My Current Top 3 Scholarship Resources
Scholarships, yet alone scholarship searches, weren't even on the radar during my schooling. In fact the first I ever heard the term scholarship was during my senior year when I came across a scholarship essay contest that was hosted by Careers & Colleges magazine. There were plenty of scholarship books and sites that mentioned the importance of scholarships yet there was very little talk about them.
The most talk that was heard in regards to scholarships was when I actually started college.By this time some substantial damage was done because that left very little selections. Why you ask?
Well, the grand majority of scholarships that were on display were strictly for students in high school or those below a certain age. A few were scored which helped out a lot but it would've been nice if there were more. When the decision was made to go back, I dove deeper into the scholarship arena.
There's nothing against digital resources, which I'll touch on later, but there are times its best to have a physical source in front of you. Besides, there are times when digital connections wan in and out at the most inopportune times. Guess what else I found in the higher education area?
Lots and lots of books on how to get out of debt. Guess they're there in case those wonderful school funding opportunities are discovered at last minute. You've probably figured that out from the cliffhanger I left.
There is, of course, their scholarship search function. Rather than just listing a bunch of scholarships, you are given a list of potential scholarships that match your criteria. Your criteria is setup at the start of your search so that only the results you're looking for show up.
For example, you wish to find scholarships within accounting and business management. After typing in the specifics of your search, you'll be shown a list spanning one or more pages of potential matches. You can even do a search for general scholarships which usually involve writing on a given topic or reading a book and evaluating what was read.
The Ayn Rand scholarships are a great example of this because each hosted scholarship focuses on at least one of her literary masterpieces. The main objective is to read the specified book and break down what you've read into terms that adequately answer the discussion question(s) presented. They should be crafted in as fine a detail as possible.
The scholarships you are shown are compiled based on the info present within your profile. Based on this, you'll be shown scholarships that range from general to those that relate your specified major(s). One of my favorite features is the heads up display.
It shows the award amount, Deadline, the amount of work needed, the competition size along with a drop down menu to categorize the listings. At the left is a snippet from a page of scholarships that were examined some years ago.
The majority on the list have a tag of Applied. Outside of this are the tags of Might Apply and Will Apply. This meant that I was considering or was definitely going to apply for the stated scholarship.
There are also options for Won, Did Not Win, Doesn't Fit and Will Not Apply. The last two options came up a bit during the initial browsing phase because my work load at the time would've interfered. Be it the quality of the end product or the low inventory of supplies for completing said entries.
The easier the application the more competition there will be. In addition to third party results, there are also sponsored results and opportunities from Cappex.
The most talk that was heard in regards to scholarships was when I actually started college.By this time some substantial damage was done because that left very little selections. Why you ask?
Well, the grand majority of scholarships that were on display were strictly for students in high school or those below a certain age. A few were scored which helped out a lot but it would've been nice if there were more. When the decision was made to go back, I dove deeper into the scholarship arena.
Resource 1: Physical Scholarship Books
Since I'm always at the library every Saturday, I decided to branch out away from the typically frequented sections and explore the higher education area. There were so many scholarship books to choose from but after some exploring over the next few months the scholarship books by the Tanabe's became a favorite. Everything was broken down into digestible bits that were easy to follow.There's nothing against digital resources, which I'll touch on later, but there are times its best to have a physical source in front of you. Besides, there are times when digital connections wan in and out at the most inopportune times. Guess what else I found in the higher education area?
Lots and lots of books on how to get out of debt. Guess they're there in case those wonderful school funding opportunities are discovered at last minute. You've probably figured that out from the cliffhanger I left.
Resource 2: AIE.org
Compiling all digital resources into one section sounds easier but as noted from exploration, not all are alike. As soon as AIE (Adventures in Education) was introduced, it became a quick favorite for various reasons. There were resources for finding aid, dealing with loans and life after college; i.e. repaying loans and employment.There is, of course, their scholarship search function. Rather than just listing a bunch of scholarships, you are given a list of potential scholarships that match your criteria. Your criteria is setup at the start of your search so that only the results you're looking for show up.
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| This particular search result yielded 152 while business management yielded 9. There are quick search links on the front page of the search of commonly searched terms. |
The Ayn Rand scholarships are a great example of this because each hosted scholarship focuses on at least one of her literary masterpieces. The main objective is to read the specified book and break down what you've read into terms that adequately answer the discussion question(s) presented. They should be crafted in as fine a detail as possible.
Resource 3: Cappex.com
One of my all time favorites during my scholarship search infancy. The scholarship search tiers were fun and you were rewarded special titles based on how much searches you completed during the week. From newb to Rockstar in no time at all and I got an awesome branded cap to show it off. |
| A crowning achievement from back in the day. |
The majority on the list have a tag of Applied. Outside of this are the tags of Might Apply and Will Apply. This meant that I was considering or was definitely going to apply for the stated scholarship.
There are also options for Won, Did Not Win, Doesn't Fit and Will Not Apply. The last two options came up a bit during the initial browsing phase because my work load at the time would've interfered. Be it the quality of the end product or the low inventory of supplies for completing said entries.
The easier the application the more competition there will be. In addition to third party results, there are also sponsored results and opportunities from Cappex.
