Speaking of scholarships, the general advice is to apply as soon as possible and often. But in view of the numerous scholarship opportunities all over the country, you need to narrow down the scope and choose those scholarships that you can really get.
After all, no one has time to apply for all the more than 2,200 scholarships offered by the American College Board, let alone the 3.6 million scholarships offered by Unigo. In addition, if you have never been a volunteer, it is a waste of time to apply for a community service scholarship; If you have never set foot on a golf course, it is a waste of time to apply for a golf scholarship.
Before you start looking for a job, make a list of your unique advantages so that you can aim at scholarships with these characteristics. To help you get started, here are seven common scholarships.
1. academic performance: if you are an excellent student, you can get a scholarship for academic performance. Some schools provide students with excellent grades unconditionally.
For example, Indiana University-Bloomington has a performance-based Wells Scholarship, which fully pays for four years of undergraduate study. Similarly, Ohio State University at Columbus also has an excellent scholarship program, which provides scholarships that can fully pay for four years' tuition.
The National Excellent Scholarship Company also awards different amounts of scholarships to PSAT students with high scores every year in recognition of their academic achievements.
Looking for similar opportunities according to grades and exam results, you can use scholarship search tools, such as Scholly and Fastweb. When you apply, you can impress the scholarship committee with your excellent report card and high devotion to your study.
2. Community service: Scholarships are not only reserved for top students. People who volunteer in the community have various opportunities. For example, the AXA Achievement Scholarship offers awards ranging from $2,500, 10000 or $25,000 to American citizens or legal residents who give back to their communities.
Another example is the Prudent Community Spirit Award, which is applicable to both domestic and international students. If you have a history of community participation, focus your scholarship on rewarding student volunteers.
3.？ Sports achievements: If you like sports, turn your attention to sports scholarships. Many scholarship search tools offer sports scholarship categories. Some will make you narrow your performance through a sport, whether it's basketball, football or synchronized swimming.
Schools in the first and second districts of NCAA also provide sports scholarships for student athletes.
4. Unique hobbies or qualities: Although you may be familiar with academic and sports scholarships, you may be more surprised and find more random opportunities.
For example, Chicken and Sophie mainly commemorate the Duckcall Competition and award scholarships to high school students who have the talent of Duckcall. "ScholarshipRed" is awarded to high school students who are born with red hair, while "Stuck at Prom Scholarship Competition" is awarded to students who make the best prom dress with tape.
Although most scholarship search engines don't classify scholarships by hair color, you should be able to filter them according to your hobbies or characteristics, and then get some scholarship results.
5. Personal background: Many scholarship programs have a mission, which is to support students who are traditionally underrepresented. For example, Google's Women Tech Makers Scholars Program supports female undergraduate or graduate students who have registered or are registering in computer science, computer engineering or related fields.
The prize money of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund ranges from $500 to $5,000, which is open to Hispanic students in all major and postgraduate fields, but the focus is on students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. African-American high school students with community service records can apply for a Ron Brown Regeneration Scholarship with a total amount of $40,000.
When searching for scholarships, you may want to indicate your gender, race, nationality or other status in order to find a good scholarship.
6. Financial needs: Various scholarship organizations, including the Davis-Putler Scholarship Fund, try to help students with financial needs.
Many needs-based scholarships have additional application requirements, such as living in a specific community in the United States or engaging in a specific research field. For example, Davis-Putter provides on-demand financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate students who specialize in economic and social justice.
When you are looking for a needs-based scholarship, remember to check any additional criteria before applying.