What’s Needed on a Scholarship Application?
When you get a scholarship application, there will be a few standard items you’ll have to fill in for the people considering the form. Usually, these are pretty standard questions. You’ll be asked who you are, where you live, what school you attend, and what grade level you’re currently in. The form will also touch on personal questions. This is where the form can get a little tricky.
So before you fill out the scholarship application, take a separate piece of paper and take some time to think over your answers. Usually, the first response that pops into your head can be improved.
But whatever you do, don’t talk in a lofty manner that’s not how you speak. While you do want to impress the committee, you don’t want to a high school student writing like a sixty-year-old either. It’s understandable to feel nervous, but you have to be real.
Standard on every scholarship application, you’ll find a section asking about income. That’s to determine who is eligible for the money and who isn’t. Most forms will require you to fill out a FAFSA as part of their financial aid process.
You may also be asked for your GPA and you may have to write an essay about yourself and why you need the scholarship. Take care to submit writing that’s clear of spelling and grammar mistakes and double-check the application before you send it in. Unanswered portions that you’ve missed will only delay the application.
How Does a Free Scholarship Program Work?
A free scholarship program can be a program offered by a major corporation. For example, there are multi-million dollar companies that offer free funding to their employees’ college-age dependents as a perk for working for them.
This money can range from a few thousand to enough to pay for an entire year of schooling so they’re definitely worth checking out. Some companies even go as far as to offer an internship with their company after college graduation.
But in order to get a free scholarship, you’re going to want to have a game plan. You’ll be one of the thousands going after the same scholarship and in most cases, there will only be one or two applicants chosen.
The first thing you should do in the hunt for school funding is to make a list of your accomplishments in education and in your personal life. Don’t overlook any volunteer positions. Not only will this look good on an application but you can use these avenues to search for scholarships.
When looking for a free scholarship, look in the areas of education where you excelled. Did you enjoy a writing class? Check out journalism programs that offer free funds for the school. Do you have work experience that could translate into a scholarship? Some restaurants offer scholarship programs to young athletes or for those who excel in schoolwork.
How to Conduct a Scholarship Search Online
Thanks to the online tools on various websites, college wannabes can now conduct a scholarship search online. You can use these handy tools to help you find the cash you need and not only that, but many online sites geared toward helping find funds will also dole out great advice about what to expect when heading off to college. All you have to do is look for sites that offer a database of scholarships.
During your scholarship search, all you have to do is type in a little information and you’ll get access to thousands of potential scholarships that you could qualify for. You’ll get more at your fingertips faster than if you did an individual search based on the scholarships you already know about. With an online search, you could learn about money for school that you didn’t even know existed.
With a scholarship search, you’ll find out about matches fitting your criteria and you’ll also discover possible internship opportunities. There is so much knowledge available when you’re looking online for college information. The knowledge that can help you stay out of debt while going to college, knowledge that can teach you how to study and tips for dealing with the stress of taking on a new direction in life.
Is There a Difference Between Scholarships and Grants?
Can you apply for both scholarships and grants? How can you tell them apart from one another? Actually, both words mean that money is given for a purpose. A grant can be awarded for the purpose of going to college, going on a writing retreat or receiving funding for research. A scholarship simply means the recipient is receiving financial aid. So in essence, both are money given to an applicant who qualifies to receive the funds.
The difference between the two is not a very wide gulf at all. There are federal scholarships and grants. You’ll find many federal scholarships listed as grants such as the Pell Grant. As with a scholarship, you’ll have to fill out a FAFSA to see if you qualify for the grant.
The upside of both scholarships and grants is that they are not student loans. That means you won’t be paying for them for years down the road even after all your schooling is completed.
Many students don’t take the time to think about how they pay for college could affect them financially. If you can avoid a student loan, then do so. Make that the very last option you try for because if you’re not careful, those can run you thousands of dollars into debt.