Scholarships

Scholarships are rewards given to students based on several different factors. Like a grant, they never have to be paid back: the ideal form of financial aid. Unlike grants, however, scholarships need to be pursued actively by the student. Your FAFSA prepares you for your grants, but only you can prepare yourself for scholarships.

Where to Look for a Scholarship

Scholarships can be found all over the Internet. If you know which school you are going to attend, the financial advisors also can provide information for scholarships. The scholarships offered by a potential school will not only be the general ones found on the Internet, but specific scholarships the school sets aside for their students.

For prospective college students still in high school, counselors at your high school often have a wealth of knowledge concerning scholarships. Lastly, scholarship information can be found by consulting your community. Local libraries and other community services often offer scholarships designed for the local populace. Keep your eyes and ears open!

How to Apply for a Scholarship

Every scholarship has different regulations and policies, similar to entering an online contest. Most scholarships, however, will prompt a student to write a short essay, and this essay will large-in- part determine whether the student qualifies or not. Because scholarship providers are limited in the funds they are offering, only a few will be selected for the scholarship. For example, Coca Cola offers several scholarships through their Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, but even this enormous corporation is limited to the funds they can provide to the public for college.

Kinds of Scholarships Available

Scholarships are available for practically anything you can put your imagination too, if you look thoroughly enough. These are the most common categories, however:

• Academic performance
  
• Sports
  
• Ethnicity, gender, or religious background
  
• Personal interests/hobbies
  
• You or your family work for a particular corporation
  
  

If you can think of a category for a scholarship, chances are, it exists. An example is a scholarship set aside specifically for psychology students looking to go into child therapy. Consider your future educational goals, and look for scholarships that match you personally or match your educational criteria.