These days, the employment market is becoming more and more competitive. What that means is, a school diploma just doesn’t cut it any more. Not if you want to find work after graduation. These days, the least you can get away with is a Bachelor’s Degree. That means, if you want to make it as an adult, you need a college education. What’s more, many employers are starting to demand not just any degree, but one from an accredited college. Unfair? You bet it is. But to get an edge in an unfair world, you have to adapt or die.
If you’re still reading this article, that means you’ve chosen to adapt. So now what are you going to do? Accredited universities cost a lot of money. Unless your folks are pulling down six figures, it’s unlikely that they’re going to foot the bill. As some of you already know, having wealthy parents isn’t even a guarantee that they’ll fund your education. Plenty of moms and dads want you to get out there and get it on your own. Fortunately, for haves and have-nots alike, there are a number of different ways to receive cash for the education you are going to need when you are ready to enter the job market.
Now that you have made it to the twelfth grade, you will be approached by colleges sending representatives to recruit seniors. Watch out for recruiters that push student loans on you. Ask any college graduate, and they’ll tell you student loans are a scam. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your career in skyrocketing debt, only consider student loans as an emergency last resort. That leaves you two forms of financial aid; grants and scholarships for high school seniors.
There are a few differences between grants and scholarships. One main difference is that a grant doesn’t have to be academic. Scholarship money is expressly for going to school, and you’ll have to maintain certain requirements to continue to qualify for it. The standard scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement. In the United States, we are also familiar with athletic scholarships as well. But some organizations offer pretty weird scholarships besides, and in an unfair world, these weird scholarships can get you an edge over the competition.
Big and tall students can receive scholarships from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance and Tall Clubs International, respectively. The Vegetarian Resource Group will offer you a scholarship just for not eating meat. (That includes chicken and fish. No cheating.) The International Star Trek Fan Association has been awarding college money to year-long Starfleet members since 1990. Duck brand holds a contest called Stuck at Prom, which rewards fashion students for constructing and wearing prom outfits from duct tape. In fact, lots of product manufacturers offer scholarships: Jif peanut butter offers a reward to the winners of their Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich contest. You can also get cash from Coca-Cola, Intel, and Tylenol among a host of others.
Even weird and wacky scholarships will have stringent requirements to be met, and limited opportunities for snagging them. However funny the theme is though, the reward is still serious money.