Tips for Finding a Winnable Scholarship

Let's just say right off that it is a very bad idea to attempt to find one "perfect" scholarship and subsequently devote all of your time and effort to winning it. A wise scholarship hunter finds all of the scholarships he or she is eligible for, and applies for a great number, if not all, of them. This is a smart angle for several reasons:

1. It's nearly impossible to secure for yourself a free ride. Most likely, you'll have to cobble together a number of loans, scholarships and other financial modes to lessen the sting of paying for college or graduate school.
2. The more lures you have, the better your chance at catching the fish.

The first step is to fill out your BrokeScholar user profile to get a sense of what is available, and what you're eligible for. Not a valedictorian? Don't fret; there are scholarships abound for non-vals, most of which target people with a particular skill, interest or background, from Portland-area playwrights to tennis-playing Tunisians. Where to start? Once you fill out your profile, BrokeScholar will do the searching for you, giving you a list of every matching scholarship. The more completely you fill out you your BrokeScholar profile, the more scholarship opportunities our search will yield. Are you an international student? There are scholarships for you too.

After digging up what you can from BrokeScholar, begin looking elsewhere, and appreciate the fact that you are literally surrounded by scholarship opportunities. Check with your state of residence as well as the state of the institution you're planning on attending for any grants or scholarships offered. Check with local professional organizations, neighborhood and civic groups, churches et cetera. Call the admissions office of the schools you're applying to, and see what they have up their sleeves. Talk to your guidance counselor if you're in high school, or your faculty advisor, if you're in college.

Once you've found a few attractive, winnable scholarships, start requesting those applications and you'll be well on the way. One last thing though, don't apply for anything you're either unqualified for, or "sorta" qualified for. As long as there is someone qualified, all your effort will be fruitless. While the old Hail Mary Pass is attractive, it's always wiser to stick to the scholarships you can win.