With deadlines for scholarships and financial aid closing in fast - many deadlines come up in January - students normally stressed by the prospect of Christmas shopping are also scrambling to fill out applications, gather necessary financial information and chase down letters of recommendation.

To avoid the senior-year crunch, and find out just what's available, University of Hawaii-Manoa sophomore Mitchell Ochi says, "I would suggest that (students) take the initiative to talk to their counselors and make regular visits."

Prompted by his parents to find as many scholarships as he could to finance his college years, Ochi won enough scholarship money to pay for four years of tuition, plus other expenses.

His efforts were guided by a helpful counselor and transition center at Aiea High School.

"They do a really good job of letting students know what scholarships are available," Ochi said.

Individuals like Ochi who are now going through the same process can take advantage of resources available through their own counselors. They can then track down scholarships for which they are eligible.

One such resource is the Department of Education's Bulletin No. 15, a booklet that describes scholarships and other types of financial aid and tells how to apply for them. Senior Lori Young began the hunt for scholarships this year and tried using the Bulletin but didn't find any listings that matched her.

"The hardest part is finding scholarships you qualify for," Young said. Another resource that students may find at their schools is computer software that lists local or national scholarships.

"It makes sense for students to ask their counselors if they have a computerized scholarship search," said Peter Latson, associate director of college counseling at Punahou School.

Users of these search programs can plug in information to generate a personalized list of scholarships.

Students who don't have access to scholarship software at school but who have a computer and modem can connect to the Hawaii State Public Library System at 831-6888. To look for scholarships, they should pick Internet Access from the main menu and then pick Hawaii FYI from the following menu. Those who can connect to the Internet can conduct searches at sites like fastWEB (http://studentservices.com/fastweb) and CA$H, Computer-Assisted Scholarship Help (http://dbserver.its.hawaii.edu/cash/).

"The world wide web is really terrific for that," said Moanalua college and career counselor Gwen Mau.

Students whose schools have limited resources can always visit the public library to borrow books on scholarships and financial aid. Two recommendations are "The A's and B's of Academic Scholarships" (Octameron Press) and "Peterson's Paying Less for College" (Peterson's). They may also use Bulletin No. 15 at the library.

Furthermore, it can be worthwhile for students to check if their parents' employers offer any scholarships.

Considering all the resources available to students through their counselors and elsewhere free of charge, students should be wary of search services that say they will find scholarships for customers if they pay a certain fee.

"It's basically buyer beware in terms of paying anybody to search for scholarships for you because that information is available for free from your high school counselor's office," Latson said.

UH freshman Brent Young and his parents were hoping to help pay for college with scholarships and decided to use one of those services last year to look for them.

Young's parents paid about $175, and they were sent a list of several hundred scholarships, many of which he was not eligible for. Young did apply for 20 to 30 of them but was not successful.

"I didn't really show financial need, so it didn't really help," Young said.

The uncertainty involved in winning scholarships is a primary reason why students who are concerned about paying for college should also apply for financial aid.

Financial aid is money awarded to a student in a "package," including grant, loan and work-study money.

"The whole philosophy of financial aid is they will try to help the people that have the greatest need," said Nanette Umeda, post-secondary school counselor at Kaiser High School.

To apply for aid, students must fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, which they can get from their counselors. They may also need to fill out other forms for the individual schools they want to attend. Students can find out about such paperwork by writing to individual schools.

On the FAFSA form, applicants need to provide their family financial information using documents like income tax returns.

"In general, the financial aid application was a little tougher (than scholarship applications) because it wasn't just about you, it was about your parents," Ochi said.

About four weeks after the FAFSA is submitted, applicants will receive a Student Aid Report that they can amend if necessary. If no changes are needed, schools will use the SAR to determine how much aid to give to the student. Students receive award letters from each school they are considering to inform them of the amounts and types of aid that constitute their own package. They can decline part or all of the package. Students might decide not to take the loan, for example, because they would need to pay it back. When filling out the FAFSA form, counselors recommend that both parents and children work on it.

"Make it a family project," Umeda said. "Do it together so you can both feel you have ownership in it."

Whatever way students go through the financial aid and scholarship process, the following tips may help:

Keep track of deadlines. Deadlines vary for scholarships, but for financial aid, you can send in the form right after Jan. 1, 1997. You are more likely to get good results if you mail it as soon as possible. "Probably your best bet is to get it done the first couple weeks of January," Latson said. Although the deadlines vary for scholarships, the same advice applies.

Give yourself ample time to finish the job. Merely knowing the deadlines won't help if you don't work on the applications ahead of time. "They may be the most qualified person, but if they don't get their things in on time then they'll lose out," said Lillian Yonamine, Waipahu High School college and career counselor. This is especially important for applications that require essays and letters of recommendation.

Because he had a hectic schedule in his senior year, Ochi remembers writing the essay for one application the night before it was due and not winning that scholarship.

"I kind of kicked myself for that because if I didn't procrastinate and put it off for so long I could have done a better job," he said.

Don't miss any opportunities. Passing off scholarships because you assume you won't win is a sure fire way to lose, so don't underestimate yourself.

David Colmenares, a Kapiolani Community College freshman, knows he wouldn't have applied for as many scholarships as he did without the urging of his father and brother. In the end, Colmenares was surprised but nevertheless happy with the number of scholarships he received.

"I was expecting just one, but I ended up getting four so it was pretty good for me," he said.

Don't expect an effortless task. It would be nice if you could simply send in your name to an organization and have them send you $5,000. However, the reality about the process is that you might have to put more into it than you get out of it. With that in mind, just take the task and tackle it. "Just sit down and do it," Brent Young said. "That's the point."

A free financial aid workshop will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Dec. 7 at Kaimuki High School auditorium.

The workshop, presented by the Hawaii Association of College Admissions Counselors and sponsored by First Hawaiian Bank, will be primarily for parents of high school seniors (but parents with children who are junior can benefit, too) who want to go through the nitty gritty of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. There will also be a short overview of financial aid, but it will deal mainly with the form.

Another series of seminars are held in February and March. Each seminar is basically the same and focuses on three things: Preparing for college, selecting a college, financing a college education. (It's a little too late for seniors, so these would apply to freshmen, sophomores and juniors.)

Information about the locations and times will be available from high school counselors who should receive flyers in the spring regarding the seminars. Students can ask their counselors about the seminars to find out more information.

Five $1,000 grants will be awarded during the 1997-98 academic year.

Applicants must be Hawaii residents; demonstrate financial need; demonstrate academic achievement; demonstrate good moral character; and plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college or university as an undergraduate, full-time student.

Applications are available through the Hawaii Community Foundation, 900 Fort Street Mall, Suite 1300, Honolulu, HI 96813, or by calling 566-5570. The application deadline is March 1, 1997.

Applicants must be ages 14 through 18, must live in Windward Oahu and must be recommended by their teacher(s). The deadline to apply is March 1, 1997.

Application forms are available through Scholarship Chair Shirley Hasenyager, at 262-5069.

Awards may not be given in all categories, depending on applications received.