Your Portfolio is key to earning and ultimately receiving scholarship dollars from colleges, so it's important to fill it out often and correctly.
I'm in 9th/10th/11th grade - can I start filling it out now?
Yes! Whenever you begin a class, receive a grade, take a sport, are awarded, visit a participating college, finish community service hours, etc. be sure to go in and add it to your Portfolio. It can be difficult to remember these things as time goes on, so set a reminder on your phone or calendar to do it every month or two.
I'm in the 12th grade - is it too late?
Nope! It's true that your Portfolio needs to be complete and meet some minimum requirements by the time colleges have earning deadlines, so you may be too late for certain college partners. For example, a school might have a earning deadline of November 1st, so if it's November 15th, you are no longer eligible for that school.
But other schools may have later earning deadlines! Find those schools and Follow them. Then, fill out your Portfolio with as much information as you can remember accurately since your first day of 9th grade. Be sure to check out the other Eligibility Requirements as well, so you don't lose out on a chance to earn micro-scholarships.
I've already been accepted to college, but they partner with RaiseMe - is it too late for me to create a Portfolio?
Yes - if you have been accepted to a college, you cannot earn additional scholarship money to that school by signing up for RaiseMe and creating a Portfolio. You're welcome to sign up for RaiseMe if there are other colleges you're still waiting to hear back from, but if you have been accepted to a college already and offered financial aid, creating a RaiseMe Portfolio after that will not impact your financial aid package.
Can I include things from middle school?
Your Portfolio should only include achievements from your first day of 9th grade up until the present day.
Can I add a class that I'm in, even if I don't have any grades yet?
Go ahead and add the class anyway - you can save it to your Portfolio even without the grades, though you won't earn micro-scholarships dollars without a final grade, nor will you get full credit for the class until all grades are entered.