Searching for scholarships can be daunting, but there are lots of places where money is offered and few applicants look. In fact, some scholarships are given to anybody who applies, because so few take the time to do it.
“Because sometimes scholarship funds are really targeted, they really, whoever finds that application is the one that receives it,” said Kim Signoret- Paar, Director of Development of Student Affairs at UC San Diego.
She said students need to look at home first; at their high schools for funds that apply to them specifically. She said next students need to look at their college or university and then to the community or professional organizations.
There are also wacky scholarships available that many people don’t consider. There are scholarships for blue eyed people, tall and short people, money for accordion players, milk drinkers, duck callers, Star Trek fans, vegetarians, meat eaters, cartoonists and skateboarders. There is also a scholarship for people with difficult last names. SDSU student John Rutledge who is six foot four would have gone for the tall scholarship had he known it existed.
“I mean why not?” said Rutledge.
Signoret- Paar said students shouldn’t just apply for scholarship money freshmen year. She said specific scholarships are offered for current students.
“We have a scholarship for students who have come from families with either mental illness or they themselves are dealing with mental illness,” said Signoret- Paar. “We have scholarships for foster children. We have scholarships by major.”
The bottom line, she said, is don’t get frustrated and give up.
“If you're looking for scholarship money you need to be persistent,” she said. “You should really do it every year that you're at university and look for new opportunities.”
She recommends everyone submit a FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid which is a free tool that determines financial need and many scholarships require it.
You can also get more information on scholarships at College Board and especially the whacky ones at Fast Web.
