Winning the Scholarship Game

Maybe you're not the potential All-American college coaches dream about.

Maybe the students competing to be your class valedictorian have nothing to fear from you.

And, maybe you can't point to any major co-curricular achievements.

So, it looks like there'll be no scholarships in your future, right?

Don't jump to conclusions. The truth is, you may be a pretty good or even very good prospect for scholarships. But, you'll have to do some investigating and (simple) research.

First, go to your guidance counselor. Chances are, he or she will have information on dozens of scholarships (or more) offered by businesses and organizations in and near your hometown, and how to apply for them.

Your next step should be to list every business and organization in which you or a family member are involved; businesses, clubs, churches, etc. Then, see which offer scholarships. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how much scholarship money they give away and how easy it is to be a potential recipient.

And then, go to the internet. You will find nearly seventy free, online scholarship searches.

By doing some research you'll find not only scholarships for high academic performance, but also for particular talents, family affiliations, students wishing to major in specific areas, and countless other categories.

You will also find essay competitions and other scholarship contests you can enter.

There are millions of scholarship dollars awarded to students every year. To maximize your chances of winning one, do some research, follow all scholarship application instructions exactly, and meet all applicable deadlines.

Good luck on your scholarship search!

Author Byline
Daniel Kane has created more than a dozen websites on online education and online universities and colleges. He has been a college and university dean for more than 25 years.