Scholarship Guide for Undergrads

When it comes to higher education, many students are left confused about which college they should apply for, the fesses, student loans and many other things. Till their last moment of college applications or entrance tests, they aren’t sure about their decision. The reaction is however natural but this confusion only leads to stress and this is not the time to be worried. The more tensed you are, the harder this decision may seem. While a lot of parents and students themselves start saving for their college expenses, quite early; the continuous rise in college fee and student debt still leaves them low on budget sometimes.

The best way to be free from all these budget and saving worries is to either look student debt relief programmes or to get a scholarship. While Debt relief programmes help you in easing up the all the college expenses and loans; scholarships on the other hand provide you a more easy way to complete your education without worrying about the loans ever to be returned.

Here is a basic scholarship guide for all those young fellows looking for stress free education.

Why are scholarships needed?

We all know how with the rise of college fee, student debts and tuition fee; it almost seems impossible for one to pursue his/her studies without spending a fortune. There are possibilities that you may not land to your dream job right after you graduate and the results are frustrating. To avoid all these hurdles in between ones education, students apply for scholarships. There are fully funded and other types of scholarships, which provide students with various options to choose from.

Kinds of Scholarships:

What most people don’t know is, scholarships are not just merit based or depend only on your grades but there are plenty of other characteristics you can get a scholarship for. You’ll be surprised to know that there are scholarships available for single moms or for remarkable dancers. All you need to do before giving up on your scholarship or college dreams is to do a bit of research, if you don’t get a fully funded scholarship, you still can get some relief through others. Apart from this there are some need based scholarships too, which bears your college expenses if you and your family can’t afford to pay for college.

When should I start applying for scholarships?

Well, if we say there is no such thing as an ideal time to start applying for scholarships. The sooner you start looking into options; the better. A good rule of thumb would be to plan beforehand. Why? In most cases when you apply for scholarships, scholarship providers start reviewing applications and records after the deadline. The whole process takes about 6-12 weeks or longer. Most students are not sure if they can apply for a scholarship before they finally know which college they will be attending. It’s in your best interest to start applying for scholarships in your high school freshman year. Most providers write you a check with a signed document, which only allows you to use that money on your college education or the money is either given to you when you finally decide our college.

Can I continue to apply after I get into college?

This is the most common mistake most college students make; they stop looking for scholarships once they get into college. There are still many providers who award scholarships to college students and even graduates.

Are there any terms and conditions?

Well, the rules or conditions depend on what of scholarships you’re applying for. Every other scholarship provider has their specific set of rules, which should obviously be considered or else there are chances that your scholarship might get cancelled. The scholarships which get renewed annually require students to maintain their record, based on which they are awarding you the scholarship.

What happens if I get the scholarship?

When you get a scholarship you have to keep your grades maintained and get all the information about what expenses will be cut from your financial aid. Some colleges decrease the same amount of money from your financial aid package as that your scholarship is offering, this makes students think their scholarship was not needed. In this case, ask them to adjust that amount to loans instead of grants.

This basic scholar ship guide is based on questions I had in my mind while I was applying for scholarships in college. Fortunately these questions and their right answers actually helped me a lot and saved me from spending all my money on returning college debts after I graduated. I hope these questions help others looking applying for colleges or are planning to do so. After all, this is one the most fruitful investments of your life.