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If you think you don't stand
a chance of getting scholarship dollars, guess again. Funds are
available, but you gotta' stop believing the scholarship myths.
The Truth About the Scholarship Pool
By Feona Sharhran Huff
January 2001
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick --
"If you do 'A,' this is going to happen" or "If you
don't do 'B,' that is going to happen." You hear myths like
these all the time, and when it concerns scholarships, the tall
tales abound! The truth is, there's lots and lots of college cash
up for grabs that you could be missing out on if you take such myths
as gospel and don't apply!
Benjamin R. Kaplan, a 1999 Harvard graduate
and author of How To Go To College Almost For Free (Waggle
Dancer Books, 2000), dispels seven myths to get you back on the
scholarship-seeking track.
Here are three to get you started:
Myth I: Only students with high academic
achievement win merit-based scholarships.
The Real Deal: Many scholarships only use your grade point average
to initially weed through the first batch of the thousands of applicants.
For example, says Kaplan, "some scholarship contests specify that
applicants have a minimum 2.5 GPA. Once you've cleared this minimum
bar, grades don't impact your chances of winning."
Myth II: The student who has the most extra
curricular activities generally wins.
The Real Deal: Don't believe the hype. While it may seem impressive
to see a page full of activities on your scholarship app', it doesn't
mean anything if you don't convey how these activities have affected
your life or the impact you've made during your time of service.
"Most scholarship winners distinguish themselves by the devotion
they have demonstrated to a particular activity rather than by the
sheer quantity of their involvement," Kaplan explains. "It's about
communicating who you are and what you care about through the activities
you participate in and enjoy."
Myth III: Students should focus their time
and energy on only one or two scholarship applications.
T he Real Deal: There are thousands of students who will compete
for the same scholarship that you do. Save yourself the heartache
of a rejection letter for the only scholarship you applied for by
going on a scholarship crusade, says Kaplan, who won over $90,000
himself. This way, your chances of getting scholarship money are
greater and that one rejection letter won't discourage you from
getting the funds you need to pay for school.
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