Have you or anyone you’re close to ever applied for college scholarships? It can be a daunting task, full of ups and downs; but it doesn’t have to be if you know the right avenues to take.
Your time is valuable. Put yourself in the shoes of a high school student (maybe you are, or maybe you’re the parent of one). You wake up at six in the morning and get to school by six thirty. After you complete an early morning practice, you then sit in your classes for the next seven hours before going to your second practice of the day. When you finally get home around six in the evening, you shower and eat your dinner. By the time you’ve finished everything, including your homework, you just want to fall into bed and sleep so you have the energy to do it all again the next day.
So, when is there a good time to sit and fill out endless college scholarship applications that require forms to be filled out, transcripts, community service hours, and so on?
The answer is, there is quite literally not any time to spend five hours filling out these applications. Not between school, sports, family, and potentially even working part time! Your time is valuable, and today, I will teach you all about how to find the scholarships you want and the easiest ones to apply for and nail down!
Keep in mind that sometimes the longer the application is, the more the payout is. For today though, we will concentrate on short and easy!
Places to find quick and easy scholarships you can easily get.
There are three websites with recurrent scholarships available that I will recommend. Always do your research prior to applying. After listing the websites, I will inform you of scams to watch out for.
- MoneySolver has multiple scholarships for student loans and scholarships to choose from. They’ve been in business since 2007. On their FAQ page, they even have a, “What are my chances of winning?” section. They go on to list that since they are a smaller company with fewer applicants, meaning a higher chance of winning.
- Niche is another established scholarship site that has a wide variety of options for students. They also have a tool on their website that matches an applicant with scholarships that they are eligible for. One of their most popular and coveted scholarships is a no essay scholarship, but the deadline is November 30th so if you plan on applying, hurry!
- Colleges of Distinction has been in business since 2000 and their mission is to not only help students find the best college, but also find the right college. They have a large list of scholarships students are eligible to apply for, along with information on each individual scholarship.
Avoiding college scholarship scams.
According to U.S. News, there are two major red flags to keep your eyes peeled for. If a student starts receiving emails, letters, or phone calls about being the winner of a scholarship that they never applied for, run the other way. There are scam companies that can find student information easily online and then try to pull a quick one over on them. A second red flag is scholarship applications that ask for a payment or charge a fee to apply. These are not legitimate scholarships, once again, this is a major sign of a scam. If you come into contact with a scholarship asking for money, move on.
Final thoughts.
The scholarship application process doesn’t have to be scary! Use the above tips and websites to your advantage. Remember, we live in a world that wants instant gratification, meaning we want short, concise applications that tell us we get thousands! Sometimes, though, it’s about doing your research (like reading this article!) and applying the right tools. Good luck!