Blog: Financial Aid, FAFSA, College Scholarships, And More

Winner Spotlight: John Flowers Jr. on writing his scholarship essay on personal growth

13 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays, Success Story

A scholarship success story takes an experience, a family history, and redefining limits to inspire students like John Flowers Jr. to write a winning scholarship essay. He earned himself an awesome $500 through The Ferrell Lee Scholarship. The scholarship application required an essay answering the following prompt: “Discuss an…

How to compare colleges, to make your target college list – with the best safety schools and reach schools suited for you!

12 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: College Apps

Every student deserves to apply to his or her dream school. But how do you narrow down a list of solid choices to apply to when there are so many options out there? And how do you make sure you also apply to some “realistic” colleges, to make sure you…

What’s a winning scholarship essay look like? Check out this Going Merry success story with Gabby DeMott

8 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays, Success Story

A scholarship success story takes a defining moment, an experience, sometimes even studying abroad, to inspire students like Gabby DeMott to write a winning scholarship essay. She earned herself a whopping $10,000 through The Bill Browning Scholarship for Ann Arbor Public Schools. The scholarship application required an essay answering…

The CSS Profile vs. the FAFSA & EFC – What’s the difference?

5 November 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Financial Aid

You’re ready to start planning in paying college tuition. But why are there two financial aid forms: the FAFSA and the CSS Profile? How do you prioritize which to fill out? What’s the process? We’re breaking down the differences between the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, from applications to deadlines,…

How to write a winning scholarship essay about your academic goals

29 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Scholarship Essays

Have you ever opened up a scholarship application only to find that you have to write yet ANOTHER scholarship essay, this time about your academic goals? We get it. There’s a lot of writing involved when you’re applying! Well, we’re here to guide you through your academic goals essay, with…

Ways to reduce your college tuition bill, as a high school student

22 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Financial Aid

Did you know you can save on your college tuition bill by transferring AP credits, taking the CLEP exam, and even negotiating? Yep, and here we explain how. Read on to learn how you can spend less on your college tuition bill. Jump to:1. Take AP classes, and transfer…

A guide to writing the best personal statement for your college application (with template and examples!)

10 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Scholarship Essays

Why is boasting about a best friend SO much easier than writing about yourself? Unfortunately, writing about yourself is exactly what a personal statement essay requires you to do–whether it’s for your college admissions application, or for a scholarship application to pay for college. Here’s our guide, to…

How to ask for a letter of recommendation for your college app

5 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

Would you purchase anything on Amazon before reading the reviews? We rely heavily on other people’s opinions to form our opinions or to back up our existing thoughts. In the same way, colleges want to know what other people think about you, so a letter of recommendation (LOR) boosts…

How to use Going Merry to find scholarships and apply for them, all on one platform

2 October 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Going Merry Features

Applying for college is exhausting enough. You don’t need to add “sifting through countless scholarship forms to apply for scholarships” to your long to-do-list. We’re here to show you just how easy it is to use Going Merry to get scholarships for college. Jump to:What is Going Merry?…

Why We Started the Going Merry Scholarships App: The Origin Story

1 October 2019

Charlie Maynard

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Going Merry Features

If there’s a Common App to apply to multiple schools at once, why isn’t there a way to apply for multiple scholarships at once? That was my question as I started to search for scholarships for a second time, this time for graduate school. A quick look on the leading…

Scholarship Bundles: Apply for multiple scholarships simultaneously, using just one scholarship app

26 September 2019

Charlotte Lau

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Going Merry Features

Back when I was a student applying for scholarships using those dreaded scholarship search engines, I noticed that scholarship applications often asked for the same information (name, email, class year, SAT score, etc.)–and sometimes even had the same essay prompt! So I’d dutifully, and monotonously, type in my personal information…

A counselor’s guide to making the most of Going Merry: 4 tips for student scholarship success

18 September 2019

Charlotte Lau

Categories: Counselor

More than 5,000 high school counselors across the U.S. use Going Merry. Recently, we reached out to some of the most successful counselors–ones who’ve helped many scholarship student winners. We asked them for their top tips in this counselor’s guide to Going Merry. Jump to:1. Early bird gets the…

What’s a winning scholarship essay look like? Actually, it’s a winning scholarship video.

13 September 2019

Charlotte Lau

Categories: Applying for Scholarships, Scholarship Essays, Success Story

More and more scholarships (like this Motorola Milestone one) allow you to submit short videos instead of personal essays. Check out the winning scholarship essay video entry from Violetta Spinazzola, about her best friend Jess:…

Impressive Scholarships for Students in Illinois for 2021

9 September 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: State-Specific Scholarships

Do scholarship applications make you look like a white-tailed deer in the headlights? Don’t worry – we’ve got your back on this one! We like to make searching and applying for scholarships in Illinois easy. Jump to:Check out the list of Illinois scholarships you could apply for!1. CHS…

Arcadia High School Case Study: How Counselors Can Use Going Merry Effectively For Their Students

19 August 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

With about 3,500 students, counselors at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California were overwhelmed by their scholarship program. On top of their usual responsibilities, counselors at AHS were attempting to manage over 25 scholarships, totaling more than $25,000,…

Arizona Scholarships for 2021

14 August 2019

Kelly Lamano

Categories: State-Specific Scholarships

Thinking about how to afford college? Many small local scholarships go unclaimed each year, which is why we’re introducing you to some of the best scholarships in Arizona. At Going Merry, we bring local and statewide scholarships to you! Jump to:1. James A. Fortmann Scholarship Fund2. Arizona Friends…

25 Florida Scholarships for Higher Education in 2022

2 July 2019

Brittany Mailhot

Categories: State-Specific Scholarships

The end of summer brings a welcome break from the Florida heat — and the beginning of a new chapter for college students across the state. For many, the start of the school year is a time of pure excitement. For others, though, it heralds a new season of worry…

What should I write in my Scholarship Thank You Letter?

17 June 2019

Shalon B

Categories: Applying for Scholarships

Congratulations! You won that scholarship you applied for! You receive the notice that you’re the scholarship recipient, and notice you’re required to write a scholarship thank you letter. Trust us, a scholarship thank you letter is not difficult at all. The letter describes your gratitude (exactly what it sounds like).

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