“It’s only $500. I’m not even going to bother applying. It’s not worth my time.”
Sigh. These predictable words make college counselors cry a single tear.
Here’s why you SHOULD apply for that low-dollar scholarship:
- Have you noticed that many lower-value scholarships tend to get pretty specific in terms of who qualifies to apply? The smaller the applicant pool, the higher your chances are of earning the scholarship if you actually take the time to apply!
- Small dollar amounts add up! Sure, one $500 scholarship may only cover your books, but if you apply to several and are even only awarded a few of them, you can cover much more!
- $500 free now is $500 plus interest you won’t have to pay back later in student loans.
- Continual writing practice on scholarship essays is honestly a great way to keep your written communication skills strong. (That might not sound cool now, but when you work in a professional setting and experience your first coworker who cannot write a clear email, you’ll look back to your writing practice with appreciation.)
- Not all low-dollar scholarships are writing-based! Artistically based ones can be a lovely way to express yourself in a new way (they don’t all require you to be an art whiz), and some are based in different media entirely!
Students, we know that making time to apply for scholarships is difficult. You juggle a lot between all of your classes, your extracurriculars, relationships, your family life/dynamics, etc., and the last thing most people want to do on purpose is more work. But finding time to devote an hour here and there to pursuing scholarships can pay off in a really big way as you head into college.
At Foundations College Counseling, we prioritize long-term time management and one-on-one attention for topics just like this, helping students find and put their best foot forward on scholarships both big and small beginning as early as freshman year. We’d be happy to help you, too.