It's never too early to start looking for scholarships. There are programs where you begin the work of applying up to a year before the final determination

is made. For example, National Merit Scholarship Corporation competitions begin when students take the PSAT/NMSQr  in October of their junior  year, and the competitions proceed  in several rounds until fall of their senior year. If you're already a senior, though, don't despair -there are plenty of programs for entering freshmen that you can apply for during your senior year.

The best time of the year to research programs is in the summer or early fall. That way you can be sure to find programs before their deadlines have passed, and with enough advance time to prepare a complete, competitive application. Remember that many scholarship programs require you to submit an essay as part of your application, and essays take time to write.

Many programs also require recommendations; as a general rule, you should ask for recommen­dations at least four weeks in advance, and preferably more. Some programs even require you to perform additional academic work outside of school, such as writing a research paper or competing in a science  fair.

You should let your school counselor know as early as possible that you're interested in applying for scholarships. He or she can help you think about your strengths as a student, which will make it easier to narrow down your scholarship search. Your counselor will also be able to recommend some programs you should apply for. (See "Thinking Locally" on page 14.)