYU, Brown, and Arizona State University, among others. As soon as the words left her mouth, I saw my bank account balance in the red! But, as a mother, of course I want to give her everything she wants. Within reason.

Approaching her sophomore year, we started discussing what it would mean to go to any of these schools. None of them are in state. Many on her list are considered selective universities. This means they accept a lower percentage of applicants than most schools. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean “more expensive”, in MM’s case it does. What this means for us is we have to figure out how we are going to pay for them. I have a good job and make good money, but I don’t make “NYU” money. Assuming MM gets accepted into one of the schools, how am I going to pay for it? Will we be considered a family with a need for financial aid? How much financial aid would she receive? How would I make up the difference? These questions are just the tip of the iceberg and the beginning of a mild major freakout.

We need a plan of attack.

Call it fate. Call it coincidence. But, last week in the library I was scanning the suggested reading display. Prominently featured was a book about financial aid. Basically,  it was a list of tons of scholarships. Score! MM and I headed to the bookstore last weekend and piled our table high with every financial aid book they offered. As she looked up information about Psychology (her intended major), I combed through the books.

What you should know about books about scholarships and grants is there is a lot of overlap in the information provided. Actually, all of it is out there on the Internet for free. You just have to find it. That’s why we were there looking to pay for this information. It’s going to be enough work as it is applying for scholarships, adding all the time it would take to find them it was well worth it to pay for a list somebody else already put together. Plus, the information is organized by various categories and indexed for easy reference. So, what makes one book better than another? First, there’s the thump factor. The harder the book thumps when you drop it on the table, the more information it contains. Secondly, there’s the additional information contained within the book. What is the background of the authors? What makes them an “expert” on the topic? What tips can they provide for your search?

I thought about all of these things as I compared books and finally settled on The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2014. Why? Well, the book really thumped! I could probably do some serious damage with this book. You don’t believe me? Come at me bro! Also, the authors have “been there, done that.” They both were accepted to Harvard but their families didn’t have the financial means to pay for it. They had to work hard to realize their dreams. In short, I could relate.

So here we are, how-to manual in hand, beginning our journey. We will begin at page 1 and go all the way through to the end. And, hopefully, you will be there with us every step of the way. Our strategy is that MM will apply for every scholarship available to her. This blog will document our ups and downs. There will be posts about each one we apply to (at least that is the goal today) and links to any information about them. If we’re lucky, we’ll learn things along the way that will help you, such as essay writing tips. We’ll also blog about MM’s journey through her final years of high school. Occasionally, she will post as well, but mostly it will be Mom posting.

One thing I’ve already learned is that, while it does create more competition, sharing what you find also pays off. That being said, if you come across any “free money” you want to share, just go to the Contact Us! page and send us an email and we will share it with our readers.

So, just sit back and enjoy the ride. Oh, and invite your friends along!

~Mom