It’s Scholarship time at Sacramento State and there are more than 800 scholarships offered to students. With the last due date being set on March 2, students have time to take advantage of the opportunity to earn some financial awards.

Eva Kivley, a junior health science major, said that she worries about tuition on a daily basis. She said scholarships are a great financial resource with extra expenses, such as books and classroom necessities.

“They’re super useful because tuition and books are very expensive, so any extra help makes a big difference,” Kivley said.

Jennifer White, the associate director of the Scholarships Office, said that Sac State offers over 800 scholarships and rewards over $3 million to students every year.

“It is important for students to apply because there’s a variety of scholarships out there, and some scholarships are really particular to the type of students they’re looking for,” White said. “It’s almost like if you don’t try, then you don’t know.”

All of the Sac State scholarships can be found in the Student Center or on the scholarship website. Students can search for scholarships by university, department, background, academic record or career goals, among university and donor-funded awards.

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Sophia Stoltey, a sophomore English major, said that the process was easier and more manageable since the application matched her up to multiple scholarships at the same time.

“The general application process was not too bad. I even got one this year,” Stoltey said. “The short answer questions was the section that definitely took the longest.”

White also said that the Scholarships Office is holding workshops to help students navigate the application process. In these workshops, staff will walk students through eligibility requirements, application steps, how to ask for recommendation letters, and offer tips and tricks that can help during the process.

While scholarship applications can be stressful, White said that there are few things that can make the process easier. She said some common mistakes are skipping questions, using “N/A” as a response or not double checking your answers on applications.

White said students should collect letters of recommendation from professors, supervisors or mentors who know them and their character or work ethic.. This is a crucial part of the applications, as many scholarships require them as a part of their application.

White said many students don’t receive a letter due to not having a conversation before sending out the request.

“We encourage them to make sure they have a conversation with people that they’re going to send those requests for prior to sending them out,” White said.

Another step is a personal statement that will be applicable to multiple scholarships. White said that focusing on your goals, challenges that you have overcome and how this scholarship would support your future plans will give students an advantage when applying.

“Just apply, like you never know,, the worst case somebody can do is say no or you didn’t get it,” White said. “Just make sure that you’re reapplying, and then always check your resources. Look for not only scholarships here on campus but scholarships within the community.”

Many Sacramento community scholarships can be found through the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, connecting local people and businesses to students in the community for support. The foundation website says applications will be available Dec. 2 and close March 13.