So you wanna score a college grant or scholarship, huh? Who doesn't? But, do you really know how to go about putting your mouth where the money is? CollegeBound consulted Kelly Tanabe, co-founder of SuperCollege.com, for her expert advice on how to be the keeper of a college cash stash.

CB: Is it too early to start searching for college grants and scholarships at the beginning of junior year?

Kelly: It's never too early to start searching for scholarships. If you don't start now, you are missing out on opportunities. While it's true that most scholarships are open to high school seniors, you should start your search even earlier.

In fact, there are some scholarships that are only open to high school juniors such as the Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship. This program awards more than $1 million in scholarships each year to students at the state and national level. Find out more from your guidance counselor or by visiting www.discovercard.com/tribute.htm.

As a non-senior, you will find more opportunities to win scholarships through competitions, which are often open to younger high school students. Here are a few awards that are open to underclassmen:

- National History Day Contest
- National High School Oratorical Contest
- Ayn Rand Essay Contests

In addition to helping you pay for college, winning a scholarship before your senior year will give you an honor to share in your college applications. And even if you don't win, you'll have practice writing essays and completing applications that will help prepare you for applying to college and for other scholarships in the future.

CB: How can students gather and organize masses of scholarship information?

Kelly: While there are thousands of scholarships available, there is only one of you to apply for them and you have a limited amount of time. It's absolutely essential that as you research scholarships, you develop a way of organizing them. During your search, prioritize the awards by how well they fit your background. Put the deadlines of those on a calendar so you know which awards to tackle first.

Next, make a list of the materials required to enter each grant or scholarship, this way you'll know how many transcripts, essays, and letters of recommendation you need. It's better to ask a teacher to write five recommendation letters one time, than to ask a teacher on five separate occasions to write one letter.

CB: Is it okay to start bugging a guidance counselor for award information as a junior?

Kelly: Make an appointment with your guidance counselor as soon as possible. The earlier you can discuss your background and goals, the more your counselor can help you. Explain what you might like to study, your future career plans, and what qualifications you have for scholarships. Now is the best time to ask if there are scholarships for which your counselor can nominate you.

CB: It's senior year -- any tips on requesting grant and scholarship applications and how long to wait before following up?

Kelly: Request scholarship applications as far in advance as possible. Some organizations are great about sending out applications immediately while others can take several weeks. Include a cover letter that describes the grade that you are in, where you go to school and that you plan to attend college.

If the scholarship has specific criteria such as attending college in a particular state or majoring in a specific field, explain your plans to do so. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

If you don't receive an application within four weeks, you can resend a request. Awarding organizations receive thousands of requests and it's possible for requests to get lost.

CB: How can students tell if a scholarship is legit'?

Kelly: There are two questions to ask about any grant or scholarship to tell if it's legit or not. Is the organization asking you for money? And, does the award sound too good to be true? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, it is most likely not a legitimate scholarship.

Real awarding organizations don't ask for your credit card or bank information and don't require an entry fee. It's also suspicious if a scholarship sounds too good to be true; for example, you win an award you didn't enter. If you're suspicious, ask questions of the organization, look at its publications, and ask your guidance counselor if it is a respected organization.

CB: Any 'inside secrets' on where else to look for scholarships besides the 'Net?

Kelly: One of the best ways to find college grants and scholarships is by looking at the announcements in your local newspaper. See which organizations are giving awards, and then contact them to see if you can apply. You often have the best chance to win scholarships like these that are limited to local students.

Your parents can do more to help than sign the tuition check, as well, by speaking with their employer's human resources department and with the leaders of organizations that they belong to about scholarship opportunities.

In addition, even though you're a savvy scholarship surfer, there is some often overlooked scholarship information available. Try Web sites of organizations in your future career field. For example, if you are interested in becoming a journalist, look for the Web sites of professional journalist organizations. Professional organizations often offer scholarships that are publicized on their Web sites, but not necessarily listed on scholarship search engines.

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