By Jessica Miller, Staff Writer
For years and years I have seen multiple students struggle with finding and obtaining scholarships to help them achieve a higher education. What makes the struggle even more depressing is that there are thousands of scholarships available for any type of student in the world. You just need the knowledge to find legitimate ones and apply for them smartly.
Scholarships can start for students in grades as young as elementary school. They start as small oral presentations and projects for a school, district, or statewide contest. Over the years, they develop into something more academic in middle school, where students discover their talents and skills broaden the scholarships students can obtain.
High school, though, is where the larger amounts of money and opportunity come in. By the time a student has reached high school, they have created a profile of experiences and knowledge, and they are able to apply for scholarships themselves with little guidance to the applications. Although, if you are reading this article, you are most likely looking for higher scholarships: the undergraduate or graduate section (or maybe even someone looking to go back to school). However, you might be the one of numerous other individuals who has not received insight or education into the proper ways of finding and applying for scholarships. It is okay, it is not too late. Let this article be a start to your education and research. Scholarships are very handy and should not be left out of the plan for college.
There are scholarships for everything! It is all a matter of finding ones that fit you. When looking for scholarships, there are a few things organizations look for: age, gender, GPA, year, state, country, ethnic background, disability, relationships, affiliations, major, talents, skills, experience, and so on. Scholarships can apply to one or multiple things. The more you know, the more that is out there for you to apply for. When looking, you can start with things like Goggle Scholar and FastWeb, but they will not always be able to give you reliable results. You have to do a little research into the scholarship being offered to make sure it is legitimate. First, check who donates the money for the scholarship. Is it an organization? A family for a memorial? By finding out the source of the money, it can tell you a lot about the type of scholarship.
Next, what is the scholarship’s purpose? Basically, why does it exist? People like to help out people, but there is usually a specific reason for it, and if there is no “about” tab on a website or if a person can only say on the phone “to give you money,” it might not be factual. Afterward, look at the requirements for the scholarship. Usually, scholarships will ask for details about income or your background, including your thoughts on academics and clubs. If the scholarship only wants your annual income and social security number, you should think twice before applying. There are multiple ways to apply for scholarships which includes speeches, essays, biographies, and so on. Here are some general tips for applications:
- Give examples that are detailed, but to the point. The person or persons offering the scholarship want to know about you and your intentions with your education.
- Follow directions clearly and to every detail. There is a reason they ask why they ask something, and if you are confused or concerned about questions, contact and ask the organization.
- Before submitting anything, have one or two people look it over to make sure it is neat and easy to understand. It is okay to ask for help if you need someone to check for grammar.
- Send in the submission ahead of time. Plan the exact day and time you will work on putting together the submission and hold yourself accountable.
- If you get rejected, find out why and continue to search for other scholarships.
I have worked for years to gain knowledge in scholarships, and I am still learning. Thus, do not get discouraged if you do not feel completely confident in yourself the first few times you go through this process – it will come to you easier with practice. Remember, the scholarships will not come to you; you have to go out there and look for them. As said earlier, there are thousands, which you are at least applicable for hundreds. You just have to put in the work to look.
