What Are Steps For Snagging A Scholarship?

by Anthony Soltis

Persistent and consistent --That’s what you need to be to snag a college scholarship.

There are a lot of organizations and businesses out there willing to give money to students. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that there is nearly three billion dollars of aid available to undergraduates.

First you need to know what sort of scholarship you’re eligible for. Then you need to know how to apply. And finally you need to do it the right way.

SCHOLARSHIPS -- FROM THE COLLEGE

The type of scholarships for college most people are already familiar with are the monies given to students who show excellent potential, such as by having high grades in school or with outstanding scores on standardized examinations such as the PSATs, the SATs, or the ACT.

Athletic ability also garners money to help pay for college. While most people realize that male football and basketball players often earn full rides, they might not be aware that the federal government requires an equal amount of athletic scholarships be given to female athletes. Ladies who play basketball, field hockey or soccer can often find at least a partial scholarship.

Some colleges will also recognize outstanding artistic potential as for example in actors or sculptors, and offer them either full or partial tuition.

Often within a field or department, an alumni has set up a scholarship. This is especially true if the school is known for that particular department, such as its geology lab or its teacher training.

To receive any of these sort of scholarships, you’ll need to first know which college you’ll be attending to see what kind of money is available.

SCHOLARSHIPS -- FOR ANY COLLEGE

The other type of scholarship that can help you finance your higher education are found in sources other than the college you plan to attend. These can range from scholarships that awarding talents and abilities to awarding community service.

To learn about these, you can contact your school counselor, investigate your community -- your bank, your parents’ places of employment, your church or temple for possible scholarship opportunities.

Once you learn of an available scholarship, make sure you allow enough time to receive all the materials you’ll need, plus enough time to read the instructions thoroughly and not leave out any section of the application.

Proofread anything before you submit it. Better yet, find someone else to proofread it for you, since we often fail to see our own mistakes.

THE INTERNET

Finally, you can learn about more scholarships by doing research online. There are websites dedicated to providing this information which you can find using a search engine with the keyword "scholarship".

Don't just look at the big prestigious ones which will have large numbers of students competing. Be sure to look at the smaller, less well-known opportunities too.

Most of these will require you to perform a task, which can range from public speaking to essay writing to calling ducks to creating a prom outfit out of duct tape.

The bottom line is you can have part of that three billion dollars available, if you do your research, read carefully and compete well.

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