brainstorm thoroughly—the more personal characteristics your child discovers, the more scholarships she could potentially apply for.
Do I want to participate in a competition? If so, what are my talents and interests?
What subject do I plan to major in?
What career do I plan to pursue?
Do I want to apply for all types of aid or only scholarships?
Recent report on how to make better use of tracking data to determine high school's college readiness effectiveness. Of note, the report mentions that current NCLB standards are poor predictors of college success. The report notes that schools that failed NCLB benchmarks graduated students who went on to earn high GPA and return for a second year in college. This is in contrast to schools who passed NCLB benchmarks, but scored low on GPA and 2nd year return rates.
The video linked on this site summarizes the report's data.