THE TRICK IS FINDING ONES THAT MATCH YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND THEN GETTING ORGANIZED AND PUTTING IN THE TIME TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATIONS AND WRITE THE ESSAYS THAT MANY REQUIRE.

TO GET YOU STARTED ON THE HUNT, OUR EDITORS ASKED SCHOLARSHIPEXPERTS.COM TO PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF 40 DIVERSE AWARDS THAT ARE NORTH LOOKING INTO. BUT YOU SHOULDN'T STOP HERE. LOOK INTO ALL THE ONLINE SOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND ASK YOUR SCHOOL GUIDANCE OFFICE, COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND PARENTS IF THEY KNOW OF OTHER FUNDING PROGRAMS. AND, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN A SPECIFIC CAREER, CONTACT ANY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THAT CAREER. COLLEGES THEMSELVES ALSO OFFER MANY SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS DEPENDING ON YOUR MAJOR.

ACS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

SCOOP: African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or American-Indian students who plan to major in and pursue a career in chemical sciences or chemical technology can qualify for scholarships offered by the American Chemical Society. Applicants will be judged on their academic records, evidence of leadership ability, participation in school and community activities, and level of interest in the chemical sciences as a career.

$$$: Approximately 100 to 200 awards of $2,500.

WHO: Minority high school seniors with a 3.0 or higher GPA and the intent to major in chemical science.

DEADLINE: March 1, 2005.

INFO: American Chemical Society, 1155 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (800) 227-5558 Ext. 6250; scholars@acs.org; www.chemistry.org

AMERICAN FIRE-SPRINKLER ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP

SCOOP: For this award, you have to write a an essay about a successful fire sprinkler activation in your town, area, or state. The essay should include details about the cause of the fire, number of sprinklers that activated, or actions of fire fighters. You should also discuss how local media reported the fire.

$$$: Seven regional winners get $1,000. From those seven regional winners: the first-place national winner receives an additional $3,000; the second-place national winner receives another $2,000; and the third-place national winner gets an additional $1,000.

WHO: High school seniors. DEADLINE: January 5, 2005-but act now because this contest is limited to the first 1,000 eligible entries received through the AFSA website.

INFO: American Fire Sprinkler Association, 9696 Skillman St., Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75243; www.afsascholarship.org

AMERICAN HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP