By tamaraMarch is a busy month; many students are counting down the days to Spring Break and starting to dread upcoming final exams. High school seniors are anxiously awaiting their decisions from colleges and finding out how much their college tuition bills may be this fall. Luckily, March is also one of the busiest months for scholarships, so students should be able to locate plenty of opportunities to help pay those upcoming expenses. Whether they are in the first grade or graduate school, students of all ages will be able to find something of interest on this month’s scholarship countdown, so there’s really no excuse for not applying. Hopefully, many will have the luck of the Irish on their side and win some of these awards, too! 1. The Hamilton Award U.S. high school juniors with a strong community record are eligible for this award. A total of 35 scholarships, valued at $500 each, will be awarded. Winners will be chosen based on their academic record and financial need. Deadline: March 6, 2013. 2. General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant The Air Force Aid Society HQ provides 5,000 scholarships to U.S. students who are the son, daughter or spouse of an Air Force member. Each award is valued at $2,000. Deadline: March 8, 2013. 3. Hays C. Kirby Memorial Scholarship Any U.S. high school student in grades 9 through 12 is eligible to apply for this $5,000 scholarship. Applicants must submit an essay (1,500 words or more) on the theme ‘What is an American Patriot?’ Deadline: March 10, 2013. 4. Scholarship Slam on Civil Rights Power Poetry is offering one $1,000 scholarship to the student who submits the best poem inspired by the civil rights movement. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 25 years or younger. Deadline: March 13, 2013. 5. GotScholarship $40K to Give Away U.S. and Canadian students, who register for an account with GotChosen.com, are eligible to apply. Two $40,000 scholarships are available. Deadline: March 15, 2013. 6. Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program Students 6 to 18, who have made a difference in their community, may be nominated for this award. A total of 2,300 scholarships will be awarded. Regional awards are valued at $1,000 each and national awards are valued at $10,000 each. Deadline: March 15, 2013. 7. Ayn Rand – Anthem Essay Contest The Ayn Rand Institute provides 236 scholarships through this program annually. U.S. and international students in the 8th, 9th or 10th grade are eligible to apply. Deadline: March 20, 2013. 8. OliveGarden’s Pasta Tales Essay Contest To enter, applicants must submit an essay (50-250 words) on the topic, ‘How would you help end hunger in your community?’ U.S. and Canadian students in grades 1 through 12 are eligible to apply. Deadline: March 29, 2013. 9. GoDaddy.com.Me Scholarship This scholarship is open to U.S. high school seniors or older. Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, as well as an SAT score of 860 or higher, or an ACT score of 18 or higher. A total of 10 scholarships, valued at $10,000 each, will be awarded. Deadline: March 30, 2013. 10. Superpower Scholarship Any U.S. student, 13 years or older, may apply for this $1,500 scholarship. Applicants must submit an essay (250 words or less) on the following topic, ‘Which superhero or villain would you want to change places with for a day and why?’ Deadline: March 31, 2013. As always, students should review the scholarship guidelines to make they are eligible to apply and follow instructions for submitting their applications; it’s important to pay close attention to word count limitations, formatting rules, and most importantly – the deadline date. With everything else that is going on this month, it’s easy for students to let their scholarship hunting take a back seat, but now is not the time to start slacking on the search for free college money. Students should check their online scholarship resources at least twice a month to ensure they don’t miss a single opportunity and schedule time to complete their applications. Those who keep their head in the game will have a better chance of finding that notorious ‘pot o’ gold’ at the end of the rainbow.