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Scholarships are awards that can assist you in paying for your tuition fees and your textbooks. Scholarships can give you a sense of accomplishment for being handpicked for an award, and they also look excellent on a resume. However, many students don’t apply for scholarships because they don’t think they have the time, or because they don’t believe that they will win. Here is the truth about three popular scholarship myths:
Scholarships are only for students with high grades.
Although it is true that some scholarships require high grades or a high academic average for students to qualify, there are many scholarships that don’t have anything to do with grades. Many reward you for your creativity, volunteering commitments, or essay writing. The Stuck at Prom Scholarship requires you and your prom date to create your prom outfits entirely out of duct tape. A pair of students will win a $10,000 scholarship and $5,000 for their school. The Scotiabank National Scholarship requires you to answer the essay question, “In 150 words or less, tell us how you will fund your future.” 12 scholarships worth $2,500 each will be given away.
Scholarships are impossible to win.
In some cases, it may be true that hundreds of students apply for the same scholarships, and they are often competitive when a high profile award is offered. However, this shouldn’t discourage you from applying for them. There is a simple golden rule when it comes to scholarships: If you don’t apply for them, you can’t win them. Without any risk, there won’t be any reward. Take a chance! You never know what might happen.
Scholarships are only for graduating grade 12 students, university, and college students.
There are many scholarships up for grabs if you have just enrolled in high school. The Easy Money Scholarship only requires you to be at least 13 years old, enrolled in a Canadian high school, university, or college, and be a member of the StudentAwards website. As there are many scholarships that can be applied for early on in high school, it will give you a lot of time to search, plan, and apply.
These scholarship myths often discourage students from applying for scholarships. Don’t let yourself be one of those students – there are thousands of scholarships to apply for and many of them are neglected. Happy scholarship hunting!