Scholarships are right there for you, you just need to know where to look to find the right one or ones for you. Among diverse options, you are even more advantageous if you are a high school senior. Here is why you are ahead of many others in your search for scholarships.
First of all, as a high school senior, you are right at the beginning of the long road you are about to take. This starting point of the road can also be the right stop to start looking for scholarships to fund your studies, especially if you have a plan regarding your future. This does not have to be a to-do-list for every other year; you just need to figure out what you want to study and why you want to study that particular field. You will have to make a possibly flexible plan in applying to colleges anyway, why not work on it a little bit more to get the right funding for you?
Your chances are high to get a scholarship also because you have a longer time to investigate and learn more about the scholarships. However, this should not give you the idea that you can spend months to find out which scholarships are available for your proposed field of study. Many scholarship programs require you to apply one year before your study commences. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for you to check the application deadlines of the scholarship program before taking your time to find out more about it.
Of course having an outstanding academic background and high exam results will increase your chances of winning scholarships. However, this does not mean that you cannot get a scholarship unless you are at the top 10% of your class. Unless the scholarship scheme states that only students with some minimum GPA will be accepted, give yourself a chance and apply. You may not win those scholarships which are highly competitive, but you are welcome to apply for many other schemes, and you may even win more than one of them. You will have even more chances if you have a special talent, such as being close to a professional in arts, having won a prize in athletics, or being a talented debater. You should know how to turn these into scholarship opportunities. Other than your talents, community service pays off quite well too. If you have been helpful in the community, by raising funds for a charity, or visiting the home for the aged regularly, or playing a role in the local community even with small attempts, scholarship providers will give you special emphasis. The point is not regretting what you haven't done, but turning what you have done into an asset.
The Financial Aid Super Site has a wide range of articles aimed to help people getting ready to go to college, especially people looking for scholarships for high school seniors.