Can you answer Christina's question about scholarships?:

I live in Georgia, and i am trying to get into a good college. my family is not rich- and even with hope- we are goign to need a bit of scholarship money. I'm an reasonably good student- but the only outstanding quality I have is that I can sing. Well. Very Well. Anyone know of any scholarships i can get for singing?

National Merit Scholarship

When we speak of college scholarship application, the burden is always on the parents. Since they have the responsibility over the education of their children and they know what will be good for them, parents apply personally for the college scholarship of their children.

What if we turn the tide? From primary to secondary education, your parents accepted the responsibility. But you are old enough to take care of a simple college scholarship application. It takes some courage, self-confidence, and some excellent academic records to apply for a college scholarship.

Keep in mind that is you who will utilize the financial aid that comes with the scholarship and not your parents. Thus, applying for a college scholarship is now your business, and you can do it with less supervision from your parents.

The procedure for college scholarship application is similar when you apply for college. You need to learn every scholarship opportunity available and make a list of potential prospects that you think will fit your personal needs.

Once through with the list, you need to create an application letter and state your achievements (good high school scholastic records and recommendation letters from your high school director and teachers) and you are now on your way on getting into college for less, if not for free.

The above-mentioned procedure is the most common way of getting a college scholarship. However, the chances of success lies in you, and you need to exert more effort to assure yourself of a financial aid when you go to college. To increase your chances, here are some pointers that you can consider:

- You should start as early as your high school years. There are many college scholarships that open during your senior high school year. In addition, these financial aid programs are only open in a specific period of time. Once the application closes, you have to wait for another year before you can file for your application. Starting early will give you better chances of getting the best financial aid available.

- Give importance to the scholarship requirements. Keep in mind that among all available scholarships, there are only few that will fit your qualifications. Read the eligibility standards of the college scholarship that you want to apply. If you found out that the financial aid does not fit with the qualifications that you have, search for another. Do not insist yourself on scholarships where your chances of success is minute.

- Do not forget to complete the requirements asked by the college scholarship. Prepare the documents that are commonly asked by the scholarship grantee to its applicants.

- Your application letter will be your "speaking alter-ego" to the sponsor of the college scholarship you have applied for. Thus, you need to create an application letter that will convince the sponsor that you honestly need the financial aid and you deserve to get one, state honest information in your application. Never include false information especially if your purpose is just to "flatter" the sponsor with your achievements.

After you followed the aforementioned recipe, you are now ready to submit your application to the scholarship screening committee. Be prepared for other requirements (such as interviews and examinations) that will determine if you are eligible to receive a college scholarship.

Follow the aforementioned college freshman's recipe when you apply for a college scholarship. And best of all, do not forget to pray that the sponsor would consider you eligible for the college scholarship. Good luck!



Thanks to Paul Hata for contributing this article to our scholarships blog:

Sam Walton Scholarship

In  his book, “How to Go to College Almost for Free: The Secrets of How to Win Scholarship Money”, Benjamin R. Kaplan gives his very own testimony on how he was able to win scholarship money amounting to $90,000, covering nearly all of his College expenses.

While Kaplan’s testimony is very inspiring, there are still many people out there who believe that financing college through scholarships is nothing more than a ‘myth’. There are still a lot of people who claim that although there are billions of dollars offered for scholarship programs each year, the competition is just too stiff to make scholarships a reliable source of college funding.

So why is it that scholarships work for some and not for others? Why is it that some people win, others win more and some just can’t seem to win at all?

People who think twice about applying for scholarships usually think that scholarship hunting is just like the lottery: they just don’t have enough luck to win.

Winning scholarships, however, is not a matter of blind luck. Although it is true that competition is stiff and winning is not guaranteed, bagging a scholarship is far from impossible. With a good application strategy along with hard work, scholarships will be accessible.

For starters, it is good to understand how scholarships work. As a general rule of thumb, the chances of winning depend largely on how well you meet the standards of eligibility and, for merit based scholarships in particular, how well you do in your application. Your application strategy will be based on these two guidelines.

When considering your scholarship options, make sure that you consider eligibility requirements to the letter. If you don’t match the requirements exactly, don’t bother applying at all because you will only be wasting your time and effort. Instead, you have to focus your energy on scholarships that you are eligible for. Try to find as many scholarships that you qualify for and apply to those scholarships. Spotting scholarships that suit your interests and/or special skills will boost your chances of winning, as well.

Of course, your main concern as a student would be to increase your chances for eligibility. That is why students are always encouraged to be proactive in school. Study well and aim to get consistently high GPA’s. Join extra-curricular activities and volunteer for community service programs.

But finding scholarships that you are eligible for is just the beginning. The quality of your application is what wins the vote of scholarship reviewers.

The most common application requirement would be the scholarship essay, so it is wise never to answer essay questions for the sake of answering essay questions. Construct your ideas thoughtfully. Write in a clear and efficient manner. More importantly, make your point by giving specific examples of your accomplishments. This is where your experience in community service programs or extra-curricular activities can help you greatly, since these activities provide you with very concrete examples of your competence for your essays.

Another common application requirement will be your letters of recommendation. For your sake, avoid asking relatives and friends to give you a letter of recommendation. You have to choose referrers who can express your strengths and accomplishments as a student, and who have a good idea of what your skills and potential are. Professors, community program heads, and organization advisors are all ideal contacts for letters of recommendation, so it is wise to maintain your good ties with them.

In order to do well in your application, you must also be willing to work hard and be active as a student to ensure that you have something notable to write about in your application.  In the end, it all comes down to one thing: scholarships are won by those who work the hardest for them.



Thanks to J Clark for contributing this article to our scholarships blog:

Get a Money-making Website

Can you answer Darth Maul's question about scholarships?:

Hi, i want to graduate from high school with as many scholarships as possible. I am applying to the unversity of waterloo as an engineer, and there are only 3 scholarships!!! How do people in my school graduate with 10 or more scholarships??? I want to have as many as possible. Preferably people from Canada, Ontario.

National Merit Scholarship