scholarship info

Unlike, other forms of financial aid, you don’t get a scholarship by filling out a standard form that you find in your college/guidance’s office. While most universities do offer their own scholarships, the majority of scholarship money comes from private organizations that you have to seek out and find on your own. This is a simple matter of effort, and the more effort you put in, the better chance you’ll have of finding a scholarship that you have a prayer of winning. Scholarships are not always based on grades or test scores. In fact, sometimes they can get downright weird. For example:

  • SAMMY Scholarship. SAMMY stands for the Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year, an award that is open to graduating high school senior scholar athletes. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in academics, athletic performance, leadership and community service. They must also submit a picture of themselves with a milk moustache. Candidates must also be a resident of one of the 48 contiguous states or the District of Columbia. There will be one scholarship of $7,500 awarded to each of 25 regional winners. 
    (www.whymilk.com)
  • The Illustrators of the Future Contest. This award is open to artists from all over the world. An entry consists of three black and white works illustrating a science fiction or fantasy story with no recurring theme. Entries may not have been previously published. The award is up to $4,000. 
    (www.writersofhefuture.com)
  • TCI Scholarship. Tall Clubs International offers a $1,000 scholarship for tall people. Women who are at least 5'10" and men who are at least 6'2" are eligible for the award. Candidates must be under 21 years old and plan to attend college in the fall. 
    (www.tall.org)

National Make It Yourself with Wool Competition
Box 175
Lavina, MT 59046

  • NMIYWW Scholarship. The National Make It Yourself with Wool competition awards $2,000 and $1,000 scholarships for knitting wool garments. Winners are selected based on the appropriateness to the contestant's lifestyle, coordination of fabric/yarn with garment style and design, contestant's presentation, and creativity.
  • David Letterman Telecommunications Scholarship. David Letterman established this scholarship in 1985 to provide money for average telecommunications students who nevertheless have a creative mind. Winners are selected primarily based on creativity. Projects may involve a variety of media, including written work, research, audio, video, graphics and film. The winner receives a $10,000 scholarship. The first runner-up receives $5,000. The second runner-up receives $3,333. 
    (www.bsu.edu/ccim/tcom/scholarships.htm)
  • Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship. This scholarship awards one $5,000 and three $1,000 to skateboarders who are high school seniors with a GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Recipients must enroll as a full-time undergraduate at an accredited college or university the fall after high school graduation. 
    (www.skateboardscholarship.org)

The list goes on and on. There’s a scholarship for people who can make duck calling sounds, speak Vulcan, promoted vegetarianism in their school, worked as golf caddies, and created outstanding apple pie recipes. Of course, there are also some more traditional scholarship search sites:

Don’t sell yourself short! Start early, look long and hard, and apply to as many scholarships as you possibly can. If you’re paying for college yourself, a little bit of effort up front could save months of college loan payments. If you’re not, whoever is paying will most certainly appreciate your efforts. And who knows, maybe they’ll offer to split it with you. It never hurts to try.

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