College is expensive. Unfortunately, the current trend doesn't show the prices of attending a university as shrinking anytime soon. With that in mind, there are so many different ways to help fund your college experience. It's all about knowing where to look, and what you're looking for.

1. Continuously scope out scholarships

New scholarships are being published all the time. It is so important that you don't just look once or twice and then move on. The more time and effort you put into finding scholarships, the more success you're going to have.

2. Think locally

Big national scholarships are so hard to win. Scholarships that are run by major companies like McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts are getting thousands of applicants. If you look at local scholarships that are being given out by a local business or the town gardening club, you are going to be competing against fewer kids, and are going to have a higher chance of actually winning.

3. Enter contests

If something has a cash prize but isn't labeled as a scholarship, don't be afraid to go for it. Photo contests are a fun and interesting way to get some money, and if you find a contest that centers around your interests, you might even have something on hand that you can submit. It doesn't have to be labeled as a scholarship for you to use the money to pay for college.

4. Get specific

The more specific you get with a scholarship search, the better your chances are going to be for actually qualifying for a scholarship as well as winning it. They have scholarships for absolutely everything now. There are scholarships for people with asthma, for tall people, for people who are five feet tall, for people with blue eyes; the list goes on and on. With so many scholarships out there, don't waste your time writing an essay for something you don't have great shots at winning. Your time is valuable so treat it that way.

5. Check out your parent's company

A lot of company's offer scholarships to the kids of their employees. If your parents work for bigger, more well-known companies, it is very likely that they will offer some type of scholarships. Ask your parents, or check out the company website, you never know what you might find.

6. Have a scholarship resume

Having a scholarship resume is going to help you in two ways. One is going to be so that you have it and can submit it any time a scholarship asks for one or has the option to submit one. This will save you time, and a lot of stress. The second way this is going to help you is simply so that you can easily see what scholarships you qualify for, and which areas you should focus your search to.

7. Write a general essay

A lot of essay questions are very similar. Write a general essay, and use it as a base for any scholarship you can. This way you are saving yourself some time, and anytime you come across a similar essay question, all you have to do is make minor tweaks rather than write an entire essay.