For students searching for ways to meet the high cost of a college education, scholarships are an appealing option. They never require repayment and come from a wide variety of sources, meaning that all students can find and apply for the specific scholarships they're most likely to receive. Not all scholarships use common criteria, such as academic records and community involvement, to determine eligibility.
Physical Characteristics
Some scholarships are available to students based on particular physical characteristics. These scholarships come from community and social organizations and are only available to students who meet criteria such as a specific hair color, height or weight. Qualifying students compete against others with similar uncommon attributes. For example, according to Scholarships.com, the Tall Clubs International Student Scholarship awards $1,000 to male applicants who are over 6'2" and young women over 5'10".
Club Activities
While many colleges offer large scholarships to athletes, some also award scholarships for activities that are less popular or visible. College clubs such as bowling, knitting, hiking and computer gaming organizations offer scholarships to attract students with similar interests and help them pay for tuition. These clubs are usually associated with a college and only provide scholarship money to students who have already been accepted to the school. They may also require students to write about their passions in application essays.
Activist Causes
Many political and social activist groups offer scholarships to students who support their cause or lifestyle. These scholarships may require students to write essays about their personal experience with an issue and their reasons for believing in the cause. They may also require students to cite examples of their activism. Some cause-based scholarships require students to adhere to certain principles. For example, each year the Vegetarian Resource Group awards $10,000 in scholarships to students who actively promote vegetarianism.
Skills and Talents
Students with unusual skills and talents may also be able to earn scholarship money by demonstrating their abilities. One such example is the Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling scholarship, which is awarded as a prize in a contest open only to students who demonstrate duck-calling abilities. If you have an uncommon talent, check with the organizations that oversee contests or promote your hobby to learn about scholarship offerings.
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