One Night, Five Scholarship Applications. And Counting. January was the month of many deadlines and ample monetary opportunities. I have been advised since my junior year that on Jan. 1 of my senior year, I should fill out and submit the Fafsa, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, immediately. However, because of the many financial problems our government has had recently, submitting any financial information has been delayed by about a month. Since I have a job, I must include my tax information on the form, but I have yet to receive my W-2's. So my plan to get the Fafsa over and done with at the beginning of January was foiled. I was able to apply for the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship, a $10,000 award (distributed every year for four years) from the state of Arkansas for students receiving a 32 or above on their ACT. This is the reason I worked so hard to improve my ACT score last semester. Only 300 students will receive the scholarship. If more than 300 apply, then the Arkansas Department for Higher Education will rank students based on their ACT score, grade point average, class rank, and leadership. I am praying that I am selected as one of the very blessed recipients. If I am not selected, I will definitely receive around $4,500 from the state through the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. It is awarded to a much wider range of students. Besides federal and state aid money, I have been sending in application after application for private scholarships. Ranging from a one-time award of $1,000 to $40,000 over four years, I have applied to a multitude of donors in order to increase my chances of winning. Earlier this month, I applied to five different scholarships in one night. Honestly though, I do not think this is normal behavior. I have the type of personality where I feel most satisfied and successful when I have been productive, whereas others sometimes gain happiness from feeling needed by others, doing sports, or other things. A scholarship form is something that I can complete without any help, and doing so allows me to feel like I can take care of myself and get things done. Also, if I end up with less money than I need, there won't be any room for regret. Filling out all of these scholarships ensures that after it is all over and done with, I will certainly know that I did everything within my capabilities to pay for my future, and it is a comforting thought. I don't want to end up kicking myself for not trying harder or for not doing everything that I could have done to get the money I direly need. As I continue filling out private scholarship applications, I am preparing myself mentally for the scholarship interview competition at John Brown University in February. This interview is for a $22,000-a-year scholarship (that's almost 75 percent of tuition at John Brown!) and only five scholarships are awarded. The competition consists of an individual, 20-minute interview with my admissions counselor, and an hourlong group interview in front of a panel of staff and faculty at the university. This scholarship will be a critical factor in my college decision, since money is one of my top considerations when choosing a college. John Brown is my top choice, but if I am unable to pay for it, then I may have to move down my list to look at other colleges. Ms. Buckingham, a student at Rogers High School in Rogers, Ark., is one of eight high school seniors around the world who are blogging about their college searches for The Choice. To comment on what she has written, please use the comment box below.