Why settle for crumbs when you can have the whole pie
Cave Creek, Arizona – To many times parents put all their proverbial eggs in the “I hope my kid wins the full ride scholarship” basket.
I hate to burst your bubble but it ‘ain’t gonna happen’ for most families. You may even read this and say, “I’m not most families…” Read on then.
With American Idol fans in my family, we watched Idol Gives Back. At every commercial break there was at least one ad from the Coca Cola Company touting its Coca Cola Scholarship. Sure it is a sizeable amount but only 250 will win. That is 250 students from 26,000 high schools across this nation and God only knows how many actual entries. The likelihood of winning is about as good as getting bitten by a shark in Kansas.
Of the multiple millions of American Idol viewers how many do you think will apply for this scholarship? Tons.
Generally, private scholarships are the hardest to get because of the magnitude of hopeful students applying.
If you are going to apply for scholarships narrow down the competition as much as possible. If your future college student is female, green eyed, left handed, who loves fencing and performs ethnic dance; look for specific scholarships that fit those specific parameters. This eliminates most of the competition.
Most parents and students have been told to go after private scholarships. No wonder why it is so cut throat and difficult to win a scholarship. Of course, why settle for the crumbs when you can have the whole pie!
The biggest piece of the pie is Federal and State aid followed closely by the schools own dowry. Why not position yourself to get free Federal and State money? After all you have been feeding that beast the first day you were employed or purchased something that was taxed.
There are Billions upon Billions of dollars out there waiting to be claimed. All you must do is position yourself to be a candidate for aid and it is yours. Provided that you follow the rules, don’t apply late or apply to schools that have no money in their dowry.
Knowing how the game is played is 99% of the battle. Know the game. Win the college aid battle.
