Ah, college, a time in your life characterized by independence, self-seeking and student loans. If the last of these three components seem less appealing to you than the others, you should know that you’re not alone. College students tend to not like receiving those dollar-sign-filled letters that everybody pretends are junk mail. Don’t deny it; you’ve done it.
Many college students’ grades suffer due to the constant attention they give to their jobs, which they are likely working just to pay their way through college. Many don’t have to worry about this, as their parents are willing to set aside the money necessary to pay for their education; if somebody offers to pay, you should definitely let them! If either of these options is unavailable or unappealing to you, don’t worry, because there are plenty of other ways to pay for college nowadays.
Sometimes, these options come to you via a much-needed, well-deserved check with your name on it. No, I don’t mean alimony; I mean scholarships. Luckily, there are some lesser-known ones that will do a great job at helping you further your education.
1. Create-A-Greeting Card Scholarship Contest
Are you an aspiring artist or just an English major in need of some cash? Then this is the scholarship for you. This contest allows high school, college and even homeschool students who are at least fourteen years of age to upload a graphic design, drawing or painting for a picture that would go well on a greeting card.
This contest, created by “The Gallery Collection,” is a great opportunity for students to make their original artwork public. The winner receives a $10,000 check to help pay for school. That’s not too bad for a day’s work of art, is it?
2. The Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
Calling all vegetarians! You can be awarded up to $5,000 just because of your diet. According to “Lendedu’s” Weird Scholarships Guide for 2017, “applications are judged on your ability to actively demonstrate courage, compassion and a commitment to peace in the world, through your lifestyle as a vegetarian.” Applicants are assessed on their participation as an activist in their community for vegetarianism.
3. Cancer Scholarships
College can be especially stressful when one’s health does not cooperate. For those who have suffered from cancer or are the children of cancer sufferers, there are more educational options than one might initially assume.
For instance, the National Collegiate Cancer Foundation provides a student whose life has been significantly altered due to cancer (they might be suffering from the condition or closely related to someone who is or has been suffering from the condition) with a monetary award to use to pay for their education.
4. Tall Clubs International Student Scholarships
This next one is a little bit weird. If you’re tall (5’10’’ or taller for women, and 6’2’’ or taller for men), under twenty-one and in the first semester of your freshman year of college, this is definitely a scholarship that you should consider applying for.
This scholarship, hosted by the TCI Foundation, awards recipients $1,000. To apply, one must get in touch with a local TCI club member who can sponsor them. Their name will then be given to the TCI and there is a possibility that their name will be chosen.
5. Left-Handers Scholarships
Next, we have a scholarship that is perhaps one of the oddest out there. Many decades ago, being lefthanded was viewed by many as a sign of evil or witchcraft; as a result, some scholarships are specifically tailored to pay for some lefthanders’ college education. Examples include the Fredrick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship and the Andrew Macrina Scholarship Fund, which provide scholarship funds to left-handed college and university students.
6. Clowns of America International Scholarship
For Clowns of America International club members, this scholarship is available if such members are currently enrolled in a ten-hour family entertainment program. This is a great way for students to get funds to pay for their education. If you love to entertain and are willing to be a member of this society, go for it! There is no set amount for the scholarship’s monetary award, as it varies from person-to-person. For more information about this scholarship, which runs through March 2018, visit this website.
7. Student of the Year
Student of the Year by Adzuna is a brilliant scholarship that can help a student financially, while also assisting them in getting on the career ladder too. All you need to do is write a cover letter for the job of your dreams, and you could win £3,500, an internship in a top company, plus much more!
Financial aid can be difficult to come by; despite this, there are opportunities for scholarships based on major, artistic skills and even height (for both tall and short individuals). These might be just what you need to receive a college education. It’s important that you never allow your financial status to determine how educated you are; remember that education is absolutely a privilege, but that does not mean that it is not a choice.
Student loans can take a long time to get to you and a much longer time to get back to those who gave them to you. Therefore, apply for as many scholarships as you qualify for; there’s no reason to not take advantage of a perfectly good scholarship that nobody happens to be using.
A good lesson to learn in college is to always be conservative. Sometimes, this means only eating half of the ice cream carton so that it will last until payday, and sometimes it means cutting back on expenses and taking the small amount of time and effort that is required to apply for a few scholarships to save you quite a lot of trouble down the road.
