More and more high school graduates and adults who have long been out of high school are attending college, yet the percentage of students who
graduate with a bachelor's degree has remained relatively constant. Of course, this indicates that while more and more students
value the importance of higher education, once at college, success is more difficult to attain than expected. So, what can you do
about this situation?
First of all, a major reason that many students never complete their degrees has nothing to do with grades but everything to do with
cost. The cost of tuition at both private and state colleges and universities has consistently outpaced inflation. Therefore, alternative
means of financing has become of paramount importance to many students. Many students, therefore, enter the realm of searching for
scholarships.
But how do you find scholarships? There are many means to finding out about scholarships, and there are even services to help you find scholarships.
However, you should not have to pay for information on any scholarship. If there is a fee to apply for the scholarship, do not apply! More than
likely, any scholarship or contest that looks for money is a scam, so just move on. Also, any service that requires payment for information on scholarships
should be avoided. Any legitimate scholarship will advertise information free of charge, so with a little bit of research, you will be able to find the
same scholarships that are provided by these services. But where do you look for this information?
Spend time at the library. Many of the books that provide information about current scholarships are found on library shelves. Furthermore,
research librarians can often point you towards valuable information on specific scholarships.
Contact the school you are attending. Alumni associations and other supporters of colleges and universities often provide scholarship opportunities.
At state schools, these scholarships may be small, but at many private schools, there are scholarships that will pay for half or even more of tuition costs.
Talk to relatives and think about your own background. Does your father belong to a union? Is your mother a member of the Soroptomist Club? Together,
sit down and make a list of all the various groups and organizations with which you and your family are associated. Military service in the family background,
membership in various groups make you eligible for specific scholarships. A great site to research such scholarships is Unusual Scholarships. Scholarships for left-handed students, junior members of the NRA, and even overweight people are listed at this site. Furthermore,
your own ethnic heritage may help gain access to scholarship dollars. There are scholarships available for almost every ethnic group, including Polish-American, Italian-American,
Hispanic-American, and African-American. There are also scholarships for various religious beliefs.
Keep your eyes open in unusual places for scholarship opportunities. When my mother was in the grocery store, she noticed information posted near the pain relievers. What she
found was information to apply for the Tylenol Scholarship. Guess what? I was awarded a small scholarship from Tylenol, which ended up paying the tuition for one course at the University of
Pennsylvania! Who knew that shopping for groceries could lead to a scholarship?
Spend time on the Internet. However, remember to avoid sites that have fees connected to information. Be creative with your searches. For example, when I was researching putting
together this page, I googled "NRA Scholarships." That search took me to Unusual Scholarships,, which has a plethera of interesting and unique scholarship information.
Of course, since the number of students now attending college has risen, the number of students applying for various scholarships has also risen.So how can you, as one of many vying for precious scholarship dollars, stand out from the pack? Some of the suggestions below seem
simplistic, but the truth is most of the errors that ultimately disqualify scholarship candidates are simple errors.
Photocopy the application form and fill it out as a rough draft. Many times a form looks simple, but after beginning to fill
it out, where information should be recorded becomes confusing.
If necessary, find an actual typewriter to complete the form. Because many of these applications are pre-printed, filling out the forms can become cumbersome. If you have access
to software that allows you to type on a pdf file, you can simply scan the form and then process it on the computer. If you don't, revert to old technology and use a typewriter. However, make
certain that the typewriter has correction ribbon.
Make no mistakes. Mistakes detract greatly from the overall presentation. If you want the money, take the time to complete the forms neatly, completely, and correctly.
Answer every single question. The first process that your application will face is disqualification for inadequate information. So, even if the application asks for the same information
three or four different times, provide the information every single time. If a specific question does not apply to you, mark it as "not applicable." Make certain that the scholarship committee
realizes that you took the time and effort to complete the form with due diligence.
Double check due dates and meet them. If your scholarship application arrives late, it will automatically be disqualified, no matter how brilliantly you complete the form or write the essay.
Acceptance of late applications can cause legal issues for the group or organization offering the scholarship, so late applications will not be accepted.
Of course, many scholarship applications require an essay about a specific topic or answering a specific question. These essays almost always have parameters that must be met, such as a limited number of
words or pages. If you go beyond these parameters, more than likely your entire application will be disqualified.
