Winning free money for college is every student’s dream. Nobody wants to graduate from college with a boatload of student loan debt, and the more money you have available, the more options you have for college. Unfortunately, scholarship providers aren’t going to just hand you a pile of money because you ask for it; earning college scholarships actually takes some effort on your part. Why? It’s simple. Providers want to know you are going to put forth the effort in college and not waste their money, so most require an essay or some other time commitment from you to see if you are serious about your education. If you aren’t willing to spend an hour or so completing their application, providers assume that you won’t be willing to focus your time on your studies, either. Fortunately, I have a few tips that can help you reduce the time needed to find and apply for scholarships, without compromising the quality of your submissions. Read the rest of this entry »
January is widely recognized as a ‘new beginning’ for many people; a chance to wipe the slate clean and start again, but in the world of scholarships, January also signals the start of the ‘money’ game. Over the next few months, many scholarship programs have upcoming deadlines and students will be busy trying to get their share of the stash. Those who are unprepared may find the process a bit overwhelming and give up hope. Even worse, some may rule themselves out of the game before even taking a turn at bat. It’s really unfortunate that so many students enter the scholarship game ill-prepared or unwilling to even give it a try. Read the rest of this entry »
At a recent college fair, I encountered several students who decided that searching for scholarships was a complete waste of their time. I was amazed! Intrigued, I asked students why they had such a lack of enthusiasm for free college money, only to find that many had bought into those old scholarship myths that just won’t go away. Even some of the parents chimed in with excuses, which were all based on complete falsehoods. I’m not sure why these myths were first created. Maybe they were a way to dissuade students from applying for scholarships or maybe they just sounded like good excuses for slacking off. In either case, it’s time for them to vanish like old Halloween candy. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 10 scholarship myths that seem to be circulating these days. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the last few weeks, I have been receiving several questions on Facebook, Twitter and other forums from parents and students about financial aid. Many of the questions were about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which I addressed in Part 2 of this series, but an even greater number of questions were submitted about scholarships. Many students voiced their concerns about the pressure they feel from their parents to locate scholarships and win awards. I got the impression that these students felt like they were drifting in the ocean without any way of staying afloat. Fortunately, they were not alone in their fears, as I received several similar questions. Here are some of the most common concerns students shared regarding the scholarship process. Read the rest of this entry »
I bet you thought that applying for scholarships was the hardest part of winning free money for college, right? Guess again. Although it does take some time to complete scholarship applications and craft those amazing essays, keeping them can be an even greater responsibility. Most scholarship providers will expect you to meet specific criteria to receive funding, such as maintaining your grades or enrolling in a certain number of credit hours each semester; if you fail to meet these guidelines, the scholarship may be revoked. Unfortunately, life sometimes gets in the way and stuff happens. If you find yourself in the precarious predicament of losing one or more of your scholarships, don’t give up hope just yet. You may be able to salvage your scholarship through a process known as a scholarship appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
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