Before you start applying for scholarships it is important that you understand the biggest facts and misconceptions about scholarships that have been sold by students to other students.
It has been discovered that only a few students who graduated with good grades in their high school apply for scholarships. This is because these students have bought these biggest misconceptions about scholarships without knowing about the real facts about scholarships, and this has stopped them from applying for scholarships after their High School Education. This content will clear the air and in detail explain the biggest misconceptions about scholarships. And we will also take time to discuss the facts you need to know about scholarships.
Some of the Misconceptions about Scholarships to be addressed by providing its required facts include the following:
Part 1
- Scholarships are only for students who are gifted
- There are few Scholarships available
- You Must be committed Socially
- Funding will not be enough
- Uncertain outcome and time-consuming application process
- It takes time to apply for scholarships
- Many Applicants and fewer chances
- I must have financial need to receive a scholarship
- It is only at the beginning of an academic study that a scholarship is offered
- Scholarships can only be used to fund living expenses
Part 2
- No worries concerning college, my grades must/will guarantee me a scholarship
- I’m an average white boy/man. It’s possible I won’t be getting a scholarship
- If I was poor I would have been offered scholarships
- Someone should tell me where the unclaimed scholarships are, I need the money
- It is only in the Senior Year that I can apply for scholarships
Facts and Misconceptions about Scholarships
We have divided this content into two segments, the first part is the part that discusses the misconceptions about scholarships, and the second part discusses the facts about scholarships you won’t believe.
Misconceptions about Scholarships
Here are the biggest misconceptions about scholarships.
Scholarships are only for students who are gifted
Many high school graduating students believe in one big misconception about scholarships without knowing the facts. Some high schoolers widely believe that only gifted students are eligible to apply for scholarships.
Scholarship platforms and foundations use different criteria in offering their scholarships. Therefore, scholarship application eligibility is not only dependent on being gifted in academics. Some of the factors taken into consideration when offering scholarships range from, coming from a low-income family, nationality, parents’ occupation, or residential location.
There are few Scholarships available
This is one of the misconceptions about scholarships, but the fact is there are tons of organizations offering scholarships to students. But it is only the biggest among these platforms are known by students. And consequently, receive the most applications from students.
But the truth remains that there are more than 10 thousand scholarship platforms just in Europe alone. Most of these platform receive less number of scholarship applications. Because they are not noticed by most students.
Unless you put in diligent work in your scholarship search, you may not be able to find this kind of scholarship platform. And you may end up saying that there are few scholarship-awarding organizations.
You Must be committed Socially
This is one of the biggest and most pronounced misconceptions about scholarship applications. Because it falls under most scholarship criteria and requirements. This is not true, the fact is That being socially committed is an important attribute when it comes to scholarship applications. The fact about this misconception is that there are still scholarships that will offer students an opportunity even if they’re not involved in any kind of social commitment or community work.
Funding will not be enough
This is a very huge misconception, but the fact is that every scholarship platform is careful enough to set out a certain amount that they will offer to students who are considered eligible for the scholarship. Therefore, it is important that read the scholarship description to know how much they are offering. The amount offered by scholarship platforms varies greatly depending! The amount offered to postgraduate students or doctoral students is not the same amount that will be offered to Undergraduate Students.
You shouldn’t bother about whether or not there are enough funds. All you need to concentrate on is winning the scholarship and you will be awarded the scholarship money.
Uncertain outcome and time-consuming application process
This kind of misconception about scholarships is a thing of the past, where it is difficult to find scholarships that suit a person, including the uncertainty of winning any of them. The fact is that scholarship search engines now provide the opportunity to set up a profile of you. This reduces your scholarship search because a notice will be sent to your email immediately after a scholarship is available that suits your profile.
It takes time to apply for scholarships
The facts about these misconceptions about scholarship are simple because many application process takes about 10 to 20 minutes. Often, this application processes are done by email and requires less information about you, unlike a job application. Some graduate scholarships require more details, which might include work experiences and the deluge of information from your CV. But other scholarships require just your name, location, school, and academic level of study. Just as simple as that.
Many Applicants and fewer chances
Many students apply for only popular scholarships because of the publicity given to those scholarships. But tons of other smaller scholarship organizations complain that they don’t have enough candidates to offer their scholarships. It is important that you search diligently to find those smaller scholarships with fewer applicants. Not only those scholarship that receive the biggest publicity.
I must have financial need to receive a scholarship
Another pronounced misconception about scholarships.
It is important that you note that brilliant students from rich homes still receive scholarships.
The selection criteria for every scholarship vary greatly.
This is one of the misconceptions about scholarships but here is the fact: some scholarship platforms offer scholarships to students who are academically successful and do not take into consideration the family’s income. Some scholarship platforms consider the nationality of the students and not the financial state of the student.
It is only at the beginning of an academic study when a scholarship is offered
Most students lose hope in scholarship applications because they’ve already started studying a course, with the belief that scholarships are offered only to students in their first year of study or who are yet to start their post-secondary or graduate course.
Most scholarship platforms offer scholarships to students who are already studying a course not taking into consideration if the student is in their first year, second year, or even in there final year of study
Scholarships can only be used to fund living expenses
The fact about this misconception is that scholarships can be used to fund just about anything. Some scholarships are fully funded which cover tuition fees, including living expenses, books and board, and just about anything you can think of that concerns academics
This means scholarship platforms provide other forms of funds which might include flight tickets, internships abroad, and other related expenses.
