It is vital to understand why scholarships are important before applying, so that one does not miss out on the opportunities ahead. There are various types of scholarships to apply for appealing to all talents. Some of the options for applicants include, but are not limited to, video contests, essays, photography, challenges, composing poems or other types of literature, and DIY projects.

Scholarships can sound daunting if perceived the wrong way; however, scholarships are a wonderful resource and a great way to fund a quality education. Not only do they provide people with opportunities, but they also help students minimize debt after school. For families who struggle to put kids through college, scholarships are a saving grace. While it might seem tedious to write essays and revise for potential benefit, in the long run, it will be worth it.

With this being said, applying is not always made easy, and it can feel hopeless at times. In my experience, I would rate Going Merry as the best website for scholarships. Going Merry makes applying for scholarships simple. With this source, one can sign up and click on “apps” as a result they are presented with a few scholarships with different prompts. If you were to click on one “app” the site would take you to a page to read more about the prompt and eligibility. By completing and composing the essay and scholarship guidelines, the app automatically sends out your response and applies for you to other scholarships with the same prompt. This is extremely helpful for the students. In addition, the site also provides various other scholarships to apply for one at a time. 

A large majority of scholarships appeal to academics or unique family dynamics. Though many students can apply for these scholarships, there are various students who do not qualify for the set outlines. For the students who do not match the standards set by these scholarships, there is no need to worry. There are scholarships for everything out there: whether you are a certain ethnicity, height, or even a middle child, there is a scholarship for you. 

While all this is true, I have been frustrated with applying for scholarships for many reasons. One reason is potentially due to the fact that relevant scholarships can be extremely hard to find. In addition to finding the scholarships, they all take a considerable amount of time and effort. A lot of scholarships also require transcripts, certain documents, and/or letters of recommendation. Personally, I think letters are going overboard. The majority of teachers will never directly hand out the letters of recommendation, and that requires you to fill out more forms and documents, make an appointment with your counselor, and find out how to proceed from there.

Knowing all of this, it is imperative to get ahead of the game. There are new scholarships each month, but there are deadlines to accompany them. With this knowledge, I have found myself feeling stressed out. While the entire point of scholarships is to help pay for college and minimize stress for students, it seems to have the opposite effect, at least at the start of the process. 

Still, my opinion remains that scholarships are a useful resource for students. They provide a shot at education for some and help minimize debt for others. Tuition is constantly rising and scholarships are a way to assist in paying the bill for college. In any case, there is no reason not to apply for scholarships. At the end of the day, tuition could be cut in half if you received enough scholarships, you just have to be willing to look for the right ones.