Isn’t the Internet great? It’s truly one of the most versatile inventions in history, capable of assisting the average person with virtually any task. In a typical evening, you can search for apartments, buy virtually anything, catch up on an entire season of your favorite TV show, play tons of addictive games, upload and caption pictures of your cats, and chat for free with friends across the globe, all without leaving your desk. In addition to communicating, shopping, and being entertained, you can also work, attend college, and even find ways to pay for school online.
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Online scholarship opportunities are abundant, as are online scholarship searches. There are even scholarship programs specifically for students who also attend class online. Technological advances and marked increases in access to the Internet have revolutionized the scholarship world, allowing all kinds of college students and college-bound students more access to money for college than ever before. Of course, in addition to offering a host of scholarship information, application, and awards, the online world can also propagate scholarship myths and scams.
Avoiding Scams
So how can you tell what scholarship information is legitimate and what isn’t? Read up on the telltale signs of scholarship scams, search only through free and reputable scholarship websites, and when in doubt, research the company offering the scholarship or search service. Look for Better Business Bureau complaints and ties to known or suspected scammers. Check out their privacy policies and professional affiliations, as well. There are definitely sources of valuable scholarship information online, but if someone’s offering you something that sounds entirely too good to be true or trying to charge you a fee to access information, be wary.
Additionally, if a scholarship provider is offering you a small award for a fee, asking for credit card or banking information, guaranteeing you’ll win, or otherwise sounding less than legitimate, watch out. Do your research and make sure that the scholarships you’re spending time on are offered by real organizations with real intentions of helping real students attend college. One quick and easy way to protect yourself from scholarship scams is to use a free scholarship search, like the one provided by Scholarships.com, that reviews each award listed in its database to make sure users don’t get scammed.
Applying Online
So you’ve discovered that in addition to finding scholarships online, you can also apply for scholarships without wasting paper or stamps. Being able to type and electronically submit your application increases convenience and cuts down on the possibility of error, provided you take a few basic steps to ensure that your scholarship application process goes smoothly.
While some online scholarship applications allow you to save your work and come back to it later, this is not the case with every form. So before beginning the application, spend some time getting organized and making sure you have everything you’ll need to submit written out and saved on your computer, especially if the scholarship provider requires an essay. That way you can take your time to review your online scholarship application before you submit it, without having to worry about losing all your progress if the application page times out or your connection drops while you’re in the middle of applying. Then, when you have everything ready, you’ll just need to upload your saved work, e-mail it as an attachment, or copy and paste it into the appropriate forms as instructed by the scholarship provider.
To increase your chances of winning scholarships, it’s also good to run all application materials through a spellchecker (and by at least one other human being, as well) before you hit the submit button. That way you can avoid embarrassing typos or other mistakes likely to dissuade scholarship reviewers from awarding you any scholarship money. When you have access to numerous free spellchecking tools, dictionaries, thesauruses, and guides to modern English grammar at your fingertips, there’s no excuse for obvious errors in a scholarship application. Even when penmanship isn’t a factor, sloppy writing and poor formatting can still disqualify you from a scholarship competition.
Getting More Information
To start finding online scholarships, conduct a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Also be sure to check out the fourteen $1000 Area of Study College Scholarships offered by Scholarships.com, all of which are available online. Scholarships, grants, and other financial aid can all be found online if you know where and how to look. Check out our other college resources for more information on how to create success by finding online scholarships and other financial aid for college.
Students entering UC Davis as freshmen or transfer students may be eligible to receive the CAAA Leadership Scholarship. Award amounts range from $1,000 to $4,000. Top choice candidates may also be considered for the $10,000 Blue and Gold Leadership Scholarship ($5,000 disbursed over two years).
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The Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship Award is an award to support the education and research program of promising graduate students in crystallography-related fields. The applicant should be a graduate student enrolled in a graduate degree program with major interest in crystallography (e.g. crystal structure analysis), crystal morphology, modulated structures, correlation of atomic [...] More
For more than 65 years, SSF has helped students achieve their dreams of attending their choice university through our partnerships at Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Florida State University, Flagler College – Tallahassee, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College. While SSF does not provide monetary-based scholarships, we offer rent-free [...] More
When it comes to leveling the playing field, education is the great equalizer. It is the most fundamental and effective problem-solving mechanism that exists in society. Greenhouse Scholars is dedicated to providing educational opportunities and support to those with the potential to make a real difference. By working with the highest-performing young leaders from under-resourced communities, we [...] More
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The American Physical Society and IBM co-sponsor two undergraduate research internship programs: the APS/IBM Research Internship for Undergraduate Women, and the APS/IBM Research Internships for Underrepresented Minority Students. The goal of these internships is to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. Any student who identifies as [...] More
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The mission of SICB is to further research, education and public awareness in the areas of organismal, functional and evolutionary biology. SICB fosters research, education, public awareness and understanding of living organisms from molecules and cells to ecology and evolution. SICB encourages interdisciplinary cooperative research that integrates across scales, and new models and methodologies [...] More
The Janet Logan Daily Foundation awards an annual scholarship to one graduating high school senior in New Jersey who enrolls full-time in an accredited university or college within the United States. Applicants must meet the following criteria: students must have worked an average of 30 hours per week during the summer since the age of 16 (paid positions only), actively participate in at least [...] More
Between April 1st - May 31st each year, students may submit an application for one of the SILA Foundation scholarships awards for use at an accredited post-secondary college or university. Post-graduate studies apply. Students must be enrolled in one of the following disciplines: Insurance/Compliance/Risk Management, Finance/Accounting/Actuarial Science, Business Administration, Business [...] More
A nationally recognized university located in Sioux Falls, Augustana is home to students who aspire to become the change-makers and problem-solvers of tomorrow. We believe life is about the journey — the places you see, the experiences you have, the knowledge you gain and the people you meet along the way. It's what being a Viking is all about, and it's why we're proud to partner with families to [...] More
When you get acceptance letters from multiple colleges, there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to celebrate. But once the mental confetti has fallen, it’s time to decide: which school do you actually want to attend?
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High school students planning to work in a STEM-based field can rest assured about their career prospects. Research shows that STEM jobs will grow more than twice as rapidly as non-STEM jobs over the next 8 years. [...]
Did you know that there are more scholarships with deadlines in March than any other month? Now is the time to put in a little bit of your time to apply for as many scholarships as you possibly can. Of course, you are going to want to prioritize wisely, with just over a week left in the month. [...]
