Let’s face it, these days getting a college education is incredibly expensive. Tuition alone leaves many students left taking out student loans that have soaring interest rates. To be specific, the costs of college tuition have reportedly raised by 169% while average income has only increased by 19%.
With these dismal numbers, it makes sense that students everywhere are searching for scholarship opportunities that will alleviate some of the financial burden associated with heading off to school. Luckily, there are specific skills that you may have that could help your chances of receiving a scholarship. Continue reading to dive into a few scholarship resources and skills you can build on to increase your odds of obtaining a scholarship.
Utilize scholarship resource websites
When you’re trying to get into college, it’s worthwhile to utilize websites that clearly list out the numerous scholarships and their titles. Scholarship America is one of these incredibly useful websites that help students to earn the available awards. More particularly, they offer opportunities to join leadership programs with the National Society of High School Scholars.
This well-renowned group, abbreviated as (NSHS) is full of students who want to make a difference in fundraising, being active in their communities, and working to make a change in their towns. Regardless of the scholarship, you may be applying for, becoming a member of a leadership-focused program is a wise way to increase your odds of receiving financial support. This way, when it’s all said and done, students like you that hold their college dreams close to their hearts will be more prepped for scholarships that align with their specific personalities and skills.
Familiarize yourself with code
Another way to promote your odds of receiving a scholarship is by learning new skills that separate you from other students. One skill that could pay off for your chances of gaining financial support is coding. Take your time to learn how to code by watching various videos and resources.
Once you’ve started learning to code using common software languages like Python, you’ll want to expand your horizons by discovering different packages within Python’s programming language. One of these skills is subplots matplotlib which is useful for visualizing data into graphs or plots. After learning your choice of programming language, you may even want to take a look at this list of the best coding grants and scholarship programs available to students who code.
Some of these may even offer boot camps to help you refine your skills. In the long run, this additional study can lead to student success that may result in tuition award scholarships which could lead to free tuition! Not to mention, if you plan on going into the field of computer science or engineering, then learning to code is a great tool to have regardless.
Start earlier rather than later
While it may seem like a no-brainer, make sure to start your search for scholarship awards earlier rather than at the last minute. Understandably so, high school seniors may have a lot on their plates or feel overwhelmed about their potential success.
To assist in alleviating a bit of that worry, try to apply to be an early applicant. This way, you have plenty of time to put thought and effort into your application rather than feeling rushed. In the end, this extra bit of time can make a huge difference in the quality of your essay, skill set, and overall application which may result in being the scholarship recipient.
Don’t discount the more unusual talents
While many skills are technical, don’t forget there are plenty of oddball scholarships out there. For example, some focus on hidden talents like duck-calling or creating duct-tape prom attire.
No matter the unusual scholarship talent, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to be like everyone else to get the financial support you need. By keeping these unique awards in mind, you might just be the scholarship recipient of your dream award. In turn, you’ll have the liberty to go to your dream school without the profound idea of financials hanging over your head.