Easy Scholarships
Easy scholarships do exist and are widely available. Anyone willing to do a little work can find and have them, and the emphasis is on little work. If they were hard work, they would not still be easy scholarships. You do not want hard scholarships. Save the hard for the college classes you are trying to get to. Many prospective college students presume that they cannot go to the school of their choice, and some are even wary of affording any college or university at all. However, with a little homework and forward thinking, easy money is available. The best way to start towards easy scholarship money is to start early. As soon as you are able to apply for available scholarships, do so immediately. Those who procrastinate will find themselves in competitive situations for any money leftover.
In some scholarship pools, money is handed out with much lower standards and in higher amounts early on when the pool is still large. Most scholarships become available to high school seniors. Start applying as soon as you are in grade 12. Do not wait until you know which school you are going to, many scholarships do not require that information or are not school specific. Even before scholarships are open and available, make sure you are meet the standard prerequisites. Most, if not all scholarships require that the recipient be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States. Even if you know you are, make sure that you have the appropriate legal documentation to establish your identity. The other usual requirement is a certain level of Grade Point Average (GPA). The GPA requirement does vary, but a minimum of 2.0 to 2.5 is needed to even get in the game. Obviously the higher your GPA, the more is available to you, but if you are below 2.5, you may be out of luck. Also, do not waste your time with ones aiming for GPA’s higher than you have. You are just wasting your time. Before letting the number of scholarships out there overwhelm you, consider the sources of free scholarships and grants.
Merit-based scholarships are most well-known, especially through athletes, although these exist for academic records and other abilities. These are usually the largest scholarships, but also the most competitively sought after. They might be easy rides for the winners, but not easy scholarships for you to get. You might even want to avoid looking at these unless there is something in particular you are really good at. Need-based scholarships are an excellent opportunity for lower-income families. A review of family financial records might be done, and a FAFSA is required, but a large amount of money is available here. Other niche easy scholarships are attainable depending on the student’s race, gender, religion and career goal. Check at your place of worship or extracurricular club, even your part-time job if money is available. The really untapped market of easy scholarship money that many miss is private money through people they know. Everyone competes for public and government money, but what about your parents? Are they sure there is no scholarship money available through their workplace?
If you are a parent trying to become a student, there are even scholarships just for moms and dads. As you sift through all the scholarships available, keep in mind three things. First, apply for both scholarships that are rewarded individually and scholarship lotteries. Individual applications will mean multiple page essays and the like, but lotteries simply require an entry into a drawing. Do not put all your eggs in one basket and make sure you are invested in both. Second, do not just aim for full scholarships that pay for your full ride. Many easy scholarships exist that are in the few thousands or even hundreds of dollars. A lot of these are overlooked because they are so small, but any of them make college cheaper, pay for a dorm room or books. And, it is possible to pull enough of them together to total your tuition. Finally, go for broke so you do not end up broke. Use the search engine of your choice to look for weird, unusual or strange scholarships. Are you in the 10% of the population that is left-handed? That is an easy scholarship qualification. Money is out there for exceptionally tall individuals, as well as the more vertically challenged. Check all your receipts for scholarship announcements and contests at businesses you frequent. Any establishment is sure to love the good press. So does your elected official. Check their websites for easy scholarship opportunities in exchange for them getting a good photo-op.
Even check your bills and credit card statements. Credit card companies prey on college students, and offer a lot of scholarship money as a public relations effort. If you have already been accepted into a certain school, communicate with the financial aid office over the phone or in person, not just by email or Internet. Brown-nosing will backfire, but if you have a friendly repertoire with someone there, toss in a few questions. Have any other students recently had money come from strange sources? Odd places for small scholarships may offer little to know competition. As a last resort and hail mary, enjoy the information age. Throw up a website asking for donations and plead your case. Can you record the next viral video? Do something outlandish that gets attention and a few bucks are sure to follow. Hopefully, the advice and information in this article helps you or a loved one pay for a post-secondary education. Now go out and those easy scholarships!
