A scholarship is financial aid given to a student to help pay for continuing education. There are many scholarships available every school year. An educational scholarship can pay for tuition only, or the entire cost of an education which would include books and housing costs. Some even offer a little extra for other expenses like meals and day to day living.
A good way to find a scholarship is to look locally. A school guidance counselor can help a great deal in identifying scholarships that the student might be eligible for. Just within your local community there may be scholarships offered by several different types of organizations, and usually the school guidance counselors are aware of them and can help a student apply for the right ones.
Many people mistakenly believe that it takes excellent grades to get a scholarship, or that scholarships are reserved for only the top 1% or 2% of students. While grades are important, every scholarship is not based solely on academic performance. Merit scholarships are those that are based on academic performance. Typically, large scholarships are merit-based, going to students who excel in academic performance, though students who show outstanding athletic or artistic potential also receive merit scholarships.
But merit scholarships aren’t the only ones given. A scholarship will often be given to those in financial need who would not be able to go to college, or would have a difficult time affording it, without help. A scholarship based on financial need is typically awarded to a very good student in a particular area. These scholarships will often be all-inclusive, covering books, tuition, housing and even some living expenses.
Other scholarships are given to people who fall into certain categories. People of certain races or religions, for example, can be recipients of a scholarship that’s designed specifically for people belonging to that race or religion. A scholarship can be awarded to someone based on his or her national origin, also. A scholarship is often given by a college or university to those planning to attend their institution. A wide variety of criteria are used to select the recipients of these institutional scholarships.
Other scholarships are given by institutions like the corporation a parent works for, or a local institution in which a parent or both parents belong to and believes the child upholds their values. A scholarship is available for those whose parent or parents have served in the military, also. There are typically dozens of scholarships that each student may qualify for. And often, more than one scholarship can be awarded to one student to help with expenses. A school guidance counselor and a counselor at the college a student wants to attend can help each student sort through the many available options to find a scholarship or many scholarships to meet his or her needs.
