Saturday, May 7, 2011

Scholarships – Your Building Blocks for the Future


It is amazing how carefree our spirits can be when you are still young. The only things that matter to you during that time are your allowance, hanging out with friends, and going to school. You do not have to worry much about having to pay the bills, buying your own clothes or putting some food on the table because that’s your parents’ jobs. You basically live the easy life while you are young, but all of that will change the moment you step into college. But, there is another problem that you have to deal with----getting into college.

Fantasizing about going into college and being in college are two different things. It is quite obvious that the latter is a much more difficult task. Those who are having financial problems will find it very hard trying to get into college. On average, a semester can cost up to forty thousand dollars per year. If you are as rich as the Monopoly man then you should have no problem, but if you are an average middle classed citizen then you have a huge problem.

Forty thousand dollars is the total amount of money that an average blue collar worker makes per year. So to spend a year’s worth of salary on tuition fees would be ridiculous. So how do these people go about getting an education without having to spend too much? The answer is getting a college scholarship. But, how do you get one in the first place?

There are many ways to get a scholarship. Most universities offer scholarships for student athletes who are known to the best players in their respective sports and schools. So if you were an All-State basketball player of the year during high school, then you are sure to have a lot of universities trying to offer you scholarships in exchange for joining their varsity team.

Others get offered scholarships through their academic performances. If your academic performance during your high school years was exceptional then you will get offered an academic scholarship by a certain university. But, they usually let you take tests to see your eligibility.

Lastly, there are those who get offered scholarships by charity organizations. An example of this is 21st Century Education, an organization that hands out hundreds of scholarships every year to deserving students. This organization is headed by Jamie McIntyre, a successful Australian businessman who wishes to help others succeed the same way he did.

Once you reach the part of life where you need to be responsible, then that is the time to change your ways and start acting like a mature individual. If you ever get the opportunity to go to college through a scholarship, then do not blow the once in a life time opportunity that you have just been given.

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