Finding the Right College Scholarship
- In This Quick Guide:
- Tools You’ll Need for Your Search
- Primary Scholarships
- Special-Interest Scholarships
College scholarships, at their core, are free money that is awarded based on how well someone has performed, be it on the field, in the classroom, or on his scholarship essay. Make no mistake about it, winning scholarships is a competitive sport. You’re competing against every other person who is scrambling to pay for college, in large part because there are just not enough scholarships to go around. But don’t be discouraged. Winning scholarships is as much a test of someone’s endurance and willingness to commit to a long-term process as it is about how qualified you actually are to win.
Tools You’ll Need for Your Search
To really do the research you need, you’re going to have to spend a little bit of money and purchase both a scholarship directory and sign up for a scholarship website.
All told, these two resources will probably cost you $20 to $30 per year, but they’re absolutely necessary if you hope to find scholarships you’ll have an above average chance of winning. You’ll also want to check out these free resources on the web:
- www.FastWeb.com, which is a free scholarship search engine
- www.SallieMae.com/scholarships, which is a scholarship directory and matching service
- www.CollegeBoard.com, which has a directory of unique state and local programs
Don’t overlook your favorite Internet search engine in your hunt for scholarships, especially for smaller special-interest scholarships. Simply searching the Web for scholarships related to your unique special interests, such as “left-handed scholarships,” will often yield results. (And, yes, there is actually a $1,000 scholarship for left-handed people.)
Primary Scholarships
Primary scholarships are those that are built around four main criteria and that offer the most scholarship opportunities across multiple organizations, as well as the largest amounts of money per award.
The “big four” of primary scholarships are:
- Academics—Are your grades better than most?
- Heritage—Does your ethnic background provide opportunities?
- Career path—Are you excited about a certain profession?
- Institutional—Does your school of choice offer unique scholarships only open to its students?
Special-Interest Scholarships
Special-interest scholarships are those that are offered by smaller organizations and are focused on things that a large number of students might not be able to relate to or have any interest in. You might find that you qualify for a few scholarships based on where you live, a few based on where you or your parents work, and one because you’re an accomplished juggler. Here are some of the special-interest scholarship categories you’ll want to investigate:
- Employers—You’ll need to make a list of all of a student’s, their parents’, and even their grandparents’ past and current employers. The scholarships from these sources are typically small ($250 to $1,000), but they tend to be some of the easiest to get. In addition to researching on the Internet, you should make a call to each company’s human resources department to see whether it offers any benefits.
- Religious affiliation—Whether you’re Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or atheist, I can guarantee you that there are at least a few scholarships out there for each group. In addition to the standard Internet search, be sure to check with your church’s local and national offices or organizing body.
- Geographical location—Many communities, cities, and counties offer scholarships for current or former residents. Check with local community organizations, the chamber of commerce, and your local governing bodies.
- Special skills or talents—Although you probably won’t find a scholarship for people who can tie cherry stems in a knot with their tongues, you’ll definitely find them for things like juggling, poetry writing, musical skills, and bowling. Chances are, if you enjoy doing something that a lot of other people enjoy as well, there’s a scholarship out there to go along with it.
- Unique traits—It won’t surprise many people that there are plenty of scholarships geared toward women, but it might come as a shock that there are scholarships for twins, tall people, redheads, and just about every other unique trait under the sun.
Looking for college scholarships can be a time-consuming task, but it will pay off in the long run. Happy hunting!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paying for College by Ken Clark, CFP