Facts about scholarships that you won’t believe
Every year tons of students around the world venture into the task of pursuing scholarships for studies. Some students venture into the task well-equipped with the facts about scholarships and some other students just have peripheral information about how scholarships work.
Since most students believe that being awarded a scholarship is made possible through luck, it is important for all to understand that students with extra information will always have the upper hand to sail through scholarship applications successfully. Therefore the facts about scholarships are as important as they sound.
Facts about scholarships
Providing information and facts to the misconceptions about scholarships and important tips on how to be successful in a scholarship application is the core value that we represent. In cognizance of this fact, we have explained in this article the fact that every student who is a prospective scholarship applicant or already a scholarship applicant should know about the misconceptions about scholarships if the person must be successful in scholarship applications.
No worries concerning college, my grades must/will guarantee me a scholarship
Banking on one’s academic prowess is not advisable in scholarship Pursuit. Because most scholarship platforms believe that a student must be involved in Community Services before being qualified for a scholarship. Depending on grades in the long run could deny a person a scholarship.
Below is the fact to this misconception about scholarship:
Facts: Approximately 50,000 students every year will be offered a fully funded scholarship that will cover the student’s tuition and other expenses without that student being extremely academically buoyant. Many students would be offered scholarships just because of being the best player on their football team and so on. Therefore both students whether academically buoyant or not, should be open-minded and apply to as many scholarships as possible, to be able to cover all college expenses. No students should depend on only academic prowess or Community Services.
I’m an average white boy/man. It’s possible I won’t be getting a scholarship
Below is the fact to this misconception about scholarship:
Facts: Caucasian students are most times 40% more likely to be offered a scholarship by private organizations than other students.
Many organizations and firms have justified the creation of scholarships for white students on the basis that minority students are always been offered the majority of scholarships. But this myth is simply not true. There are out there many organizations that offer scholarships for students from all over the world which directly perpetuates the fact that scholarships are closely balanced and no student should go into a Scholarship application with fear of discrimination. Because there is always a scholarship out there for you.
If I was poor I would have been offered scholarships
Below is the fact to this misconception about scholarship:
Facts: it is funny to have discovered through research and interviews that students whose families make between $50,000 and $10,0000 (average income family) are more likely to win scholarships than students who make less than $50,000.
It is considered important that students take note that not all the scholarship awarding platforms care about their family’s income. Some platforms offer scholarships based on other laid out requirements and not need-based but merit-based
Someone should tell me where the unclaimed scholarships are, I need the money
Facts: No scholarship platform has money left for scholarships after they’ve offered their scholarship for the year. Scholarship platforms always have a budget for the year, and there is nothing like unclaimed scholarships anywhere. This myth has been carried on for about 30 years now. It all started in the 1976-1977 year, which was validated through the study carried out by the National Institute of Work and Study. The study estimated that $7 billion was available for student aid but only 300 to 400 million were used.
It is only in the Senior Year that I can apply for scholarships
Facts: Any student who is waiting to be in the Senior Year before applying for a scholarship is already behind schedule. If student can invest their time in scholarship research they’ll discover that there are tons of scholarship platforms out there that offer scholarships for elementary, high school, and other students from different levels of studies.
Therefore, students should be mindful of what they read online because there are myths and lies out there about scholarship. Don’t be crippled by some unverified information online telling you that you need to be in your senior year, or advanced level of studies before you could stand a chance of winning scholarships.
You can even start applying for undergraduate scholarships while in your high school graduating year. It will increase your chances of being offered that particular scholarship. There is no time too early for a scholarship application.
It’s a no-brainer to wait until you think the right time has come. If you continue waiting, you’ll graduate with a pile of student loan debt. Make a decision now!
We hope this content was helpful. Do well to leave us a comment in the comment section.
Frequently Asked Questions on Facts and Misconceptions About Scholarship
What is the difference between a scholarship and a grant?
Scholarships and grants are both forms of financial aid offered to students in colleges and universities –they are not to be repaid after graduation. However, scholarships are mostly awarded to students with excellent academic records, athletic ability, and artisan talent. Grants on the other hand are usually based on financial need.
Do I have to be a straight-A student to get a scholarship?
Scholarships awarded to students often require candidates to present an outstanding record. However, there are many scholarships out there that focus on other individual qualities such as community involvement, extracurricular activities, or personal essays.
Are scholarships only for undergraduate students?
Students of all levels can apply for scholarships –so whether you are an undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral student, there is a scholarship opportunity for you.
What is the most difficult thing about searching for scholarships?
The most challenging thing about searching for a scholarship is the number of scholarship opportunities available. This can delay a student’s decision as there are many scholarship options. A delay in decision-making can lead to missing out on good opportunities due to spending more searching for the ideal scholarship.
What makes me stand out for a scholarship?
Feel free to share your experiences and present yourself as a unique candidate with abilities to thrive alongside the community on campus. Try not to limit the experiences you share to just your senior year in high school. While most students are active in sports during their high school days, perhaps it’s best you volunteer to help coach kids.
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