Finding and Applying for Scholarships
Getting a scholarship can go a long way to help pay your way through school. There are several scholarships available for students and it takes time and effort to find the right one. Scholarships are not just given to anyone; they are awarded to students who meet their requirements.
Types of Scholarships
Many organizations have a scholarship program for students. Religious institutions, communities, private companies, government, and even private citizens want to help you pay your tuition fees. All you need to do is prove that you deserve it. Here are the basic scholarship categories:
- Academic Scholarships: awarded based on academic performance
- Athletic Scholarships: awarded based on sport performance
- Minority Scholarships – awarded to weaker sections of minority community
- Women Scholarships – awarded to women
- Creative Scholarships – awarded based on artistic performance
- Community Service Scholarships – awarded based on leadership or service to the community
- Competition Scholarships – awarded based on performance in competition
How to Find and Apply for Scholarships
Finding a scholarship requires effort but isn’t impossible. Every day, several scholarships are up for grabs. It all comes down to earning it. Here are some steps that would help you get your first scholarship.
Have a plan of attack
Which scholarship are you applying for? When do you want to start your school? And how often do you apply for the scholarships? It is advised that you start applying for scholarships several months before you actually need it. This is because applying for scholarships can be long and grueling. And each scholarship differs in their requirement.
Create a plan of attack and put in much effort into the process. You should choose how many scholarships you want to apply for and how much time you will invest in searching and applying for them. Involve friends and family in this process, this will make the process easier.
Sign up with a Scholarship Search Engine
There are several quality scholarships sites that can help you search for certain scholarships. These sites allow you to search for scholarships based on a number of criteria and find options that are tailored to you. These websites makes it easy to access every scholarship that you are eligible for: www.scholarships.com , www.unigo.com , www.scholarshipengine.com .
Make it Happen
Don’t let silly excuses stop you from making sure it happens at the right time. Take the process of finding scholarships to be like a project and it is up to you to finish everything at 100%. Get your reference letters ready and get permission to mass produce. Once you have done that, take it back to the authors to sign all the copies at once. For non-English speaking countries, you may be required to take TOFEL or IELTS English proficiency exams. These exams require that you pass a certain grade before you are eligible for any scholarship. Get all these ready on time.
Winning a scholarship takes a lot of effort, but you can make the whole process easier by getting everyone involved. Leave all excuses and make thing happen.