Posted by: admin at October 5th, 2008
Here is an interesting twist on the scholarship front. Consider looking outside the norm, when applying for college scholarships……..
Finding out that you do not have enough money to go to college can be a real problem - especially if you have already looked at the more common avenues. The good thing is that there may still be a way for you to get money for college with an unusual college scholarship. These scholarships for students can be for just about anything - including things you probably never thought about. Take a look at these ten sample award possibilities.
1. The All-American Apple Pie Recipe Contest
This opportunity for a college scholarship will enable the winner to get a $500 scholarship, plus he or she will receive a $1,000 cash award. In addition, the winner will have the privilege of becoming the spokesperson (Ambassador) for the National Beef Association. Contestants are required to enter a national speaking competition.
5. Tylenol Awards for Students
This college scholarship from the Tylenol Company offers 170 students the opportunity to win either $1,000 or $5,000 scholarships for college. They are based on academic standings, as well as leadership ability, and the student needs to be going into the medical profession.
6. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance Scholarship
This college scholarship goes to those who are overweight and in their high school senior year. It awards either $1,000 or $500 at two times. To qualify, you must already be a member of NAAFA and have a grade average of at least 2.5. You also must be in the New England area.
7. The Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship
Skateboards can win this award. You can be going to either a 2-year or a 4-year college, and you will need to have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. There are 4 awards each year, one for $5,000, and three for $1,000. You will need to write an essay about how skateboarding has positively affected your life in order to qualify.
8. National Rifle Association Scholarships
The NRA requires that you be an active association member with at least one rating (ability to shoot - Marksman, Sharpshooter, etc.). It offers a scholarship of $5,000 for the winning essay about why you became involved in shooting as a sport. The NRA also offers other college scholarships, too, including financial aid for the children of a law enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty.
9. The Helen James Brewer Scholarship
This college scholarship is awarded to those who are descendants of a Confederate soldier. In order to qualify, you will have to be studying Southern history or literature and be from a Southern state, such Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, or South Carolina. The award is $1,000.
10. The Students for Organ Donation Youth Leadership
If you have agreed to be an organ donor when you got your driver’s license, then you qualify for a possible scholarship. Those who win the scholarship will be promoting organ donation. The Scholarship amounts available are $500 and $1,000.
These weird scholarships are just a few that are offered to college students. As you can see, there is a wide variety - but there is almost no limit to what is really out there. There are also scholarships for Start Trek fans, duct tape proms, golf, women, fire safety, horse lovers, herbivores, height-challenged people, and so many more. Students who work hard to find scholarships often succeed.
Posted by: admin at September 28th, 2008
If you are currently in college or soon will be, the thought of getting some student scholarships has probably crossed your mind. If it has not, then you are either independently wealthy or have not taken a good long look at the sky rocketing cost of a good college education these days.
Students should spend as much time as possible looking for student scholarships because this is an excellent way to defray and sometimes even completely pay for the cost of a college education. Note the use of the plural form of scholarships. Yes, there is no reason to stop at one scholarship when you can get several of them, there is no law against that, either legally or morally.
Finding an acceptable student scholarship is not difficult but will involve some of your time in research and actually applying for the scholarships. But when you look at the amount of money that you could get, the cost of a postage stamp pales in comparison, and in many cases it isn’t even that anymore since most places allow you to apply online.
Think you cannot get a student scholarship? Think again. It used to be that you had to be the local rocket scientist or academically brilliant to get a scholarship or grant, or had to be the sports king or queen, or had to come from some economically disadvantaged family or region of the country. That is no longer the case with most grants and scholarships. You may simply have to indicate that you are going to pursue a specific field of study, which still does not even necessarily lock you into maintaining that major.
The truth of the matter is that many college scholarships are available today for almost any academic record or background, as well as almost any financial background, from the filthy rich to the dirt poor. Consider for a moment the very real fact that in today’s world, many scholarships go unawarded each year simply because nobody applied for them! In other words, there are businesses, organizations and companies that are more than happy to award a scholarship but they cannot award it if nobody applies for it!
One of the super great things about grants and scholarships is that the money you get from them is free. In other words, it is money that you do not need to pay back. Now contrast that with federal student loans, which almost anyone can get, but you need to pay back every penny of them, with interest, after you graduate. Given a choice between a student loan that you need to pay back versus a student scholarship that does not need to be paid back, which one would you rather opt for?
The more student scholarships you apply for, the better your chances that you will be awarded one or more of them. Maybe a particular scholarship is only worth $500. Does that mean it is not worth your effort to apply for it? Nothing could be further from the truth. If you got that one scholarship, put it in perspective, since that one scholarship could pay for the books for two of your classes, which is much better than reaching into your own pocket to pay for them. Or looking at it another way, what if you were awarded 10 or 20 of those $500 scholarships. Would that make a difference in figuring out how you are going to pay for your college education?
Take the time to apply for student scholarships. Keep yourself organized and keep track of which ones you have applied for so that you don’t apply for the same one multiple times. And don’t give it, keep those scholarship applications going!
For more insights and additional information about where you can find
Student Scholarships as well as resources for finding tons of scholarships you can apply for, please visit our web site at
www.finding-college-scholarships.com