It is that time of the year again. For many students, it is time to start thinking about ways to fund next school year. Why? Because we are officially in the midst of scholarship season. Woohoo! Free money! To help you get the most out of this season and not miss a deadline, I want to dispel three common myths and make you aware of a few important dates.
Grants vs. Scholarships
First, it is important to understand the difference between two kinds of free money: grants and scholarships. Grants can come from a variety of sources, but usually they come from the federal or state government. These tend to be need-based and several come from filling your FAFSA. While both tend to require applications, scholarships are usually awarded based on specific criteria and may have stipulations required to keep it. This usually means maintaining full-time student status or remaining at or above a certain grade point average, it all depends on the scholarship.
Common Myths about Scholarships
- Scholarships are a waste of time. It is better for me to use that time to work.
If you have experienced being turned down for a scholarship before, I know how difficult it is to keep applying. However, the payoff for even one scholarship is not something you should pass up.
For example, say you spend 5 or even 10 hours (most do not take this long) applying for a $500 scholarship that you win. You would have made $50-$100 an hour. Wow! It would take me at least 50 hours of work to make that at a $10 an hour job.
- Most scholarships are extremely difficult.
How difficult is writing a couple of sentences or even a page essay compared to some of your college writing assignments? Most scholarships are not extremely difficult, especially when you break the work into manageable chunks and start at least two weeks before the due date. Pro tip: use your updated resume and keep a running list of things you have been involved in with a brief description of what you did. It makes that application process A LOT faster and less stressful. Additionally, if you have questions there is usually a contact person who can answer them.
- I won’t qualify.
There are scholarships for almost everything. Are you left handed? A vegetarian? Have a political party? Over 6’2”? Have a major or desired career? There are many scholarships that do not require you to have financial need and/ or stellar grades.
Scholarship Jackpot for K-State Students
KSN- Due 2/15
The K-State Scholarship Network is arguably the most important scholarship you can fill out as a K-State student. This scholarship network found at https://www.k-state.edu/sfa/aid/scholarships/ksn/ gives you access to university wide, college and sometimes even departmental scholarships. The general application is super simple. There is lots of checking and a description of up to five extracurricular activities you are involved in at K-State. While the second application varies by college in complexity, it also tends to be fairly simple. It maybe took me two hours to complete. Additionally, you may have additional recommended scholarship opportunities that you can apply for based on the information you provided on the general and college application. If you have a renewable scholarship from the university, then many of them require you to fill out the KSN to remain eligible anyway. While department scholarships are sometimes included in the KSN, this is not always the case. Be sure to check with your department to find out for sure.
In addition to K-State scholarships, there are several other scholarships that have due dates in the coming weeks. Many community scholarships and company scholarships tend to be due in the next two weeks to month. You may qualify for these because of where you live, the town/county you graduated from or your major. Now get applying!
Do you want help understanding the different options for paying for school or have other financial questions? Request a free appointment with a peer financial counselor today via https://www.k-state.edu/powercatfinancial/.
Anabelle Sanko
Peer Counselor I
Powercat Financial
www.k-state.edu/powercatfinancial
Sources:
https://www.k-state.edu/sfa/aid/grants/
